Recipe and photo courtesy of Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen. Excerpted from Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites (Knopf, 2017), as featured in Edible Jersey, Spring 2018
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 tablespoons (60 to 75 ml) peanut oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 4 cups cooked barley (600 grams, from 1 heaped cup, about 225 grams, uncooked), cooled
- Salt
- 2 cups (about 255 grams) mixed spring vegetables, such as favas, peas, chopped asparagus, or sugar snaps, cooked until firm-tender
- 4 large eggs
- 4 teaspoons (20 ml) soy sauce, plus more to taste
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons (5 grams) sesame seeds, toasted, or a mix of white and black seeds
Preparation
Fried Barley
Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large heavy skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and scallions and let them sizzle for 30 seconds. Add the barley, spreading it out and sprinkling it with salt, and then don’t move it for 5 to 10 minutes; you’re looking to get a little color underneath, but you should keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn. Once it’s a bit brown underneath, stir the mixture around, attempting to give a little more texture to the barley. Finally, add the vegetables and stir for 1 minute, just to get them to heat through. Transfer to a serving bowl.
To Finish
Wipe out the skillet; heat over high heat with the remaining oil, creating a good slick. When it’s piping, smoking hot, drop in 2 eggs (or 4, if they fit) and step back, because this is going to be violently splattery. When the eggs are lacy brown underneath, carefully shimmy a thin spatula under each, loosening and flipping the eggs, cooking on the other side for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat with the last 2 eggs, if they didn’t fit in the first batch.
Place each egg atop a portion of fried rice, and drizzle each with 1 teaspoon soy and ½ teaspoon sesame oil, then sprinkle with ½ teaspoon seeds. Break the eggs so that they pour over the barley.
