The Weeknight Egg Fried Rice That Uses Up Everything

This is less a recipe than a method for turning yesterday's rice and whatever's wilting in the fridge into a real meal, with egg carrying the protein load. It's also a genuinely useful way to introduce egg to a toddler's plate in a format they already recognise and generally accept, since egg mixed through rice is a much easier sell than egg on its own for a lot of children at this stage.

What you'll need

• 2 cups cooked rice, ideally a day old and a little dried out
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Whatever vegetables you have (peas, carrot, corn, leftover greens), diced small
• A splash of light soy sauce, a little oil

How to make it

Heat oil in a wok or large pan, scramble the eggs until just set and fully cooked through, no wet or runny bits, then set aside. Stir-fry the vegetables briefly, add the rice, breaking up any clumps, and toss until heated through. Return the egg, breaking it into smaller pieces as you mix it in, season with soy sauce, and stir-fry another minute or two until everything is evenly hot.

A note for toddler portions

Dice any vegetable pieces small enough to be safely swallowed without much chewing, and keep the soy sauce light, a toddler's sodium tolerance is much lower than an adult's, a small splash goes further than it looks.

One pan, whatever's in the fridge, and a plate every age at the table will actually eat.