How to make fried rice! Egg, veggies, garlic, and ginger add aromatic flavor to this homemade comfort food.
What is your favorite comfort food? Mac and cheese and pizza can do the trick, but here’s our ultimate: Fried rice! There’s something about chewy eggnogs and hearty soy-ginger bites that convey a positive attitude towards life. We usually make fried rice without a recipe. But after years of tinkering, we wanted to share our master method. Here’s how to make fried rice at home.
If possible, start with a one-day trip!
Fried rice is a dish of boiled rice, eggs, seafood or meat and vegetables, popular in many Asian cuisines: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Cambodian, Indonesian, etc. It is served in restaurants and prepared by home cooks: millions of Variations depending on the available ingredients and the chef! The most basic saying for this classic recipe is: Use day-old rice. Why Use Day Rice for Fried Rice?
- Freshly cooked rice contains a lot of moisture. If you use fresh rice, it will clump together and become mushy.
- Leftover rice dries up. When you cook it, the grains stay separate and form that signature texture. For the best fried rice, make it with leftovers (refrigerate for up to 5 days) or cook a pot the night before.
- What if you run out of rice? Read on for a shortcut…
No rice of the day for fried rice? Here’s a tip!
Sometimes we don’t think far enough ahead to prepare the rice the night before. Although this is the main route to fried rice, we have a little shortcut. If you want to make fried rice the same day, here is our shortcut.
- make rice. Once the vaping process is complete, move on to the next step.
- Spread on a baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes: Spread the freshly cooked rice on a plate or rimmed tray: you will feel a lot of steam because it is still hot. Place the tray in the freezer and freeze until the beans are cool to the touch, about 15-20 minutes. Some might even be frozen: no big deal! They get hot as soon as they touch the pan.
ingredients for the better fried rice
Exactly this better Fried rice, the kind you can’t resist another bite, has special ingredients to achieve that signature flavor. Here are the ingredients for the fried rice:
- Rice: Medium or long grain rice works best as short grain rice can get lumpy. Basmati rice is a good option. You can use white rice or brown rice.
- Sesame oil: Cook; Use the standard variety, non-toasted sesame oil.
- Onion and Garlic: These aromatic vegetables form the basis.
- Fresh ginger: Very important for the best taste. Find fresh ginger root in the produce section of your grocery store.
- Carrots, Peas, and Kale (optional): Carrots and peas are classics. The kale is optional but adds a nice contrasting texture.
- eggs: eggs are one must and add protein to make the recipe filling.
- soy pasture: Indispensable for the final flavoring.
- Fish Sauce (Optional): It really takes the flavors to the next level when you have it on hand. But it is not necessary!
Varieties of fried rice
With a recipe this old, there are bound to be endless variations on the theme. Here are some of our favorite ways to switch up fried rice, in order of preference:
- fried rice with shrimp: Add sautéed shrimp for an incredibly flavorful and hearty main course. Our family favourite!
- Other proteins: Boil chicken, beef, or pork to add to the mix.
- Quinoa Fried Rice: Use quinoa in place of rice for a unique twist.
- Three Onion Fried Rice: Use onions, shallots, and scallions for a hearty flavor boost.
- Roasted Cauliflower Rice: Grain-Free! Use cauliflower rice instead of regular whole grains.
Make it a meal! What to serve with fried rice
Confession: In the past, we’ve been wrong about what to serve with fried egg rice. But beware: you need to add side dishes to make it a healthy meal. (Or make the shrimp version and it’s a complete meal!) Here are some of our favorite side dishes with fried rice:
Variant of vegan fried rice!
Do you like to eat plant-based food? The egg is part of the texture, but we have a substitute for you that makes vegan fried rice:
- Make a tofu scrambled egg! Go to Easy Tofu Scramble. Make sure the pieces are small enough that they blend into the texture like an egg.
- Make the recipe without the eggthen stir in the tofu at the end.
This fried rice recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten free. For vegan, plant-based and dairy-free see recipe notes.
The description
Here’s how to make the best fried rice! Egg, veggies, garlic, and ginger add aromatic flavor to this homemade comfort food. Variation: Try the shrimp fried rice for more protein.
- 1/2 yellow or white onion
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp chopped ginger (approx. 1 inch inch)
- 2 big carrots
- 2 cups chopped kale (optional)
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
- 4 eggs*
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups cooked rice, at least 1 day old (use How to Cook Rice or Instant Pot Rice) or use the shortcut**
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
- spring onions for garnish (optional)
- Chop the onion. Chop the garlic. Chop the ginger. Peel the carrots, then cut into cubes. If you use it, cut the cabbage.
- In a large skillet or wok, heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil over medium-high heat. Sauté carrots and onion for 2 minutes. Add the cabbage, garlic and ginger and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in the rice, peas and salt for 1 minute.
- Push the rice aside. Add 1 more tablespoon of oil. Add the eggs and a pinch of salt and stir until cooked through, 1-2 minutes.
- Add soy sauce and fish sauce if using. Taste and add soy sauce or salt if needed. Heat for a minute or two, stirring, until all of the rice is coated. Serve hot.
Remarks
*For a vegan option, first prepare a tofu scramble and keep the pieces quite small. Prepare the rice without egg and stir in the scrambled tofu in the last step.
**Tip: If you don’t have a one-day rice, here’s a shortcut. Make the rice. Then spread out on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the freezer. Freeze for 15-20 minutes until cores are cool to the touch. Some might even be frozen: no big deal! They get hot as soon as they touch the pan.
- Category: main course
- Method: jumped up
- Kitchen: Asian
- Diet: vegetarian
Keywords: Fried rice, egg fried rice, how to make fried rice
More rice recipes
There are so many delicious ways to eat rice and brown rice recipes! Here are some of our favourites:
