The Simple Deli Meat That Packs An Umami Punch In Fried Rice

Fried rice is a takeout classic, but it's also surprisingly easy to make for yourself at home. For great fried rice, it's actually best to make it with leftover rice, not fresh. You'll need salty ingredients like soy sauce, miso paste, or fish sauce, maybe some chopped onions or scallions, and a bit of scrambled egg, but beyond that, the possibilities for putting your own spin on the dish are nearly endless. You'll also want to add a protein element, and here's where it can be good to think outside the box: use bologna, that beloved, slightly mysterious deli meat, to make your fried rice rich and full of umami flavor.

To make bologna fried rice, fry pieces of chopped bologna in oil before adding the rice and other ingredients (cut-up sliced bologna will work, but chunkier cubes are even better). This step will brown the edges, making for a crisp, juicy, salty addition to the fried rice flavor combination. You should also take care not to skimp on the scrambled egg in your bologna fried rice; after all, bologna and eggs are such a good combination that they're a dish all their own. You'll want to add some vegetables, which could be anything from carrots to kimchi to broccoli, and some people even add fruit. Pineapple fried rice, anyone? 

Fried rice, with or without bologna, is a dish that lends itself well to experimentation. While you can put whatever you like in your bologna fried rice, there are a few variations that merit particular consideration. For instance, fried rice with pineapple and bologna is a particularly nice twist, as the sweet and juicy fruit contrasts nicely with the salty, crispy deli meat.

The rich, savory, salty flavor of bologna fried rice also lends itself well to a kick of spice. You can achieve this by adding a spicy element, like chopped hot peppers, into the rice itself, or by serving it with condiments. A drizzle of fiery chili crisp or oil adds heat, richness, and moisture to fried rice that comes out slightly drier than you prefer. In addition, hot, Chinese-style mustard is popular with classic takeout fried rice and also works particularly well with bologna fried rice, as a spicy, rice-based take on a bologna sandwich with mustard.