Fried Rice Recipes ToTry by Neal Williams/TFTK

Posted on by March 6, 2026

From his email on 3/6/2026, and his website, The Flat Top King.

Today [Neal] rounds up some of [his] favorites— from the classic base recipe to some bold flavor twists you might not expect. 
**One rule applies to every recipe below: always use cold, day-old rice. Fresh rice is too moist and will steam instead of fry. Cook it the night before, spread it on a sheet pan, and refrigerate it overnight. That one step makes all the difference.** 
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Classic Griddle Fried Rice. The foundation recipe if you get this one down the rest is easy. This is where I tell people to start. It uses simple pantry ingredients and basic technique, and once you nail it you’ll never need to order fried rice from a restaurant again. It’s the perfect side dish for hibachi night or just an easy weeknight meal all on its own. Full recipe here   Classic Griddle Fried Rice 
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Spam Fried Rice. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it — this is one serious crowd pleaser. Spam is huge in Hawaiian culture, and once you get those crispy caramelized edges on the Spam from the hot griddle, you’ll completely understand why. Try my recipe here   Spam Fried Rice 
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Chicken Fried Rice. We’ve actually made this recipe and tested it side-by-side with 2 different Chinese takeout restaurants, and THIS beat both of the restaurant versions! Thin-sliced seasoned chicken, perfectly fried rice, and a simple blend of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil — it always delivers. Get the full recipe here   Griddle Chicken Fried Rice 
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Cajun Shrimp Fried Rice: Southern comfort meets the flat top — bold, smoky flavor. We’re talking Cajun-seasoned shrimp, andouille sausage, bell peppers, okra, and onions all coming together. It’s like fried rice and jambalaya had a baby, and that baby is absolutely delicious. Get the full recipe here   Cajun Shrimp Fried Rice
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Tropical Jerk Chicken Fried Rice. This one tastes like a vacation on a plate — definitely the most unique recipe in the bunch. Jasmine rice cooked in coconut milk, pineapple, and spicy Jamaican jerk-marinated chicken — the combination of heat, sweetness, and creamy coconut is unlike anything else I’ve put on the griddle. Get the full recipe here — Tropical Jerk Chicken Fried Rice 
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Mexican Fried Rice with Chicken: Taco night just got a major griddle upgrade. Marinated chicken, fire-roasted corn, black beans, and peppers, finished with fresh cilantro and lime — this one hits EVERY single time. If your family loves Mexican food as much as we do, this recipe will be on regular rotation. Get the full recipe here   Mexican Fried Rice with Chicken
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Steak and Mushroom Fried Rice, Steakhouse-style, all cooked on the flat top. Your favorite cut of steak, loaded into a buttery mushroom herb fried rice, then drizzled with yum yum sauce — this is the most indulgent recipe in the roundup. Save this one for when you really want to treat the family. Get the full recipe here   Steak and Mushroom Fried Rice

Swamp Cabbage

Posted on by February 11, 2026

2/9/2026 – This recipe is a cabbage+bacon+sausage dish with the Cajun Trinity and was very good. It was inspired by the one at Southern Living here. Italized paragraphs are from that article.

Swamp cabbage is traditionally not made from cabbage at all. It’s a dish that is instead made from hearts of palm, and its roots trace back to Native Americans. Over time, Floridians have adapted the original dish to one that’s just as flavorful but a bit more humble, and stretches hearts of palm with cabbage. Swamp cabbage is smoky thanks to sausage and bacon. The hearts of palm have a meaty texture and briny artichoke-like flavor.

Swamp cabbage is a plant that’s also known as a sabal palm or cabbage palm tree. It just also happens to be Florida’s state tree, and you will find it in nearly every part of the state, as it grows throughout the Southeast and parts of Mexico. Tall in the sabal palm, just below the leaves, is a heart, the heart of the palm, and it has been eaten for generations in all sorts of dishes, such as salads and the eponymous swamp cabbage, of course. Eaten alone, it’s a simple dinner that’s bolstered by the bacon and sausage or other meats used to build up flavor. But it’s often served as a side dish, too, alongside fried fish, boiled shrimp, or any number of Florida favorites.

Ingredients

  • 8+ oz. hickory-smoked bacon, chopped
  • 1 link hickory-smoked sausage, sliced into 1/2-in.-thick pieces (such as Conecuh)
  • 1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 3 large celery stalks, roughly chopped
  • 8 cups chopped cabbage (from 1 [2-lb.] head cabbage)
  • 1 (14-oz.) can hearts of palm, drained and sliced. Next time, try artichokes for more flavor.
  • 2 (14 1/2-oz.) can diced tomatoes
  • Chicken stock
  • Kit’s Creole seasoning

Directions

  1. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is slightly crisp on edges.
  2. Add sausage, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and bacon is crisp.
  3. Add bell pepper, onion, and celery; cook, stirring often, until slightly softened.
  4. Stir in cabbage, hearts of palm, tomatoes, chicken stock, and seasoning; bring to a simmer over medium-high.
  5. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is cooked through and tender.

