Why should you try my dad's recipe?

Because my dad's made this dish thousands of times (literally!) over his 50+ year career as a Chinese chef. And now, you get to learn all of his tips and techniques.
I know you'll love it as much as our community does - this recipe video has over 138.6K views and 2.3K likes on YouTube!
Love from our community
@blt2421
Great video, thank you Chef Lau! Does Chef Lau recommend making fried rice with freshly cooked brown rice over leftover brown rice? Really appreciate your dad's techniques, which are so legit but also more suited for the home chef without more powerful restaurant-style stove setups. His tips are spot-on. I also use medium brown over long for the same reason. I will adopt his method for stir-frying the chicken -- brilliant. One minor request: Could you make your dad's narration slightly louder? It helps us bilingual fans understand more clearly. Love your dad's inclusion of Toisan/Hoisan hua at the end of every video! Your family, and we, are blessed by his knowledge, generosity, and warmth. His love for everyone at your family table comes through the screen. ❤
@tomowens4781
This may be the best thing I have ever made for myself to eat. Thank you, Chef Lau!!
@snowjae9380
I just made this and it came out great. Thank you so much!
Watch on YouTube
Meet your chef, Daddy Lau

50+ Years of Experience
My dad's been cooking Chinese food for over 50+ years, as a chef, restaurant owner, and loving father.
Meet our family

2x James Beard Awards
We won TWO James Beard Awards for our endeavors in teaching and preserving Cantonese cuisine.
Read more

Over 2.5M+ Followers
My dad is the internet's favorite Chinese chef, teaching millions of people how to cook every month.
Watch our videos
Fried Brown Rice (炒糙米飯)

