Fried rice is a side that goes with all Chinese and Asian foods! This one truly stacks up to your favourite Chinese restaurant, a reader favourite included in my debut cookbook Dinner. See notes for scaling recipe up and using skillet instead of wok, and for GF option.
Don’t have day old rice? No worries. Make this reader-favourite Emergency Baked Fried Rice instead.
PREPARATION TIME
Ingredients
2 tbsp oil
1/2 onion , finely chopped
2 garlic cloves , minced
120 g/4 oz bacon , chopped (optional, or use ham)
1 – 1 1/2 cups diced vegetables , frozen or fresh (Note 1)
2 cups (packed) cooked day old white rice (refrigerated or frozen defrosted, Note 2)
3 eggs, whisked
3/4 cup green onions , (shallots / scallions) sliced
SAUCE:
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (sub Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry) (Note 4)
1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce (or all purpose) (Note 5)
1 tsp sesame oil , optional
1/4 tsp white pepper
Instructions
Recipe Notes:
2. Cold, day old rice – You need day old rice that’s been refrigerated or frozen (then thawed) because the rice grains dry out, making them ideal for fried rice. Sticky freshly cooked rice is no good for fried rice – it makes fried rice gluey. Long grain white rice is best for Chinese fried rice. But any cooked, cold rice will be fine – white or brown.
Don’t have day old rice? Make this reader-favourite Emergency Baked Fried Rice instead!
3. Chinese cooking wine or Mirin (or cooking sake or dry sherry) is an essential ingredient for making a truly “restaurant standard” fried rice. Though many recipes suggest using liquid chicken broth, please do not do this – it makes your fried rice wet and gluey!
If you can’t consume alcohol, adjust recipe as follows: Reduce oyster and soy sauce to 2 tsp each, and add 1 tbsp water to the Sauce. Proceed with recipe. When you add the rice, add 1/2 tsp chicken or vegetable stock powder (or bouillon cube crumbled). Stir through, then add remaining Sauce ingredients exc the Cooking wine. Proceed with recipe, add tiny sprinkle of salt at end if you want it saltier.
4. Soy sauce – Any soy sauce is fine here (but not sweet or flavoured). Light and all-purpose soy keeps the fried rice a light colour like you get at Chinese restaurants. Dark soy will stain the rice a mahogany colour which is also appealing, and the rice will have a stronger soy flavour which many people enjoy!
5. SKILLET: If using a skillet, add about 1/2 tbsp extra oil at the start to compensate for larger cooking surface. Also, if you use a large skillet, you can scale up the recipe by 50% – click on the Servings number and slide the scaler until the rice becomes 3 cups, it will change all the ingredients. Once you add the rice, use 2 wooden spoons to toss it – makes up for not having the high walls of a wok.
6. GLUTEN FREE: Make sure you use gluten free soy sauce and Oyster Sauce if you want to make this gluten free.
7. Nutrition per serving, assuming 3 servings. I find that this is sufficient for a meal – and no one has ever accused me of eating like a bird!
