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Homemade Fried Rice in a black bowl on a grey table with few ingredients around.

Fried Rice

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Fried Rice, a classic dish dating back to China's Sui Dynasty, is both quick and versatile. Made with cold or leftover rice, stir-fried with fresh vegetables, eggs, and savory seasonings, it serves as the perfect side to any stir-fry. Ready in under 30 minutes, this customizable dish is a must-try for a tasty and satisfying meal.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian, Chinese
Diet Vegetarian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 5 servings
Calories 395
Author Sangeetha Vel

Ingredients

  • 4 cups White Rice chilled leftover rice
  • 2 tbsp Oil or canola, or vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp Garlic chopped
  • ¼ cup Carrot chopped
  • ¼ cup Green Peas frozen
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce low sodium
  • 1 tsp Pepper Powder black or white pepper
  • 2 tbsp Spring Onion white part chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp Sesame Oil or soybean oil
  • Spring Onion green part to garnish
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Making Fried Rice

  • Start by heating oil in a wok over high heat. Add garlic and the white parts of spring onions, sautéing until they release a fragrant aroma. Be careful not to burn the garlic, as it can affect the flavor of the dish.
    Garlic and green onions sizzling in hot oil.
  • Next, add green peas and carrots to the wok. Stir-fry them for about 2 to 3 minutes. You're looking for them to get just a bit crisp, which brings out their flavor and adds a nice texture to your dish. Add a bit of salt and sauté again. Keep in mind that we will add more salt later, so use it sparingly at this stage.
    Stir fried carrots, peas along with garlic and green onions in a wok.
  • Push the cooked vegetables to the outer edges of the wok to make space in the center. Crack the eggs into this cleared space in the middle.
    Veggies and eggs in a stir frying wok.
  • Allow the eggs to cook until the edges start to set, then gently scramble them in the center. As they cook, mix them with the vegetables around them.
    Eggs scrambled into the veggie mixture.
  • Add the leftover or chilled rice to the wok. Pour in soy sauce, dark soy sauce, black pepper, salt, and sesame oil. Stir-fry everything together for 2 to 3 minutes until well combined.
    Chilled rice with seasoning in the wok.
  • Just before taking the wok off the heat, sprinkle some chopped spring onions over the fried rice for a fresh, crunchy finish. Remove the wok from the heat. Your fried rice is now perfectly cooked and ready to be served hot.
    Fried rice garnished with green onions in a wok.

Serving

  • Serve the Fried Rice hot and fresh from the wok, alongside your favorite stir-fry dishes, whether it’s chicken, shrimp, or a medley of vegetables. For more pairing ideas, be sure to check out our Serving Suggestions section below.
    Fried Rice serving in a bowl with ketchup alongside.

Notes

Here are some helpful tips to make your fried rice perfect right at home:
  • Plan Ahead: Since stir-frying is a fast cooking process, make sure to have all your ingredients chopped, measured, and ready to go before you start. This preparation will help your cooking go smoothly and make the experience more enjoyable.
  • Rice Choice: Medium-grain white rice is a great choice, but feel free to experiment with brown, basmati, or jasmine rice for a change. The best fried rice comes from using leftover rice that has dried out a bit, as it fries better and doesn’t clump or stick. If you need to start with fresh rice, cool it for at least 2 hours at room temperature or chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to achieve the ideal texture.
  • Cooking the Rice Right: To get the perfect base for your fried rice, cook the rice your favorite way—maybe in a rice cooker, instant pot, or just on the stove. Just remember to get the rice-to-water ratio right to keep your rice from getting sticky or mushy.
  • Cookware: If you can, use a high-quality wok or iron skillet for that genuine restaurant-style fried rice. But don’t worry if you don’t have one—a regular non-stick pan will do the trick too!
  • Proper Stir-Frying Technique: Heat the oil until it's hot but not smoking before adding your ingredients. Add ingredients that take longer to cook first, like onions and carrots, before moving on to quicker-cooking items like peas and scrambled eggs.
  • Soy Sauce and Salt Intake: I recommend using low-sodium soy sauce, which gives you more flexibility to adjust the seasoning to your taste without over-salting the dish.
  • Temperature: High heat is key to achieving that signature crispy texture in your fried rice. It allows for quick cooking, which keeps the rice from turning soggy.
  • Use Leftover Meats: Fried rice is excellent for using up leftover cooked meats. Add anything from last night’s roast chicken, to the pork chop you didn’t finish.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 275mg | Potassium: 168mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 881IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg

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