As much as we love traditional fried rice, it's not a dish that everyone can enjoy. Those who are on low-carb or low-sugar diets may not be able to have white rice regularly, but still crave the flavors of fried rice—which is why Daddy Lau is remixing his recipe using a healthier, more nutrient-rich grain: brown rice.
The process of making fried rice with brown rice is similar to our other recipes. This version uses chicken, shrimp and eggs and gets its flavor from a simple combination of salt, sugar and light soy sauce. The biggest difference comes in preparing the brown rice, since the grain requires more water and time. If you've ever made brown rice and wondered why it's not as fluffy and tender as white rice, try my dad's tips and I guarantee it'll become your go-to technique from now on.
Once you've mastered making brown rice, you can use it in any of our fried rice recipes, such as Yangzhou Fried Rice, Ginger Fried Rice and Dried Scallop & Egg White Fried Rice.
Ingredients
Prep
15 minutes
Total
60 minutes
Share
Use our magic wand to update this recipe!
Main Ingredients
- 2 cup medium-grain brown rice
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 0.50 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups water (with 3 ounces reserved to add later )
- 1 oz green onion (just the green parts)
- 2 oz corn
- 2 tablespoon oil (divided)
Shrimp Ingredients
- 7 oz shrimp
- 0.13 teaspoon white pepper
- 0.50 teaspoon cornstarch
Chicken Ingredients
- 6 oz chicken drumstick
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 0.13 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Egg Ingredients
- 3 egg
- 0.50 teaspoon salt
Seasoning Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 0.50 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
Want a deeper dive into how to craft traditional, authentic Cantonese flavors?
Understanding Flavor
Learn how to recreate the Cantonese flavors you love by demystifying and mastering a handful of core, traditional ingredients
On brown rice
Brown rice is a whole grain that retains both the bran and germ, the nutrient-rich core. It's healthy and more fiber-rice than white rice (which has had the bran and germ milled off), but is trickier to cook to the right texture. Cooking brown rice calls for more water than white rice to soften it.
There are many varieties of brown rice, but my dad prefers Nishiki's medium-grain brown rice because it has a softer texture than long-grain brown rice. His trick to making tender, fluffy brown rice that isn't too dry is to soak the grains before cooking.
Instructions
Prep
15 minutes
Total
60 minutes
Share
Use our magic wand to update
this recipe!
Help Shape Our Cookbook!
We're writing a cookbook! It won't be available until 2027, but sign up now to get weekly tips and videos from our cookbook development.
Step 1: Cook brown rice
Place the brown rice (2 cup) in a large bowl with clean water and wash three times. Gently swirl and rub the grains in between your fingers to dislodge any dirt and debris. Drain, then repeat using fresh water.
Add oil (1 teaspoon), salt (0.50 teaspoon), water (4 cups), and rice to the inner pot of a rice cooker. Stir to mix.
Let soak for 10 to 15 minutes. You can put it in “Keep Warm” setting in rice cooker and close it.
Cook the rice.
Step 2: Prep green onions
Dice just the green parts of the green onions (1 oz).
Crack eggs into a bowl.
Step 3: Prep shrimp
Peel and devein (if needed) the shrimp (7 oz).
Cut shrimp into 3 smaller pieces.
Place the shrimp in a bowl, along with the white pepper (0.13 teaspoon) and cornstarch (0.50 teaspoon). Use your hands to mix everything together and set aside to marinate.
Step 4: Prep chicken
Debone and remove the skim from the chicken drumsticks (6 oz), if needed (Skip if using boneless cut). Use a cleaver or a piece of paper towel to pull off the skin. Cut through lengthwise to expose the bone, then slice along the bone to detach the meat. Cut off the bottom of the bone and use it to peel the meat off the top of the bone. Slice through to separate the longer bone, then cut off the smaller bone.
Cut the meat lengthwise into long strips. Turn 90 degrees, then slice into 1-inch pieces.
Place the chicken in a bowl. Add the light soy sauce (1 teaspoon), oyster sauce (2 teaspoon), white pepper (0.13 teaspoon), cornstarch (2 teaspoon) and water (1 tablespoon). Use your hands to mix thoroughly and set aside to marinate.
Step 5: Prep cooked rice
After rice cooker clicks and the rice is “done,” add the corn (2 oz) and reserved water. Start the rice cooker again.
When rice cooker clicks again, fluff the rice with chopsticks to release steam.
Step 6: Stir fry proteins
Heat the wok on high.
Add the oil (1 tablespoon) and spread it around the wok.
Add chicken and spread the pieces out in wok, letting it cook for 40 to 50 seconds without moving them. Lower the heat.
Flip the chicken, increase the heat and cook for 1 more minute, flipping occasionally.
Add the shrimp and stir fry for 1 minute.
Remove the chicken and shrimp, then set aside in bowl for later.
Step 7: Stir fry rice
Add salt (0.50 teaspoon) to the eggs.
Heat the wok on high. Add the remaining oil (1 tablespoon) and spread it around in the wok.
Beat the eggs, pour them into the wok and stir around gently, cooking for 30 to 40 seconds.
Add the fluffed rice and stir fry for 2 to 2.5 minutes.
Season with sugar (1 teaspoon), salt (0.50 teaspoon), and light soy sauce (1 tablespoon), then mix for 10 to 15 seconds.
Add in the chicken and shrimp and stir fry for 30 to 40 seconds.
Add in green onions. Stir fry for 15 20 seconds. Taste and adjust flavor if needed.
Turn heat off and plate.

Master Cantonese cooking from the ground up
Develop the intuition and foundation to cook Cantonese food with exclusive classes from a master chef.
Explore all masterclassesFrequently Asked Questions
Enjoy!
We have many, many happy memories of enjoying this dish growing up.
Now, hopefully, you can create your own memories with this dish with your loved ones.
Also, I cordially invite you to eat with us and learn more about the dish, Chinese culture, and my family.
Cheers, and thanks for cooking with us!
Feel free to comment below if you have any questions about the recipe.
More Recipes

泡麵版炒麵
Chow Mein, with Instant Noodles

萬用炒醬
Universal Stir Fry Sauce

牛肉炒飯
Beef Fried Rice

雞湯
Easy Chicken Broth
