Fried rice is one of the most popular Chinese foods, but with this easy fried rice recipe, you can make fried rice at home that tastes better than what you’ll find at your favorite Chinese restaurant. An easy stir-fry turns plain jasmine rice into a delicious main dish with colorful vegetables and soy sauce.
In many households, fried rice is probably a dish you have in the fridge. You can use leftover rice and vegetables in your crisper drawer. Feel free to add shrimp, shredded chicken, ham, char siew, or beef to make this a main dish.
Selecting Rice
The best rice for fried rice is a long grain rice that separates and holds its shape when stirred. Also, long-grain rice is not as sticky as short-grain rice. Jasmine rice is one of our favorite rice options. Jasmine rice is not too sticky when cooked, and has a light floral aroma and a slightly dry texture. Jasmine rice is also easy to stir in a pan.
Leftover rice vs Fresh rice
If you are craving food and don’t have any leftover rice, you can make fresh rice for this fried rice recipe. It takes about 20 minutes to cook the rice and you can use a rice cooker or your Instant Pot. However, cold leftover rice is perfect for making fried rice because the starch in day-old rice grains hardens after being refrigerated.
Wash the rice grains
The way to prevent the rice from becoming sticky when stirring is to rinse it in cold water before cooking. Rinsing helps wash away the starch left on the surface of the grain, which is what causes the rice to stick.
How to cook fresh rice
To cook fresh rice, you can use the stovetop method or cook freshly cooked rice in an Instant Pot. Cooking one cup of long jasmine rice will give you about 3 cups of rice. Your rice is ready when it absorbs the water. Cover the rice and leave it in the pot for about 10 minutes to complete the cooking process.
Before adding the rice to the pan, make sure it is cool to the touch.
Cool the rice
Before cooking your fried rice, you should allow the cooked rice to cool completely. This will prevent the rice from sticking to the pan or forming lumps. You can spread the rice on a cookie sheet and keep it at room temperature. Another option is to refrigerate the pan of rice and let it cool for 10 minutes.
Fry the rice
To fry the rice, you need a large nonstick skillet or cast iron pan. The round shape of the pan will heat the sides and bottom of the pan, giving you faster cooking and better browning. Healthy fried rice gets more flavor from the sauce, but the flavoring process starts when you cook the rice in oil before adding the vegetables and other ingredients.
The best-fried rice should be lightly browned in a hot pan to get the full flavor on the surface of the rice grain. The process of cooking the rice will take about 5 minutes and you should keep stirring the rice every 30 seconds.
Stir-Frying the vegetables
Sweet green peas and carrot chunks are so fun to eat in your easy-fried rice. Carrots are sautéed briefly with chopped onion and minced garlic. This process does a great job of adding intense flavor to your fried rice. Do not add the peas until the end of the cooking time, as they are very fragile. When you finally fry them, this preserves their roundness and prevents them from becoming mushy. You can add capsicum or sprouts.
Scrambling the Egg
Since you use eggs, this egg-fried rice recipe is packed with protein. The beaten eggs are stirred in the center of the wok with sesame oil. Once cooked, cut it into small pieces. Adding a little curry powder to fried rice coats the cooked rice grains and gives it an extra rich flavor.
For Fluffy Scrambled Egg Curds, cook the eggs completely in the pan, then transfer them to a bowl or plate. You can add them later so they don’t break down too much.
Seasonings
Use soy sauce to add a delicious flavor to this white rice dish. You don’t need to use a lot, just season the rice lightly. To make this a gluten-free main dish, use coconut aminos or tamarind. Taste the finished dish and add more salt if needed.
Many Chinese recipes use white pepper instead of black pepper. Apart from being visually appealing, white pepper also has a gingery taste. All you need is a small amount of white pepper. When the fried rice dish is done, sprinkle the green onions and sesame seeds.
Make this Easy Fried Rice an Entry
Wondering how to make fried rice a staple? Who doesn’t love healthy recipes?
- Tofu for vegetarians and vegans.
- Shrimp for Shrimp Fried Rice.
- BBQ Pork Fried Rice for a delicious sweet taste.
- Chicken for Chicken Fried Rice.
What to serve with fried rice
You can serve your fried rice with these side dishes or main dishes.
- Chow Mein
- Wonton Soup
- Sesame Chicken
- Beef with Broccoli
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of oil is used to make Chinese fried rice?
The best oil to use for this fried rice recipe is an oil with a high smoke point. Also, the vegetable oil or olive oil you use should be neutral in taste. Some good options are peanut oil or vegetable oil. You add sesame seed oil at the end of the cooking time to add a delicious roasted flavor.
What is fried rice sauce?
You can get a delicious umami flavor with soy sauce, but you need to use soy sauce. You don’t need salty fried rice. Also, too much soy sauce will turn the color of the rice dark brown.
Can you make low-carb fried rice?
Yes! You can use broccoli rice or cauliflower rice to make low-carb fried rice.
