Fried Rice

Which rice should I buy?

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My dad's rice of choice is Thai jasmine rice, which he uses in all of his fried rice dishes, including the restaurant favorite Yangzhou Fried Rice and Ginger Fried Rice.

If you can't get jasmine rice, try to use any other long grain rice, which doesn't get as sticky.

Why using leftover rice is a myth

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Unlike the hundreds of recipes out there that claim using leftover rice / day-old rice is a requirement, take it from a former Chinese restaurant owner: most Chinese chefs use fresh rice and not leftover or day-old rice because the grains are fragrant, more tender and already hot.

From a logistical and sanitary standpoint, Chinese restaurants can't keep huge storage containers of cold, leftover rice on hand. If they had leftover rice from the day before, they might use it, but most Chinese restaurants don't go out of their way to prepare rice in advance, refrigerate it, then use it for fried rice the next day.

Making fried rice with fresh rice vs leftover rice

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Fresh rice tends to clump more than day-old rice, but you can mitigate this with thorough washing, by cooking it with slightly less water so the grains are harder, and by fluffing the rice once you're done cooking it.

Fresh rice:

• Wash the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear to remove excess starch. My dad's lifelong habit is to wash and rinse rice 3 times for good measure.
• Water to rice ratio: this really depends on your rice, but you can use what you already know as a baseline:
  • Compared to making freshly steamed rice, use 5-10% less water than you normally would.
  • In a rice cooker pot with embedded rice-to-water volume measurements, slightly undershoot below the line marker. If you're adding water with measuring cups, use the same cup that you used to measure the rice.
• Fluffing rice: always fluff the rice after cooking to help steam escape and to help the rice from sticking together.

Leftover rice:

• Day-old rice tends to result in less clumpy, firmer fried rice than fresh rice, but it's also less aromatic.
• Always microwave it before cooking and break apart any clumps.

Options for rice

While my dad prefers the aroma and texture of Thai jasmine rice, you can also use American long-grain rice or a blend of both. Short- and medium-grain rice are both too sticky for fried rice.

Adding protein

While this is a basic egg fried rice... adding meat is quite simple.

Here are some examples from our other recipes.

Or one of my personal favorites, Ginger Fried Rice, which my dad often made for my wife after she gave birth to each of our 3 kids.

Adding or removing vegetables

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Try to avoid watery vegetables like bok choy or cabbage. The fried rice should be dry after cooking, with no liquid or sauce pooling.

Feel free to skip the peas, corn, and/or carrots. And if you're reheating frozen vegetables, make sure to drain the pooled moisture before adding it to the wok.

What if I don't have dark soy sauce? Or light soy sauce?

• Dark soy sauce: feel free to skip it.
  • This recipe calls for 1 tsp of dark soy sauce. Its main function is to darken the rice, while adding a subtle umami, savory flavor.
  • It's used in recipes like beef chow fun.
• Light soy sauce: skip, use more salt.
  • light soy sauce = soy sauce = regular soy sauce.
  • We're not necessarily referring to low-sodium soy sauce, but you can use that too.

Using leftover meat?

If you're using leftover meat, reheat it either with a wok or a microwave, then toss it in at the end.

Our Equipment

We're using a carbon steel wok with a gas stove. This is a traditional Chinese restaurant setup that's suitable for a home kitchen.

What if I don't have a wok?

While this recipe uses a carbon steel wok on a gas stove, don't let that deter you: you can use any other type of cookware or stove.

• Carbon steel responds well to quick heat changes, whereas stainless steel and cast iron take more time. Use your ears - there should be a constant sizzle.
• For an electric stove, you can mostly stay at medium heat throughout the recipe. Gas and induction stoves generally allow for instantaneous heat changes, whereas electric stoves need additional time to come up to temperature.
• In a pan or skillet, the main issue is to not overcrowd the cookware. Either divide the cooking into batches or turn up the heat if you hear a "wet" sizzle (which means the food is steaming, not searing).
• Don't heat a nonstick pan or wok until it's smoking, just heat and add oil. Once the oil is shimmering, or forming ripples across the surface, the pan and oil are hot enough to cook with.

Refrigerating Leftovers

• Cooling: Wait until the fried rice has cooled down.
• Storage: Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Preferably, store it on the top shelf, where refrigerators tend to be the coldest.
• Reheating: Add a splash of water to the container, leave the lid slightly ajar, and microwave it for 1 to 2 minutes until the rice is steaming.
• Time: This should last 3-5 days in the refrigerator, but use your best judgment.

Freezing fried rice

• Cooling: As with freezing wontons and other starches, spread out the fried rice on a tray to cool it down faster.
• Storing: Once cool, store the fried rice in freezer bags, press the air out, and lay them flat in the freezer.
• Reheating: Cook it frozen a wok with a splash of oil, breaking up the clumps as you go. If the rice is hard, add a splash of water and cover the wok to infuse a bit more moisture via steam. Or, microwave it covered with a splash of water until it's steaming.
• Time: It's best to eat it within 1 to 2 months of freezing.