Fried Rice is a fluffy, crisp, and traditional Chinese rice dish that has its origin in Sui Dynasty. It is usually made with cooked cold or leftover rice that is usually stir-fried in a high-heat wok with veggies, eggs, and basic aromatics and seasonings.
This homemade Chinese Fried Rice is one of the easy and best rice dishes that taste great with stir fry dishes, and starters for lunch and dinner. The best part is, it is easily customizable, and it takes only under 30 minutes to make the entire dish.
The recipe I have shared here shows you how to make Fried Rice with easy step-by-step instructions for you to try and enjoy at home. I have also shared a detailed video of this recipe below to make the cooking process visually clear.
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What is Fried Rice?
Fried Rice is a fluffy, crisp, and classic Chinese rice dish that has its origin in Sui Dynasty. The cooked cold or leftover rice is usually stir-fried in a high-heat wok with veggies, eggs, and basic aromatics and seasoned with Chinese sauces. You can also find many variations of Fried Rice with chicken, pork, shrimp, and other meats.
Fried Rice was first developed to make use of the leftover rice, veggies, and other dishes that have been hanging around in the kitchen. Gradually it started to popularise across the world for its taste and easy-to-customize options.
It can be made with any veggies, proteins, and simple sauces that are already stocked up in the pantry. Fried Rice is also one of the top dishes on the menus of restaurants, street food vendors, and food trucks across the globe.
Making a restaurant quality Chinese Fried Rice is not at all difficult if you have some basic ingredients handy. You can bring all the flavors that you have been enjoying for years in Asian restaurants in your own kitchen space.
So, what is the secret to the best Fried Rice? The secret to best Fried Rice lies in 4 aspects. 1. using cold rice, 2. stir-frying at high temperature, 3. adding the perfect seasonings, and 4. using a good quality wok or pan.
The recipe I have shared here shows the basic and the best tasting Fried Rice with minimal ingredients and seasonings. This homemade Fried Rice pairs great with stir fry dishes, and starters and tastes similar to your favorite Asian take-outs. And the best part is you can use your favorite veggies, and proteins, and your meal will be ready in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
The ingredients you will need to make this Fried Rice are basic Chinese pantry elements. And it should be easily available in most Asian stores around. So let's see what are they below.
- Cold Rice - Leftover rice or cold rice helps to achieve the best crisp and fluffy texture. Because cold rice usually does not have high moisture, which is important for frying in high heat. If you use hot rice it steams and clumps together instead of frying
- Veggies - Use your favorite veggies like green beans, carrots, broccoli, peas, and similar others to add vibrant colors and taste to your dish
- All-Purpose Soy Sauce - Delivers the umami flavor and taste to your rice
- Dark Soy Sauce - Delivers a bold color to your dish
- Black Pepper - For a slight heat, earthy and nutty flavor
- Sesame Oil - Stir-frying the rice and veggies in sesame oil delivers authentic rustic flavors to your dish
- Eggs - Filled with proteins, and nutrition and also deliver a good taste and mild savory flavor to your rice
For a detailed ingredients list, please check out the recipe card below.
Seasoning for Fried Rice
To make the best Fried Rice, seasonings play an important role in enhancing the flavor of the dish. The seasoning I have used here for this Fired rice is all-purpose soy sauce, dark soy sauce, black pepper, and sesame oil.
The soy sauce delivers the umami flavor while the dark soy sauce delivers the bold in-depth dark color to your rice. Black pepper powder has a unique earthy and nutty flavor and sesame oil delivers rustic earthy flavors.
Apart from the seasoning I have used, you can also use rice vinegar, chili paste or Szechuan sauce, and a dash of brown sugar for adding extra flavor to your rice.
How to make Fried Rice?
The recipe I have shared here is Fried Rice, a classic and popular Chinese dish. This recipe requires basic seasonings and veggies that can be easily customizable according to your preferences.
Following are the high-level instructions to make this recipe but for detailed step-by-step instructions with photos and video, please check out the recipe card below
- Saute - In a wok with high heat, pour the oil and add the garlic and spring onion white part. Saute until it turns aromatic
- Stir Fry - Now add the green peas, and carrots and stir fry the veggies for 2 to 3 minutes
- Make a space - Once the veggies are crisp, push the veggies toward the edges and make a space at the center of the wok
- Scramble Eggs - Pour the 2 eggs and allow them to set slightly at the edges. And then scramble the eggs and mix them with the veggies
- Stir Fry - Add the leftover or chilled rice to the veggie egg mixture and add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, black pepper powder, salt, and sesame oil. Toss everything for 2 to 3 minutes
- Garnish - Finally, garnish the Fried Rice with spring onions and remove it from the heat
- Serve - Serve it as soon as it is out from the wok with your favorite stir-fry dishes, chicken, shrimp, or veggies
Tips
- Seasonings - The flavor of Chinese rice dishes depends on the seasonings you are using. So for the best-tasting Chinese rice, I would recommend not compromising on the seasonings
- Rice - The best rice for stir-frying is cooled or chilled white rice, brown rice, basmati rice, or jasmine Rice. Even though I have used medium-grain white rice, feel free to use any of the rice mentioned here. Mostly leftover rice that is cooled for hours makes the best-fried rice. However, you can also cook a fresh batch of rice and cool them for at least 2 hours or refrigerate the rice for at least 30 minutes before using it in your recipe
- Oil - To achieve the authentic rustic, earthy and nutty flavor I recommend using sesame oil or soybean oil for stir-frying
- Veggies - You can use veggies like carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, beans, corn, or snap peas
- Proteins - To make Fried Rice with chicken or shrimp, feel free to use the leftover roasted chicken, baked chicken breast, or fried shrimp to add some flavors and proteins to your dish
- High-quality wok or iron skillet - A good quality wok or iron skillet delivers an authentic and restaurant-style earthy flavor to your dish. However, if it is not handy you can always feel free to use your regular pan
- Temperature - Stir frying the ingredients on high heat delivers a crisp texture to your dish
- Plan Ahead - Typically stir fry cooking happens very quickly, so I would recommend preparing your ingredients ahead to make the process easier
How to cook the rice for Fried Rice?
