Fresh (or Frozen) Sweet Corn Fried Rice

We’ve cycled through a lot of condiments in my household to see which are the most persuasive.

Like most normal Americans, our daughter immediately glommed on to ketchup, and we have been wielding its immense power as best we can ever since.

Mayo is so popular it is just known as “sauce.” My munch has been seen at restaurants eating it with a spoon like yogurt (I’m so sorry…we are doing our best).

However, when it comes to a flavor profile that an entire dish can rely on, the sleeper hit has always been miso.

It’s salty, slightly funky and makes a rich, creamy sauce when added to liquid. Some favorites that I’ve referenced in past munch menu family dinners are this tofu broccoli situation and this buttery corn and miso succotash. And then it’s always a great quick topping for fish, like this miso cod that pops up every now and then on menus as a quickie.

Recently, I had some leftover rice, but not nearly enough to become a fried rice for the whole family. I opened the freezer and low and behold, there was also a full bag of frozen corn. My daughter doesn’t need persuading (in the form of “sauce,” or otherwise) to eat rice, but if she did, sweet flecks of corn would be a good incentive. And since nothing in this world of toddler feeding is ever a sure thing, I decided to add a little miso for good measure.

The resulting dish is sweet, crunchy, salty, limey and herby (thanks to some torn basil at the end), and would be even more decadent with fresh corn once it’s in season (any damn day now, But who’s counting?). That said, definitely bookmark this one as a year round dish that is mostly covered by your pantry.

The base recipe doesn’t have any egg in it, but I’ve given several ideas below for how to add more protein to this fried rice, including whipping up a little omelet in the center of the skillet.

In other news, we leave for Spain a week from TODAY! If anyone has recs for Madrid with a small person, or favorite eats / hidden gems in the south, we will be in Estapona for all of July!! I will probably do a little munch food diary like I did last year in Austria just to entertain myself (and hopefully you as well).

Happy munching!

Phoebe

The full recipe is below for paid subscribers, including an easy-to-save/print PDF and notes on:

• Tips on frozen versus fresh corn

• Nutrient boosters

• How to make this a high protein fried rice

• “Same same but different” modifications to make many variations

Paid subscribers also get full access to my recipe archive, bonus content, and special interviews. Want all of these notes and the full recipe?

Fresh (or Frozen) Sweet Corn Fried Rice with Miso
Makes 4 (adult) servings

Fresh lime juice and miso add so much flavor to this fried rice, which is also punched up with equal parts sweet corn kernels. Like all fried rice recipes, this works best with leftover or day old rice, so it’s perfect for MM meal prep. Serve it with a cabbage slaw or a simple green salad for the adults and some sriracha on the side for some heat.