Y'all, we made it! It's officially 2021. And while I know you made a whole list of healthier habits to start in the New Year, first thing's first. Let's chase away your holiday hangover with a big cozy bowl of my Breakfast Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage.
I literally can't think of a better way to cure a hangover than with breakfast fried rice. It's filled with simple, fast-acting carbs that are easy on your gut, is salty enough to replenish some of your long lost electrolytes, and will provide enough protein to keep you sated until you wake up from your much needed nap. Oh. And it takes just 10 minutes to whip up, so you'll be feeling better in no time.
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Hangovers are the worst. Waking up feeling like doo-doo because of choices I made willingly -nay, enthusiastically - at the time is one of my least favorite things. The Shame! The Guilt! The Headache!
But if you, like me, have over-imbibed in the fervor of drinking away the dumpster fire that was 2020, this fried rice with Chinese sausage is for you. (Or check out this recipe for poutine - a delicious Canadian dish with potatoes, gravy and cheese that is also a favorite hangover breakfast!)
Ingredients You'll Need
I personally prefer using Jasmine rice for making fried rice, because it is lightly fragrant and has nice, long grains that don't clump together when you fry them. You can also use any other long grain rice of your choosing. Basmati is the first thing that comes to mind, but brown varieties could also be used.
Okay, okay, I hear you. You're hungover and don't want to fuss with making rice. If you happen to have a few packets of pre-cooked rice on hand - or some leftover cooked rice from your takeout earlier in the week - this breakfast fried rice can be yours in just a few minutes.
TIP: One of my favorite emergency pantry ingredients that I have discovered in the last year are these packets of 90 second microwavable rice. They are shelf stable and result in perfectly separated grains of perfectly cooked rice every time, with no extra dishes to make. Rinse the bag out thoroughly when you're done and send them along with your plastic bag recycling.
You are also going to want to invest in some Chinese sausage. You should be able to find several versions at any international market, or you might get lucky like me and find a two-pack at Costco for an amazingly low price. Alternatively, you can purchase the same brand from Amazon.
If you do not happen to have Chinese sausage on hand to make this delicious hangover breakfast fried rice, I have two things to say:
- Let's fix your hangover first. Swap in a sweeter smoked bacon (e.g. maple or applewood), honey ham cut into cubes or some sweet breakfast sausage (preferably linked) instead. It won't be the same, but it'll totally do the trick.
- Once you have the fried rice in your belly and you're scrolling through your phone aimlessly, do yourself a favor and impulse buy some Chinese sausage. It's seriously so, so good, and it'll last for an incredibly long time in the fridge. You won't regret it!
The remainder of the ingredients I'll bet you already have on hand from all your quarantine grocery hoarding and/or delivery orders. Frozen peas, eggs, an onion, a few teaspoons of soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, sugar, and red pepper flakes are usually in my pantry.
If you also happen to have some scallions (a.k.a. green onions) and some dry sherry on hand (didn't you get some so you could make clam chowder?), and you're in serious fried rice business.
Bonus points if you have some spicy-makers on hand. Sriracha, ghost pepper flakes, some jalapeño, a bottle of sambal oelek or gochujang, or even some spicy kimchi all do the trick. Spicy heat releases a ton of endorphins for me. I'm honestly not happy about some meals unless I'm sweating by the time I'm done.
Word to the wise, though: don't eat anything spicier than you can usually handle; capsaicin can irritate your stomach lining if you're not used to it. That's exactly the opposite of what we're trying to accomplish here.
How to Make Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage
First up, gather your ingredients. You're already in a compromised state, and there's nothing more stressful than forgetting something that requires digging through a cupboard when you're worried about your 11am breakfast burning. If ever there was a time for mise en place, that time is now.
In a small bowl, mix together your salt, sugar, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, sesame oil and 2 teaspoons of hot water. Set that aside.
Soak your unsliced Chinese sausages in hot water for about 10 minutes while you prep your other veggies. When done, discard the water and slice into coins.
