Description
Classic Chinese homemade fried rice blends savory proteins, crisp vegetables, and fragrant jasmine rice into a complete meal. Skillful home cooks can craft this simple dish with essential pantry ingredients and quick wok techniques.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup chicken, shrimp, pork, or tofu
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups rice (cooked)
- 2 tbsps vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) sesame oil
- ½ cup onion
- ½ cup carrots
- ½ cup peas
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup green onions
- 3 tbsps (45 mL) soy sauce
- 1 tsp (5 mL) sesame oil
- 1 tsp (5 mL) oyster sauce
- ½ tsp white or black pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes or sriracha
Instructions
- Rice Preparation: Spread freshly cooked rice on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes to achieve optimal texture and prevent clumping during stir-frying.
- Sauce Creation: Whisk soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and white/black pepper in a small bowl, setting aside for later use.
- Egg Cooking: Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat with a thin oil layer. Crack eggs, gently scramble until just set but slightly moist, then transfer to a separate plate.
- Vegetable Sautéing: Return skillet to medium-high heat, add oil, and sauté onions, carrots, and peas. Introduce minced garlic, allowing its fragrance to permeate for 30 seconds without burning.
- Rice Stir-Frying: Elevate heat to high, add chilled rice, using swift motions to break clumps and distribute vegetables evenly. Drizzle prepared sauce over rice, mixing thoroughly to coat each grain.
- Final Assembly: Fold scrambled eggs and chopped green onions into the rice, creating a harmonious blend of textures and flavors. Remove from heat and transfer to serving plates.
- Garnishing: Finish with additional green onions, sesame seeds, or sriracha for those desiring extra heat.
Notes
- Prep Rice in Advance: Refrigerate freshly cooked rice for at least 30 minutes to remove excess moisture, preventing soggy and clumpy fried rice that can ruin the desired crispy texture.
- Control Heat Carefully: Maintain medium-high to high heat throughout cooking to achieve that classic restaurant-style wok hei flavor, ensuring ingredients sear quickly without burning or becoming mushy.
- Quick Stir-Frying Technique: Use rapid, continuous stirring motions when adding rice and vegetables to distribute heat evenly, creating individual grains that are perfectly separated and lightly crisp on the edges.
- Customize for Dietary Needs: Easily adapt the recipe by substituting soy sauce with tamari for gluten-free versions, using tofu instead of eggs for vegan options, or adding protein like chicken or shrimp for extra nutrition.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 160 mg