It’s easy to make Chinese food at home. Especially this Jewish inspired Pastrami and Rye Fried Rice!
All I want for Christmas is…Chinese food? It’s true. While gentiles are running around in fresh snow in their matching footie PJs, drinking eggnog and thanking Santa for their new Xboxes and Zale’s diamonds, (that’s how Christmas works, right?) Jews are here watching Home Alone 17 and gorging on moo shu and dumplings. It’s tradition! I believe it goes back to Chinese food being the only thing open, but I’ve noticed in recent years more and more gentiles taking our reservations. Humph. So this year, save yourself the trouble and make your own Chinese food! That way, you too can sit around in footie PJs. Take that!
This isn’t the first year I’ve made my own Chinese Food. Check out over 40 Chinese Food Recipes like Egg Drop Matzo Ball Soup or Lox and Cream Cheese Rangoon! This year, I went with fried rice!
Fried rice has never been my go-to, but it is now! Of course I put a Jewy twist with pastrami, caraway seeds, pickled cabbage and forbidden rice. The latter isn’t Jewy, but it is nutritious, gluten free, and extra tasty!
Finally, an excuse to use my Hello Kitty chopsticks on the blog! Because you can’t eat brisket with chopsticks. Fact.
You can top your fried rice with some scallions and call it a day. 
Or go for a crispy fried egg (in place of scrambled egg) and pickled cabbage and make it a meal! Yes, ma’am. 
Merry Christmas to you.
Pastrami and Rye Fried Rice
Ingredients
- For quick pickled cabbage:
- 1/4 cabbage sliced
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
- For fried rice:
- 2 cups cooked forbidden rice refrigerated overnight
- 2 tablespoons sesame or olive oil
- 1/4 cup carrots diced small
- 1/4 pound thin sliced pastrami diced
- 1 small shallot minced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1/4 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 2 fried eggs
- Diced scallions sesame seeds and caraway seeds for garnish
Instructions
- To make the quick pickled cabbage, place shredded cabbage in a large bowl. Bring other ingredients to a boil, and then pour over cabbage and stir. Let sit for 30 minutes.
- To make the fried rice, heat a large wok or sauté pan over medium high heat. Add oil and heat. Add pastrami and cook until it starts to brown and crisp. Then add carrots and shallot cook until slightly soft and shallot is translucent. Then add garlic and cook for one more minute. Add rice and stir to heat. Add brown sugar, fish sauce, and soy sauce and fry for a few more minutes.
- Serve hot with fried egg, scallions, sesame seeds, caraway seeds and pickled cabbage!
Notes
What is forbidden rice? Looks like black rice. Thanks.
Yes, black rice is forbidden rice.