How do you make fried rice?

[helena]

I keep trying recipes I find online and they all stink. They're always straight forward, rice/veggies/a bit of soy sauce... I've never come close to cooking something as good as a dish in a restaurant, whether it's Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, etc.

 

Is there a must have fried rice cookbook??

I cook vegan, but can substitute lots of flavors in asian recipes.

 

 

If you have a good recipe I'd love to see it. :)

Thanks!

 

 

 

[Onceuponatime]

No recipe here, I just do the straightforward kind. However, my Okinawan friend uses sesame oil to cook hers and it tastes awesome. I always sprinkle a little ginger on mine.

[quark]

Try to use day-old rice instead of fresh-cooked rice.

I use a recipe similar to this one: http://www.steamykitchen.com/1331-shrimp-fried-rice.html

but I also add a tbsp (maybe slightly more) of garlic-ginger paste, a tbsp or more of red chilli paste (son likes it hot) and a dash of Thai fish oil.

 

I've cooked rice in chicken broth to use for fried rice for the next day and it usually tastes better!

[Arcadia]

Use day old rice or rice that has cooled for hours.

I just sprinkle sesame oil, whatever vegetable I have left in the fridge, eggs (optional), sweet chilli sauce and a teaspoon or a packet of soy sauce

 

Sometimes I use sushi rice, somestimes I use basmati rice, sometimes I use jasmine rice. I just use whatever rice I happen to have at home.

 

Some chinese fast food places add ketchup to fried rice.

 

For indonesian fried rice, if you mean Nasi Goreng, the spices are essential.

[Amira]

Leftover jasmine rice, very hot oil, lots and lots of garlic, and I use fish sauce, although you couldn't use that for vegan fried rice.  I think having a very hot pan makes a big difference.

[Myeightkiddies]

Here is the recipe that I use Fried Rice .  Pictures 5 and 6 are actually ones that I took and submitted (mommyof8).

 

The key is cold rice.  Typically I make rice in the steamer earlier in the day and chill for hours.  It's regular white rice - nothing fancy.  It's the one recipe that is the closest to restaurant quality than others I tried.  People love it.

 

You could make it vegan by omitting the egg and using vegetable bouillon.  I hope this helps.

 

 

[Ali in OR]

You know, mine doesn't taste like the restaurants, but it doesn't have the sodium content either! No msg, lower-sodium soy sauce (and probably less sauce total), etc. Still tastes pretty good to me and we can eat it with a clean conscience.

[DawnM]

Cold rice (left in fridge overnight)

Sesame Oil mixed with Olive Oil (sesame oil is key!)

Ginger

Garlic

chicken bullion in hot water

Costco Asian Seasoning

Frozen mix of green beans, corn, peas

Soy Sauce

sometimes chicken cubes

 

Fry it all up together.  We love it.

[helena]

I'm doing a lot of these things... I use day old rice, garlic, ginger, sesame oil...

 

I'm going to work on a higher heat, not stirring too much, using a chicken broth, and according to quark's link, cooking separately... boo. I like to make it in one clean shot (drives my husband crazy.) :D

 

 

[helena]

Use day old rice or rice that has cooled for hours.

I just sprinkle sesame oil, whatever vegetable I have left in the fridge, eggs (optional), sweet chilli sauce and a teaspoon or a packet of soy sauce

 

Sometimes I use sushi rice, somestimes I use basmati rice, sometimes I use jasmine rice. I just use whatever rice I happen to have at home.

 

Some chinese fast food places add ketchup to fried rice.

 

For indonesian fried rice, if you mean Nasi Goreng, the spices are essential.

Mmmm... yes that's the Indonesian rice I loooooooove. 

I was buying season packets at the local Asian market but they now add shrimp paste. Why is that dish so freakin good??

[helena]

You know, mine doesn't taste like the restaurants, but it doesn't have the sodium content either! No msg, lower-sodium soy sauce (and probably less sauce total), etc. Still tastes pretty good to me and we can eat it with a clean conscience.

