I sometimes have to remind myself why I started this blog in the first place. I can never remember how I made something and I need a catalog of all my creations. That is my excuse for the poor photography for this post.

I grew up in a gourmet kitchen. We ate pesto, caviar and porcini mushrooms. You’d nary find a casserole on our dining table. But for some reason, my father could never master fried rice. It was always too much oyster sauce or something didn’t seem right.

I just assumed it was impossible to make tasty fried rice at home unless you have some sort of Asian granny teaching you her family secrets.

I was wrong. I CAN make yummy fried rice, and although the secret ingredient is not traditional, I have to say that Benihana knows what’s up — butter. Mmm…besides bacon, butter makes everything amazing.

I guess it’s not much of a secret since the chefs make it right in front of you, but I found a great copycat recipe and decided to try it out. You, too, ought to try it.

My recipe is a little different from the one I found, but I ate about six servings worth. It’s carbalicious!

Benihana Fried Rice

Serves about 6

2 cups uncooked rice

2 carrots, cut into small cubes

1 onion, cut up small

7 tablespoons butter

4 green onions, chopped

2-3 eggs

2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips

Soy sauce

Fish sauce

salt and pepper

vegetable oil

toasted sesame seeds (if you’re up to it, but I didn’t bother)

Directions:

Cook the rice according to the package’s instructions. While it’s cooking, heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Once hot, add about a teaspoon of vegetable oil. Crack the eggs into the pan and swirl around with a spatula thus scrambling them while they cook. Once fully cooked and slightly brown (I like when it’s like that), remove from pan and set aside. Let pan reheat and add a couple of more teaspoons of oil. Add the chicken and cook thoroughly till browned a little. Remove from pan and set aside. Reheat the pan and add the butter. Once melted, add the onions, carrots and green onions and cook till carrots are tender to your liking. Add the rice, eggs and chicken to the wok. Sprinkle the soy sauce all over the rice till everything is thoroughly coated. I’m assuming it’s about 1/4 cup, but I eyeballed it. Next, lightly sprinkle the rice with fish sauce (maybe about 1 teaspoon). Toss everything thoroughly and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with steak and lobster à la Benihana.