Sheet-Pan Fried Rice With Vegan ‘XO’ Sauce By Hetty McKinnon (NYT Cooking)

While making fried rice the traditional way isn’t hard, this sheet-pan version is an excellent alternative method: It uses the oven for the heavy lifting and produces the perfect amount of crisping. Fried rice is the ultimate adaptable dish, and here, frozen mixed vegetables — that bag of corn, carrots, peas and beans that home cooks should always keep in the freezer — create a colorful canvas for an XO-inspired vegan mushroom sauce that infuses the dish with umami. The sauce is a wonderful condiment in itself, so make a double batch to keep in the fridge for slathering over noodles or roasted vegetables. You could use mushrooms other than cremini for the sauce; fresh or dried shiitake work incredibly well. Add more eggs if you wish, too.

INGREDIENTS

6 heaping cups cold leftover rice (white or brown) 1 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal), plus more to taste 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons sesame oil 1 onion, finely diced ½ cup neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola, plus more for drizzling 6 ounces cremini mushrooms, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 1 (1-inch) piece ginger, finely chopped 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce ¾ to 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, to taste 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen mixed vegetables (do not thaw) 4 to 6 eggs 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Add to Your Grocery List Ingredient Substitution Guide Nutritional Information PREPARATION Step 1 Place a sheet pan on the middle oven rack and heat to 450 degrees.

Step 2 In a large bowl, combine the rice with salt, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, sesame oil and half of the diced onion. Toss to combine well. Remove the sheet pan from the oven, and spread the rice out evenly. Bake for 15 minutes.

Step 3 Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, add 1 to 2 tablespoons neutral oil and the remaining diced onion. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the onions start to soften, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes more until translucent. Add the remaining 6 to 7 tablespoons neutral oil, along with the mushrooms, garlic, ginger, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, dark soy sauce and red-pepper flakes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until the mushrooms are completely soft. If the oil bubbles too much, reduce the heat to low.

Step 4 After 15 minutes, remove the sheet pan from the oven, add the frozen mixed vegetables and toss with the rice to evenly distribute. Make 4 to 6 divots in the rice (depending on how many eggs you are using), drizzle a tiny bit of neutral oil into each divot to prevent sticking, and break an egg into each. Return to the oven for 6 to 10 minutes until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny.

Step 5 To serve, spoon some of the sauce over the rice and top with scallions. If the rice needs more seasoning, add more sauce or season with salt.