Serves two as a side dish or one as a main meal

2 cups cooked jasmine or basmati rice
2 eggs
2 cloves garlic (fresh or cured in soy sauce*), minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup frozen cooked, peeled shrimp (if using)
2 Chinese sausages (lop cheung), sliced
2 green onions, chopped (separate the white and green parts)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Heat half the vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet or wok. Break the eggs into a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork. When the oil is hot, pour in the eggs and cook, turning repeatedly, until just set. Slide the eggs from the pan back into the same bowl you scrambled them in. Set aside.

Add the remaining vegetable oil to the pan and sauté the minced garlic, the white parts of the green onions, and the sausage slices until fragrant. Add the frozen peas and shrimp and cook until thawed. Add the rice (sprinkle with a little water to easily break apart any clumps). Make sure everything is well mixed together.

When the rice is heated through, add the scrambled eggs and gently break them apart with your cooking spatula. Drizzle on the sesame oil and give the rice one final stir.

Garnish with the green parts of the onions before serving.

Other tasty additions to fried rice:

• strips of salmon belly, lightly salted and grilled
• tuna flakes
• leftover rotisserie chicken meat, diced
• chopped ham or Spam