Name: Cabbage and tofu fried rice
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 38 min
Total time: 178 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: ¾ cup dry long-grain white rice, cooked and chilled as directed (150 g); 1⅓ cups water for cooking rice (330 ml); 14 oz firm tofu, drained and cut into 1.5 cm cubes (400 g); 4¼ cups finely shredded green cabbage (300 g); 1 cup coarsely grated carrot (100 g); ½ large onion, finely diced (80 g); 3 garlic cloves, minced (10 g); 1 tbsp + 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger (10 g); 4 tsp olive oil, divided; 1½ tbsp soy sauce; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil; 1 tbsp lime juice

The rice for this skillet is cooked ahead and chilled before it meets the vegetables. Tofu supplies browned pieces, cabbage softens around the grains, and grated carrot cooks quickly enough to stay in the same pan. Soy sauce and toasted sesame oil provide the finish without a separate bottled stir-fry sauce.

Begin with safely chilled rice

Start with the dry rice quantity in the card and use its whole cooked batch. Weighing that amount before cooking keeps the recipe’s yield and calculations consistent. A bowl of unrelated leftover rice can contain a very different amount of dry grain, so it will not necessarily produce the same portions.

Spread cooked rice into shallow containers and refrigerate promptly instead of leaving the saucepan on the counter until dinner. The NHS advises refrigerating cooked rice within one hour, using it within 24 hours, and reheating it only once. The final stir-fry is that reheating step. Make the number of portions you intend to eat, and keep the chilled rice in the refrigerator while the tofu and vegetables cook.

Brown the tofu before the pan fills

Pat the drained tofu dry and give the cubes space against the hot skillet. Let them sit briefly between turns so some surfaces become golden. Moving them constantly breaks the corners and reduces their contact with the pan. Set them on a plate while the vegetables cook so their firmer edges are not lost beneath a pile of wet cabbage.

Finely shredded cabbage wilts faster than broad wedges, while grated carrot needs less cooking than thick coins. Those cuts let both vegetables fit the short skillet method. Garlic and ginger enter after the onion, carrot, and cabbage have started softening. Keep the aromatics moving during their brief turn against the pan, then add the rice before they scorch.

Distribute the sauce through the grains

Break up cold rice clumps before they enter the skillet. Once added, spread and turn the grains so the middle of each clump heats along with its outside. Return the tofu near the end and pour the measured soy sauce over different areas of the pan instead of into one concentrated patch. Toasted sesame oil contributes a strong aroma even in a small amount.

Regular soy sauce contains considerable sodium, and brands differ, so avoid adding extra salt automatically. The sauce reference also contains wheat as well as soy. Finish with lime off the heat, then serve both portions once everything is steaming hot throughout. Extra sauce or a different tofu changes the stated nutritional estimate; rice that was stored unsafely should be discarded rather than rescued with a longer fry.

Storage & reheating

For the advance rice preparation, refrigerate within 1 hour of cooking and use within 24 hours. Keep it cold until stir-frying. Eat the finished fried rice promptly and discard uneaten portions; do not cool it for a second reheating.

Substitutions

Use the same weight of finely shredded red cabbage; its color will tint the rice.
Lemon juice can replace lime juice. Check sauces for their own ingredients and allergens.

Cooking notes

The ingredient quantity and calculations use 150 g dry rice. Cook it first and use the entire cooked batch; 150 g cooked rice is not equivalent.
Inactive time includes the 5-minute covered rest and a minimum 2-hour refrigerated chill. An overnight chill extends the elapsed time.
The finished dish is intended for immediate eating because the chilled rice is reheated during stir-frying.

Contains: sesame, soy, wheat. Check the labels of your ingredients.

Ingredient	USD	CAD
dry long-grain white rice, cooked and chilled as directed	$0.28	$0.37
water for cooking rice	$0.00	$0.00
firm tofu, drained and cut into 1.5 cm cubes	$2.94	$4.56
green cabbage, finely shredded	$0.67	$0.59
carrot, coarsely grated	$0.30	$0.22
onion, finely diced	$0.18	$0.16
garlic, minced	$0.18	$0.09
fresh ginger, finely grated	$0.09	$0.05
olive oil, divided	$0.23	$0.21
soy sauce	$0.09	$0.26
toasted sesame oil	$0.22	$0.13
lime juice	$0.05	$0.08
Recipe total	$5.23	$6.72
Per serving	$2.61	$3.36

Cabbage and tofu fried rice

Begin with safely chilled rice

Brown the tofu before the pan fills

Distribute the sauce through the grains