I’m obsessed with fried rice. And seeing as I’m a Jew who loves Asian cuisine, as I was eating a Pastrami on rye the other day I thought to myself, “Jeffala, this sure would be amazing to marry this sandwich with a fried rice.”
And so, I did just that.
A sweet and savory Jewish Deli Fried Rice to make bubbies, mensches and yentes alike sit around a table with chopsticks and discovering new TRADITIONS!
Here’s How I Made It! (scroll to the bottom for the fully-written recipe):
Take some Jasmine rice, put it ion a strainer and rinse it until the expelled water goes from cloudy to clear.
Transfer the rinsed rice to the Instant Pot…
…along with equal parts water. Secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
Meanwhile, take an onion…
…and dice it up.
Take some scallions…
…and slice ’em up.
And, of course, take some thinly sliced pastrami…
…and dice it up as well.
Then, take a dozen eggs…
…crack ’em into a bowl…
…add some milk…
…and beat until combined.
Once the rice is done cooking, fluff with a fork…
…and transfer to a bowl to rest for a moment.
Now go back to the pot (you can leave it as is or give it a rinse and a dry)…
…and add in some vegetable oil. Give the pot heat…
…add in the onion and scallions…
…and sauté for a few minutes.
Then, add in the pastrami…
…and do the same. If you didn’t rinse your pot before adding the oil and veggies, the bottom may brown with the remains of the rice. But not to worry! That will mostly come up when we add the next items (and you can always clean it when done).
Add in some butter…
…and stir until melted.
Now it’s time to get serious. Add the egg mixture…
…and stir constantly…
…until fully cooked and crumbled into the Pastrami and veggies.
Then, add back in the rice.
Now, we’ll top this with our special ingredient: Soy Vay! It’s like a soy sauce meets a teriyaki sauce and it can be found in most markets in the marinade section.
Add some to the rice…
…and stir until combined.
Now, for a final finishing touch and to really send this home, you can add in some Russian dressing (just make sure it’s this color and not that dark red stuff – that ain’t Russian dressing!). You can use Thousand Island as well. Now, I know adding Russian dressing to rice may seem like “WTF, Jeff?!” – but trust me on this – it is JEWISH DELI Fried Rice, after all!
Give it all a final stir…
…serve…
…try…
…and shake your body like Tevye! This is one magnificent, unique, sweet & savory rice!
Instant Pot Jewish Deli Fried Rice
Us Jewish folk love delicatessens. And it's not at all uncommon to order an omelette loaded with pastrami. And seeing as so many Jews seem to love Chinese food, I decided to create an Asian-style fried rice that was Jewish deli style. L'chayim.
Ingredients
- 2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed for 90 seconds and drained
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 Spanish (or yellow) onion, diced
- 1 bunch scallions, sliced (with a few reserved for garnish)
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) salted butter
- 12 large eggs
- 3/4 cup whole milk or cream
- 1 pound pastrami, thinly sliced and diced (easy to get at any market deli – or you can make mine here!)
- 3/4 cup Soy Vay Teriyaki (this can usually be found in most markets in the marinade/dressing/condiment section) or Teriyaki sauce
- 1/3 cup Russian or Thousand Island dressing, (optional and I used Ken’s Steakhouse)
Instructions
- Add the rinsed rice to the Instant Pot along with the water. Secure the lid, move the valve to sealing position and hit Manual or Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes. When done, allow a 10 minute natural release followed by a quick release and fluff the rice with a fork.
- While the rice is cooking, whisk together the eggs and the milk and set aside
- Hit Keep Warm/Cancel and remove the rice from the pot to a bowl. You can either rinse the liner pot and return it to the Instant Pot (just make sure it’s totally dry before returning) or leave as is (it will be more prone to things getting stuck to the bottom in the next step, but not a big deal).
- Add the vegetable oil to the pot and hit Sauté and Adjust to the High or More setting. After 3 minutes of heating, add the onion and scallions and sauté for 5 minutes. Then, add the pastrami and sauté for 3 minutes longer.
- Now, add the butter and stir around. Once melted, add the egg mixture to the pot and stir constantly, scraping the bottom of the pot, until it becomes cooked into broken down bits, about 5 minutes longer. Turn off the pot by hitting Keep Warm/Cancel.
- Add the rice back to the pot, pour the Soy Vay over it and stir until fully combined. Lastly, add in the Russian dressing, if using, and serve.
Jeffrey's Tips
If you wish to keep it kosher, skip the milk in the eggs and the butter.
If you want it saucier, add more Soy Vay or Teriyaki and/or Russian dressing to taste.
Want to make your own Pastrami? Make mine here!
Carole
Can I use Japanese rice instead and add more water?
Thank you
Sherry
Eating milk and meat together makes this recipe a non kosher one. When calling a dish Jewish style, perhaps this can be specified for those who don’t know.
Jennifer S
Jeffrey, when you use rice in a recipe,you need to specify if you are using g white or brown rice, as their cooking times are vastly different!
Jeffrey
Well, I did. You need to read the recipe card at the bottom.
Eric Wolff
This recipe is genius!! Super quick and easy to make and tastes amazing. I’m a huge fan of both fried rice and deli sandwiches—this recipe is the perfect melange of the two. Brilliant!