Sometimes food is like math and this is a case in point. More specifically, this is an example of multiplying two negatives to make a positive!
On the negative side of the equation, we have an abundance of leftover pork chops that need to get used up and we also do not get to eat enough Chinese food. The positive solution is to use leftover pork chops to make Chinese inspired Fried Rice!
Too Many Pork Chops!
We cook a LOT of pork. Pork is inexpensive, kids love it and is fun to cook on a smoker.
This means that we often have leftover pork chops and leftover pork steaks taking up room in the refrigerator and need to come up with creative ways to repurpose them.
Cooked pork will last a few days in the refrigerator but can dry out pretty quick and isn’t always as good when it is simply reheated in the microwave.
We also run into the problem where we might have just a couple pork chops leftover but need to fix a meal that feeds the whole family. That is one reason this recipe is perfect for us!
Not Enough Chinese Food!
I wish Kevin liked Chinese food as much as I do. I love it. I have such fond memories of going out for Chinese with my best friend in high school, and ordering way more than we could possibly eat, but still somehow managing to eat it all.
There are times when my stomach just NEEDS Chinese. But I very rarely get it.
I can never get Kevin to crave Chinese the way I do. Even when I was pregnant, it didn’t work! And no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to make the crab rangoon or the egg rolls turn out the way that I want them to taste…which would be fattening, fried happiness. So, I’d much rather just order some.
But Kev’s always a no.
He’d rather (you guessed it) bbq. So (and tell me if you think this as brilliant as I thought it was), I thought, “HEY! I bet if I incorporated some of his bbq into some sort of Chinese dish, he’d eat it, and probably be excited about it!”
And you know what? I was right.
I did it, and I think he is starting to like Chinese more. But only if it has some of his bbq in it.
Sigh. Baby steps, right? Baby steps.
Original Recipe: Smoked Pork Chops
Leftover Pork Chop Recipe: Chinese Style Fried Rice!
Ingredients
- 1-3 leftover pork chops or pork steaks
- 4 cups of cooked rice I use white, but use what you want to use
- 1 bunch of green onions chopped
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 3 eggs scrambled
- 1 white onion diced into large chunks
- 1/2 cup of frozen peas
- 1 cup of bean sprouts
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1/3 cup of soy souce
- 1/8 worchestershire sauce
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Cook your rice and set it aside. I cook mine with a little pat of butter in it, just to give it a little bit of flavor.
- Dice your pork into bite sized pieces.
- Heat a sauce pan with olive oil on a medium high heat. Throw the pork in there and let it get a little crunchy. Not a lot, just a little. Add maybe 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to the pork.
- Once the pork is heated through, add your white onions. I like to keep them crunchy, so I don't let these cook for long. Push the meat and onions over to one side of the skillet and add your eggs. Scramble them until done.
- Add frozen peas, garlic and bean sprouts. Also add the rest of the soy sauce, Worcestershire, sesame oil and black pepper. After taste testing this, see if the saltiness is to your liking, you may want more soy sauce.
- Sprinkle the whole thing with the chopped green onions and you'll be ready to serve.
- Drizzle some olive oil and/or soy sauce over the top if it looks like it's thirsty and needs a little extra juice - especially if you need to warm it up. Enjoy!