Chop your onion, beat the two eggs and slice the scallions. You're ready to rock and roll.
Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in your pan over medium heat. Wait until it's shimmering, then add your eggs. Scramble them, then remove from the pan.
Add another 1-2 tablespoons of oil and heat until shimmering. Add the Chinese sausage slices and cook for about 20 seconds, until they start to sizzle. Next, add the onions and sauté until they are beginning to soften and become translucent, 2-3 minutes.
TIP: Are you opting for an uncooked meat here? If you're using bacon or uncooked sausage, cook all the way through in this phase.
Increase the heat to high, then add the rice. Stir to break up any clumps and to heat through.
When the rice is hot, add the sauce mix and stir to coat. By the time everything is incorporated, the rice should be covered and steaming and there shouldn't be any rice clumps left. This took me about 3 minutes.
Add in the cooked eggs and the frozen peas, stirring to heat - about 2-3 minutes.
Add about half of the sliced scallions to the pan and drizzle in the sherry. Stir to coat and continue to stir fry for another 20-30 seconds.
Remove from heat, and if you desire a little extra richness to soak up the booze, stir in a tablespoon or two of butter until melted and fully incorporated.
Dish out into bowls, garnish with remaining scallions, sriracha and a fried egg (if desired). Dig in and get your mind right.
Frequently Asked Questions
While I highly recommend keeping a pack of this shelf stable, salty-sweet, umami flavor bomb on hand at all times, this is no time to kick yourself. I'm here to help you feel better! Some alternatives that you might have on hand include:
-Ham (preferably honey-baked)
-Spam (don't judge)
-Bacon (preferably maple or applewood smoked for a bit of sweetness)
-Hot Dogs (again, don't judge)
-Sausage (sweet breakfast sausage, chicken apple sausage, etc.)
Heck yeah you can! Rice is pretty dang simple to prepare, so if you're feeling up to it, absolutely. In fact, when you get fried rice from restaurants, they almost always make the rice that day. If you want to use your Instant Pot to make your rice, here's how.
When it has cooked and been fluffed, just turn it out onto a plate, cookie sheet or cutting board and spread it out a little to cool for about 10 minutes before adding to the pan.
So, the original recipe that I was drawing from called for Shaoxing wine as an optional add in. I didn't have any on hand, but apparently dry sherry, mirin or sake can all be used in its place with suitable results. Since I had dry sherry (it's part of my pantry for making Mom's clam chowder), I opted to use it.
Feel free to omit the sherry if you do not have any of these substitutes on hand.
Honestly, the biggest piece is that you're eating it for breakfast. The fact that it has eggs and a relatively sweet meat in it doesn't hurt. I also love to throw an over medium fried egg on mine, and you know anything that has a runny egg on it can be considered breakfast, right?
I will literally put an egg on a cheeseburger and call it breakfast. Or on a bowl of chili. Or on a slice of pizza. Because fried eggs are awesome for the first meal of the day, and so are burgers and chili and pizza and fried rice. Don't judge.
Y'all, this is your breakfast/brunch/hangover relief. You do whatever feels right to you! I'd venture to say some extra scrambled eggs would taste delicious served atop your breakfast fried rice. Heck, you could even stir some scrambies in there when you're making the rice to save yourself a step.
There's also no shame in omitting the egg altogether. Maybe you're a lucky soul with a ripe avocado on hand. Slice it and add it to the top instead. That extra dose of potassium will do your (hungover) body a lot of good. A scoop or two of kimchi would also be delicious, and would offer a nice little probiotic boost.
Other Remedies To Serve With Breakfast Fried Rice
Need more holistic healing to cure your hangover? I hear you. I'm here for you. If we're talking flavor pairings here, I'd recommend a scoop or two of kimchi. The flavors will meld very nicely with the fried rice and Chinese sausage, and all that fermented, probiotic goodness will be magical for your gut biome.
I also recommend some ginger tea. It's warm and comforting, and ginger is proven to help with upset stomachs. Don't feel like you need a teabag, either. Take a few slices from that knob of ginger languishing in your veggie drawer and steep them in hot water.