Chickpea Farro Soup

Posted on by February 6, 2026

2/6/2026 – This tomato-based soup with chickpeas, farro, and spinach was very good and filling. It was inspired by the recipe at Two Peas and Their Pod. Servings: 6.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped roughly
  • 1 carrot, chopped into ¼-inch cubes
  • 1 celery rib, chopped into ½-inch cubes
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 30 oz vegetable broth. As she had no more vegetable broth and it was too thick, Mary added Swanson’s chicken broth. See Next Time below for a recipe like Billy’s to make the stock fresh, starting 1.5 hours earlier with the same vegetables.
  • 28 oz can of diced San Marzano tomatoes with juices
  • 15 oz chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1½ teaspoon dried basil
  • 1½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1½ cups farro. Next time, add only 1 cup as 1½ seemed too much.
  • 1 cup packed baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Parmesan cheese, grated for serving

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until the vegetables’ until the edges begin to soften. Add the garlic and bay leaves and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  2.  Stir in the broth, tomatoes, chickpeas, farro, basil, and oregano. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes to blend the flavors.
  3. Simmer for 1 hour. Adjusted the seasoning by adding salt and pepper.
  4. Add the spinach and stir just until wilted. Season the soup with salt and pepper, to taste.
  5. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese.

Next time

  • Use less farro as noted in the Ingredients.
  • Cook longer as the farro was still soaking up the liquid.
  • Use our homemade Ina’s Chicken Stock
  • Or, make vegetable stock like Billy here, but using the following process before assembling the above soup.
    • 1½ Onions, in large pieces
    • an equal amount of carrots in large pieces
    • an equal amount of celery in large pieces
    • Season with salt and pepper
    • In a large pot over low heat, lightly sweat the vegetables in olive oil for 15-20 minutes.
    • Place fresh (or dry) thyme, 2 bay leaves, and 8 peppercorns in the pot.
    • Add 1 gallon of water and bring to a boil
    • Simmer for 1 hour
    • Strain out all solids
  • Make the soup in this hot vegetable stock.

Mediterranean Three Bean Salad ToTry

Posted on by January 23, 2026

Mediterranean Three Bean Salad by Suzy Karadsheh. Published: Jan 23, 2025

Easy three bean salad recipe packed with Mediterranean flavors from fresh herbs, capers, and a zesty Dijon garlic vinaigrette. Instead of mushy canned green beans, use fresh steamed ones, or swap them out for another type of bean. I chose to use cannellini beans! After dressing the bean salad, allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving, so that the beans can absorb the zippy dressing.

Ingredients

For the Garlic Dijon Vinaigrette

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 cup Early Harvest extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad

  • 1 15-ounce can kidney beans
  • 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans
  • 1 15-ounce can chickpeas
  • 1 green bell pepper, cored and chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
  • 1/2 English cucumber, diced
  • 1 cup chopped red onions
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons drained capers
  • 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 10-15 fresh mint leaves, torn or gently chopped
  • 10-15 fresh basil leaves, torn or gently chopped

Instructions

  • Make the Garlic Dijon Vinaigrette. In a serving bowl large enough for the salad, add garlic, mustard, lemon juice, sugar, extra virgin olive oil, and a big pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk vigorously to combine.
  • Prepare the beans. Drain and rinse the canned beans. Add to the bowl with the vinaigrette.
  • Prepare the vegetables. To the bowl with the beans, add green bell pepper, red bell pepper, cucumber, red onion, capers, parsley, mint, and basil. Toss to coat in the vinaigrette.
  • Chill. For best results, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving so that beans soak up the vinaigrette flavors. Give the salad another quick toss before serving.

Chili Texas Style

Posted on by January 20, 2026

This post is a chronology of the recipes since 2021, as we have tweaked them. The 2026 recipe is the most authentic, using whole dried chili peppers.

1/17/2026 – Mary made a great chili using the ingredients from 2/18/2019 below, except that she roasted three whole dried Ancho and three dried Quajillo peppers in a hot cast-iron skillet. Added water to cover and simmered for about 30 minutes, then drained. Then blended the peppers with all the other spices. That blend was then added to the browned ground meat with the onions, garlic, and beef stock. Chef Billy used those peppers prepared that way in his Chicken Pozole recipe.

Continue reading →

Thin Chops with Billy’s Herb Butter

Posted on by January 9, 2026

1/8/2026 – The simple, thin pork chops were very good and made a great meal served with Billy’s sauteed green beans. Need to make more of the herb butter to try with other meats.

This cook generally followed Billy’s Pan-Fried Pork Chop recipe but relied on the herbs and seasoning in his Herb Butter Sauce to provide the flavoring that his pork chop recipe added individually. She did not add the simple syrup he called for.

Mary quickly fried 1/2-inch thick bone-in pork chops that had been dry-brined for maybe 3 hours. Before frying she seasoned them generously with fresh ground black pepper. Once they were rare she pulled them and generously slathered on Billy’s Herb Butter Sauce left over from the NY Strip roast on 12/28/2025. The recipe for the butter is:

  • 1 stick softened unsalted butter
  • ~¼ cup finely minced fresh rosemary
  • ~¼ cup finely minced fresh thyme
  • ¼ Cup dry chives
  • 1 zested medium garlic clove
  • zest from and juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry red wine

Ladolemono Greek Salad Dressing

Posted on by December 30, 2025

This is a great versatile dressing/marinate by Suzy Karadsheh here. Mary began making it in 2025.

You’ll love this versatile Greek lemon and olive oil dressing. You can use it as a Greek salad dressing on your favorite salad, as a marinade for chicken or fish, or as a bright finishing sauce to drizzle on things from grilled vegetables to kabobs and more!

Ingredients
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, juice of 2 large lemons
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 large garlic clove minced
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¾ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
  • Put the lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
  • While you are whisking vigorously, slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil.
Notes
  • Storage: Store your ladolemono Greek dressing in a tight-lid glass jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (I try to use mine within 1 week). The oil will separate from the lemon as it sits in the fridge, give it a gentle shake before using on your salads, grilled meats, fish etc. 
  • Visit her online shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including extra virgin olive oils and spices.