With just a little bit of home prep, fried rice is one of the easiest meals to whip up in the backcountry. 

This meal is the perfect way to use up any leftover rice and the addition of pickles elevates the rice to a higher level of culinary delight. You can also chop and change the sauce to suit your taste: add oyster or fish sauce, more chilli, less sesame.

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Serves: Two
Time: 10min prep at home, 15min at destination
Cost: $5

Ingredients 

Fried rice

• Instant rice 
• (or 2 cups cooked rice)
• 1 carrot
• ½ a broccoli
• 5 brussels sprouts
• 2 spring onions
• 2 eggs (safely transport wrapped in paper towels and placed in your mugs)
• Pickled cucumber
• Oil for frying

Sauce mix

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sweet 
• chilli sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 30mm ginger, peeled and grated

Quick pickled cucumber

• ¼ cup vinegar (white, rice wine, or a mixture)
• ½ cup water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 small cucumber (about 1 cup worth)
• 1 spring onion
• ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)

Method

At home, prepare the pickle by mixing together the vinegar(s), water, sugar and salt, stirring until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Thinly slice the cucumber and spring onion and add to the mixture along with the chilli (if using). Store in an airtight container in the fridge overnight.

In a separate container, mix together the sauce ingredients and store in the fridge overnight.

At the destination, prepare instant rice according to packet instructions. When cooked, set aside and continue with the following preparations.

Chop the carrot and broccoli into wide matchsticks and sixth the brussels sprouts while heating some oil in a pan. Crack the eggs into the pan and stir well to scramble. Keep stirring the eggs, removing the pan from the heat after a few minutes when they’re mostly cooked but still soft-looking. Transfer to a bowl and scrape out the pan.

Put the pan back on the heat and add more oil. When hot, tip in the chopped vegetables and fry for about 5min; the greens should have turned a darker green and everything is cooked but still crunchy. Add the cooked rice to the pan and cook for 3-5min, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Tip in the pre-made sauce mix and stir to coat everything then cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let sit for 5-10min. 

Remove the cover and give everything a gentle nudge (some delightful crispy bits will have formed on the bottom) and stir through the eggs. Divide between two and top with chopped spring onion and pickled cucumber. Sprinkle some pickle juice over for an extra vinegary/chilli hit.