Pat's fried rice — the family-style camp fried rice that uses up leftover cooked rice + whatever bits of meat + veg are in the esky. Quick, generous, flexible, kid-friendly. The trick is using DAY-OLD rice — fresh hot rice goes gluey + clumpy.

15 minutes to dinner; works on a butane stove or wok over coals.

Photo by Carlos Fernández on Unsplash

Serves: 4-6 · Prep: 10 minutes · Cook: 15 minutes · Equipment: wok or large frying pan, plus separate small pan for eggs

Photo: Charles Chen / Unsplash

• 4 cups COLD cooked long-grain rice (day-old is best — fresh rice goes gluey)
• 3 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 200g bacon, ham, or BBQ chicken — diced (whatever's in the esky)
• 1 cup mixed frozen peas + corn (thawed)
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 3 spring onions, sliced (whites + greens kept separate)
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce (optional but excellent)
• 1 tsp sesame oil (added at end)
• Salt + cracked pepper

Optional add-ins: 200g cooked prawns; pineapple chunks (sweet variation); chilli flakes; coriander to garnish.

1. Cook the eggs first. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan over medium. Pour in beaten eggs; cook + scramble lightly until JUST set (don't overcook). Remove + chop coarsely. Set aside.
2. Heat the wok over high heat. Add 2 tbsp oil. The wok should be smoking-hot.
3. Stir-fry aromatics. Add onion + WHITE parts of spring onion. Stir-fry 2 minutes. Add garlic; 30 seconds.
4. Add protein. Add bacon/ham/chicken. Stir-fry 2 minutes until heated through.
5. Add veg. Add carrots; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add peas + corn; stir-fry 1 minute.
6. Add the rice. Pour cold cooked rice in. Use a wooden spoon to BREAK UP any clumps. Stir-fry continuously for 3-4 minutes — rice should be heated through + slightly crispy in spots.
7. Sauce + eggs. Pour in soy sauce + oyster sauce. Stir to coat evenly. Add the cooked egg back in.
8. Final touches. Drizzle sesame oil. Sprinkle GREEN parts of spring onion. Stir once.
9. Serve immediately in bowls, with extra soy + chilli sauce on the side.

• Day-old cold rice IS THE SECRET. Fresh hot rice = gluey, clumped, sad. Day-old cold rice = fluffy, separate, brilliant. Cook rice the night before for next-day fried rice
• If you must use fresh rice: spread on a tray + refrigerate 30 minutes minimum to dry it out
• HIGH heat is critical — proper wok-hei flavour comes from screaming-hot wok action
• Cook eggs separately — adding raw eggs to the rice = scrambled mess
• Don't crowd the wok — better to do batches than overcrowd
• Variations: Yangzhou (with prawns + ham + egg); pineapple fried rice (Thai style); kimchi fried rice (Korean); special fried rice (everything in)
• Use what's in the esky — leftover roast chicken, bacon, ham, prawns, even tinned tuna. Vegetables: peas, corn, carrots, capsicum, mushrooms, broccoli, bok choy
• Camp version: wok on butane stove (high heat) — works perfectly. Or large pan over coals
• Leftovers reheat well — splash of water in the pan, stir-fry again briefly

The "use everything up" camp dinner that's somehow always better than it should be. Day-old rice + whatever's in the esky + a hot wok = genuinely satisfying, kid-friendly, generous.

Cook extra rice on day 1 of any camp trip + you've automatically got fried rice in your back pocket for day 2. Camp efficiency at its best.