You can cook the rice, as usual, using a rice cooker, instant pot, absorption method, or cook and drain method. Always make sure to use the correct rice-to-water ratio to avoid sticky or mushy rice. Lastly, make sure not to add the hot rice to stir in the wok, which makes the rice clump and stick together. Cold or chilled rice is the key to perfect Fried Rice.
Can I make Fried Rice with freshly cooked rice?
Yes, you can make this dish using freshly cooked rice. But I would recommend cooling it down for at least 2 to 3 hours before stir-frying them. Or you can also spread the rice in a tray and wrap it with plastic and refrigerate it for at least 30 to 45 minutes. Then use the chilled rice for making this dish.
Storage Suggestions
This Fried Rice delivers the best taste and flavor when served warm. But the leftovers stay good in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in a closed container.
Serving Suggestions
Fried Rice usually tastes great on its own without any sides. But to make a delightful Chinese spread, serve it with egg foo young, orange chicken, chilli chicken, chicken manchurian, chilli paneer, or chicken lollipop.
Related Recipes
You can also find similar rice recipes below.
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Shrimp Fried Rice
- Schezwan Fried Rice
- Egg Fried Rice
- Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)
- Chicken and Rice
- Baked Chicken and Rice
- Spanish Rice (Mexican Rice)
More Chinese recipes.
Fried Rice Recipe Video
I have also shared a detailed video of this Fried Rice Recipe below that I hope will help you to make Chinese-style rice at home. You could also find this recipe in story format.
📖 Recipe
Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 cups White Rice, chilled leftover rice
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce, light, low sodium
- 2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Oil, canola, or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp Garlic, chopped
- 2 tbsp Spring Onion, white part chopped
- 1 tsp Pepper Powder, black or white pepper
- ¼ cup Green Peas, frozen
- ¼ cup Carrot, chopped
- Spring Onion, green part to garnish
Instructions
To make Fried Rice
- In a wok with high heat, pour the oil and add the garlic and spring onion white part. Saute until it turns aromatic
- Now add the green peas, and carrots and stir fry the veggies for 2 to 3 minutes
- Once the veggies are crisp, push the veggies toward the edges. Make a space at the center of the wok and pour the 2 eggs
- Allow the eggs to slightly set at the edges. And then scramble the eggs and mix them with the veggies
- Add the leftover or chilled rice to the veggie egg mixture and add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, black pepper powder, salt, and sesame oil. Stir fry everything for 2 to 3 minutes
- Finally, garnish the Fried Rice with spring onions and remove it from the heat
To Serve
- Serve it as soon as it is out from the wok with your favorite stir-fry dishes, chicken, shrimp, or veggies
Video
Notes
- Seasonings - The flavor of the Chinese fried rice dishes depends on the seasonings you are using. So for the best-tasting fried rice, I would recommend not compromising on the seasonings
- Rice - The best rice for stir-frying is cooled or chilled white rice, brown rice, basmati rice, or jasmine rice. Even though I have used medium-grain white rice, feel free to use any of the rice mentioned here. Mostly leftover rice that is cooled for hours makes the best-fried rice. However, you can also cook a fresh batch of rice and cool them for at least 2 hours or refrigerate the rice for at least 30 minutes before using it in your recipe
- Oil - To achieve the authentic rustic, earthy and nutty flavor I recommend using sesame oil or soybean oil for stir-frying
- Veggies - You can use veggies like carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, beans, corn, or snap peas
- Proteins - To make Fried Rice with chicken or shrimp, feel free to use the leftover roasted chicken, baked chicken breast, or fried shrimp to add some flavors and proteins to your dish
- High-quality wok or iron skillet - A good quality wok or iron skillet delivers an authentic and restaurant-style earthy flavor to your dish. However, if it is not handy you can always feel free to use your regular pan
- Temperature - Stir frying the veggies and rice on high heat delivers a crisp texture to your Fried Rice
- Plan Ahead - Typically stir fry cooking happens very quickly, so I would recommend preparing your ingredients ahead to make the process easier
Nutrition
FAQ
It is a fluffy, crisp, and classic Chinese rice dish that has its origin in Sui Dynasty. The cooked cold or leftover rice is usually stir-fried in a high-heat wok with veggies, eggs, and basic aromatics and seasoned with Chinese sauces. You can also find many variations of this Rice with chicken, pork, shrimp, and other meats.
It usually tastes mildly spicy, sweet, savory, and earthy flavors from soy sauce, black pepper, and sesame oil. You can also taste the flavors of the veggies that you add in along with other seasonings and aromatics.
No, this dish does not come under the healthy category as it is stir-fried in a good amount of oil. You may also want to add sauces to season the rice which may be high in sodium. So if you would like to make this dish a little healthier, try using low-sodium sauces and a minimal amount of oil.
It tastes usually great on its own, but to make a delightful Chinese spread, serve it with egg foo young, orange chicken, chilli chicken, chicken manchurian, chilli paneer, or chicken lollipop.
I hope you enjoyed the recipe I shared here and I would love to hear from you about how it turned out for you. Please let me know.
If you have any other questions, feel free to post them in the comment section below and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Happy Cooking!
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