Most often when I make rice, I make extra just so that I can have it in the fridge for fried rice or rice pudding. The grains are more separate when the rice is completely cooled, so it’s a perfect use for leftover takeout rice, and makes a great fridge cleaner.

Tonight I had: 6 mushrooms, an egg, the very last bit of shredded turkey, a couple green onions and a handful of frozen peas. Yes, you can make a yummy dinner with this.

Get a large pan really hot and drizzle it with a drizzle of canola oil and sesame oil. Fry the mushrooms until they release their moisture. If you have a bit of grated ginger or garlic, add that too. Add the rice and cook until it and the mushrooms are starting to become gilded around the edges. Throw in your chopped chicken, turkey, pork or tofu (shrimp are good too, but add them at the very end to avoid overcooking) and a handful of frozen peas.

Push everything to the side and crack in an egg; stir it up a bit with your cooking implement to break the yolk, and then stir it into the rice, making it scramble right into the mixture. Cook for a few minutes, stirring now and then, and add a glug of soy sauce too. A small dab of curry paste is tasty as well – or a large dab, if you’re going for curried fried rice. Curried fried rice with shrimp is my Dad’s favorite – all this, without the egg yolk or mushrooms.

In under 6 minutes. Now that’s fast food.