Some of my other favorite hangover cures include:
- A single spiked breakfast beverage, a.k.a. hair of the dog. I tend to reach for something with prosecco in it for the bubbles, but that's just me. Spiked coffee or a Bloody Mary might be more your speed. After one, switch to something non-alcoholic. I'm not a prude, I'm just realistic about what got me feeling this way in the first place and I'm not trying to re-live it tonight.
- 2 aspirin (NOT TYLENOL!!!) with a big glass of water or...
- Coconut water. It has a ton of potassium and some other electrolytes that make me feel better pretty quickly. Just limit yourself to about 12oz, as coconut water can act as a natural laxative and that's the last thing we need right now.
- More sleep. Preferably on a couch in front of some low-key tv from the 90s. Fresh Prince of Bel Air marathon, anyone?
No matter what you serve this fried rice with, I have a feeling that you're going to feel better very soon.
Need more breakfast inspiration? Check out these other delicious recipes to get your day started on the right foot:
- High Protein Banana Blender Pancakes
- Instant Pot "Sous Vide" Style Egg Bites
- Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Bars
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal
If you tried this recipe for Breakfast Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage, let me know how it turned out for you! I'd love to hear how you felt about it in the comments and ratings.
If you want more recipes delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for my email newsletter. You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook for ideas on what to make when you're not hungover. Until next time, friends! Cheers, and HAPPY 2021!!!
Breakfast Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage
Ingredients
- 3 links Chinese Sausage soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, then sliced into coins
- 1 large Yellow Onion chopped
- 5 C Cooked White Rice long grain
- 3-4 tablespoon Neutral Oil vegetable, grapeseed, avocado, peanut, etc.
- 2 Eggs beaten
- ⅔ C Frozen Peas
- 1 teaspoon Dry Sherry or sub Shaoxing wine (preferred), mirin or sake
- 2 Scallions sliced, both green and white parts
- 1-2 tablespoon Butter optional
Sauce Ingredients
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon Soy Sauce sub tamari if gluten free
- 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 2 teaspoon Hot Water
Optional Garnishes
- Sliced Scallions
- Sriracha
- Fried Eggs preferably fried in butter
Instructions
- Prepare ingredients. Soak Chinese sausage in hot water to soften. Chop onion, slice scallions, beat eggs. Once sausage has soaked, discard water and slice into coins.
- Mix together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat ~2 tablespoon oil in pan over medium heat until shimmering. Scramble eggs, then remove from the pan.
- Add another ~1-2 tablespoon oil in pan until shimmering. Sauté sausage coins for about 20 seconds, until they begin to sizzle. Add onions and continue to stir and sauté until beginning to turn translucent and soft, 2-3 minutes.
- Increase heat to high and add cooked rice. Stir to break up any clumps. Continue to cook until heated through.
- Add contents of sauce mix to rice. Stir to coat and continue to stir fry until the rice is steaming and there are no rice clumps left. This took about 3 minutes.
- Add in the cooked scrambled eggs and frozen peas, stirring to incorporate. Cook until heated through, 1-2 minutes.
- Add sliced scallions and sherry to the pan, stirring to incorporate. Continue to stir fry for another 20-30 seconds. Remove from heat.
- If desired, stir in butter for some added richness. Stir until completely incorporated.
- Scoop into bowls and top with desired garnishes. Enjoy, and feel better!
Notes
- If you don't have Chinese sausage on hand, feel free to substitute with cubed ham (preferably honey baked), bacon (maple or applewood), breakfast sausage (preferably links), spam, chicken apple sausage or even hot dogs. It won't taste quite the same, but it'll still heal that hangover.
- If you don't have cooked rice on hand, feel free to make some fresh, then tip out onto a plate or sheet pan to cool for about 10 minutes. You can also use those packs of microwave rice if you prefer.
- Nutrition facts do not include optional toppings but do include the optional butter.
Let's taco 'bout it.