Fried rice is often the scapegoat for leftovers. This corned beef fried rice is, dare we say, better than the original meal of corned beef and cabbage.
Though commonly associated with Irish cuisine, corned beef is actually a staple of Filipino breakfasts too.
Fried rice can also be made with hot dogs and vegan kimchi. Also, be sure to check out how to cook the best rice in the rice cooker.
What to do with Leftover Corned Beef
Whether it’s the day of after St. Patty’s Day or just another bountiful slow cooker meal from the night before, you may find yourself with a leftover hunk of corned beef.
Here are your options:
- Reheat and eat – essentially have the same thing for dinner again
- Corned Beef Hash – fry chopped corn beef with onion and pre-cooked diced potatoes
- Reuben Sandwiches – sliced corned beef on rye bread with sauerkraut & Russian dressing
- Corned Beef Egg Rolls – corned beef in spring roll wrappers with Swiss cheese and deep fry
- Corned Beef Fried Rice – the easiest!
Is Corned Beef Irish?
Probably, the most common association of corned beef is with Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day. In the 17th and 18th century, Ireland became a hub for corned beef production due to its abundance of cattle and lower salt tax.
Read more about the Irish history of Corned Beef from Food & Wine or Smithsonian magazines.
Corned Beef is Filipino
Like many highly coveted meat products, corned beef eventually made its way into a can. Much like Spam became part of the lexicon of Hawaiian cuisine, canned corned beef made its way into the Filipino diet.
Specifically, it entered the portmanteau of Filipino breakfasts paired with garlic fried rice and called a silog.
This fried rice recipe is inspired by a cornsilog, as it would be called. It contains corned beef, egg, and garlic with a touch of soy sauce.
Just a few simple ingredients are needed to make a transformative corned beef dish.
How to Make Corned Beef Fried Rice
Step 1: Sauté beef & garlic
Chop up that leftover corned beef into smallish cubes, about 1/2″ each, though whatever smaller pieces and sizes you would like work too.
Heat a nonstick pan to medium high heat. Add oil, beef, and minced garlic. Stir for 1-2 minutes, until the beef is heated through and some of the beef fat starts to melt into the pan.
Leftover corned beef never had it so good, since it gets to play with garlic in this fried rice.
Step 2: Add Rice
Cold rice is preferred, but no one will die if you add hot rice.
Cold rice will separate more easily into individual granules that get coated with the oil. Hot rice will clump up, though will still be edible.
Brown rice is used in this recipe, so it seems healthier. Use white rice if that’s what you have on hand.
Stir for 2-3 minutes until the rice is heated through.
Step 3: Add eggs
Some fried rice recipes will cook the egg in the pan first, remove to a plate, and add after the rice.
You could do that. But I do the hole in the rice method. Clear a circle in the middle of the rice by pushing the rice to the sides of the pan.
Rather than beating the eggs beforehand, you could also just crack the directly into the center of pan and scramble/beat simultaneously.
Drop in the eggs in the middle. Using a spatula, stir the eggs in the middle until mostly cooked through.
If some bits of rice or corned beef fall into the egg mixture, that is expected!
The eggs can still be wet, but there should be no liquid egg running around before you move on to the next step.
Once the eggs look mostly cooked, as in there is no runny egg liquid running around the pan, you can move on to the final step.
Step 4: Add soy sauce and green onion
Once the eggs are cooked, you could also add your choice of frozen peas, corn, carrots, or edamame.
Now it’s time for the hokey pokey where you stir it all about.
Add the green onions to the pan for some color and a little onion love. I like a dash of soy sauce for a little extra flavor.
Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring to turn it all about.
Step 5: Serve
Serve naked or with a side of sauerkraut, dill pickle spear, or hot sauce.
Serve this baby hot and straight from the pan.
Really yummy garnishes to add a contrasting sour note would be:
- sauerkraut
- dill pickles
- your favorite hot sauce
There’s nothing like a high carb meal to cure a hangover or make use of leftovers from the night before. All chopped up and mixed with garlic rice and fresh eggs, corned beef fried rice is just as memorable as the original meal the beef came from.
Helpful Tips:
- Use cold rice if you’d like the rice grains to be separate but equal. Otherwise, starting with hot rice will make a clumpy fried rice but still taste good.
- Use your choice of leftover corned beef or canned corned beef.
- Add frozen corn, peas, carrots or edamame if you prefer. Add with the green onion at the end, and cook for 2-3 minutes until the frozen vegetables are heated through.
- Use a nonstick pan or seasoned cast iron pan for the easiest cleanup, since rice likes to stick to stainless steel pans.
Related Posts
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Corned Beef Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1/2 c corned beef chopped into 1/2" dice
- 2 ea garlic cloves minced, about 1 tsp
- 1 Tb oil
- 2 c brown rice preferably cold
- 2 ea eggs whisked
- 2 ea green onion chopped
- 1 tsp soy sauce
Optional Garnishes
- sauerkraut
- dill pickles
- your favorite hot sauce
Instructions
- Heat a pan to medium high heat. Add the beef, garlic, and oil to the pan. Stir for 1-2 minutes until the beef is heated through.
- Add the rice to the pan, and keep stirring until the rice is heated through, about 2-3 minutes.
- Push the rice to the sides of the pan to clear a hole in the center of the pan. Add the beaten eggs. Stir the eggs only for about a minute until the eggs are scrambled and no runny, raw egg remains.
- Add the soy sauce and green onion to the pan. Stir for 1-2 minutes longer to soften the green onion.
- Serve hot with optional garnishes.
Notes
- Use cold rice if you'd like the rice grains to be separate but equal. Otherwise, starting with hot rice will make a clumpy fried rice but still taste good.
- Use your choice of leftover corned beef or canned corned beef.
- Add frozen corn, peas, carrots or edamame if you prefer. Add with the green onion at the end, and cook for 2-3 minutes until the frozen vegetables are heated through.
- Use a nonstick pan or seasoned cast iron pan for the easiest cleanup, since rice likes to stick to stainless steel pans.
Nutrition
Do you love corned beef? Could you please spread the ♥ and share?
My boyfriend and son loved this! They went in for seconds and thirds. We added our Sourkraut on top of it… delish. We will be making this again.
That is so cool to hear that you made it for them and they loved it! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and providing feedback. Happy cooking! 🙂