Yeah, you're right. 

Sigh, the voice of reason. :tongue_smilie:

[Amy in NH]

I'm doing a lot of these things... I use day old rice, garlic, ginger, sesame oil...

 

I'm going to work on a higher heat, not stirring too much, using a chicken broth, and according to quark's link, cooking separately... boo. I like to make it in one clean shot (drives my husband crazy.) :D

 

Me too, and it always comes out too wet,mushy, and gummy, not at all like from the restaurant.  I've mostly given up trying anymore.

[petepie2]

This is a recipe that I've used with both chicken and shrimp:

 

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-fried-rice-50400000123276/

[Debbi in Texas]

I have found that the sesame oil makes a big difference. Also, I cook the ingrendients in "stages", then at the end add them all together.

[Laura Corin]

Yang Zhou fried rice, as taught to me in China.  It may not be what you are looking for, but it's authentic:

 

Each ingredient must be fried separately in a light-tasting vegetable oil or peanut oil then set aside for final reincorporation.  If you add everything to the pan together, the elements steam rather than frying.

 

Ingredients: garlic, eggs (make an omelette and then cut it up), roast pork/ham in small cubes, prawns, veg (peas are often used), day-old rice.

 

L

[NASDAQ]

If you're having mushy, gummy rice, it's not a recipe problem. It's a technique problem.

 

Make sure you are seasoning your wok correctly. You want a well-seasoned spun steel wok over a very high heat. You want this thing to get _hot_. You are going to go fast.

 

Use day-old rice. Keep it in the fridge. Use jasmine rice.

 

Let the wok get very hot, then add peanut oil (or something else with a very high smoke point), your other ingredients (ginger, cooked meat, cooked egg, snow peas, that sort of thing), then your soy sauce (use a little bit of dark soya sauce as well as light soya sauce), then your rice. Keep the rice moving.

 

I'm not really into sesame oil for fried rice. If you use it, know that a little goes a very long way.

 

[umsami]

I had a friend from Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands…think Guam) who taught me her version, and it's the one I go back to.  The difference is that the eggs are not cooked omelette style, but are rather mixed with a bunch of soy sauce and black pepper and then the whole rice mixture is kind of cooked with it.  You don't see separate egg bits.

Anyways…start by frying onion… and some chopped carrots….and maybe garlic and ginger if you have them. (Usually I don't have ginger.)   If you have leftover chicken or meat you can add it then as well.  Then add in your cold leftover rice.  I've used brown and white rice…both are good.  Keep pressing it down with a spatula to heat/fry it.  Once hot, you add in the beaten eggs w/soy sauce all at once and kind of stir it into the rice.  Then you cook the rice/egg mixture, by pressing it down with a spatula.   Serve with chopped green onions.

 

 

[momee]

Hi Helena, long time no food talk :)

This is our favorite rice - jasmine

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/super-lucky-elephant-jasmine-rice-25-lbs/112389268.html

 

Make day before.  I like to put mine on a cookie sheet and cover well.  This way it doesn't gum up on the bottom of the pot.

 

 

[helena]

Hi Helena, long time no food talk :)

This is our favorite rice - jasmine

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/super-lucky-elephant-jasmine-rice-25-lbs/112389268.html

 

Make day before.  I like to put mine on a cookie sheet and cover well.  This way it doesn't gum up on the bottom of the pot.

Hi Momee!

I'll keep my eyes out for that rice. We live near many Asian markets, so I may very well find it. 

 

Unfortunately, I have to say that I made jasmine rice in the rice cooker last night and my family has announced that I am hopeless at Chinese cooking.  :lol: Seriously?? It's just rice, how bad could it be?? I went out for dinner (yum!), so I didn't experience the "crunchy yet gooey" rice. 

It tasted fine this morning. Haha!

 

Anyways, I think my problem starts from the ground up. How does one make a proper pot of stinkin rice?

I don't know... I really don't know. 

[Arcadia]

How does one make a proper pot of stinkin rice?

 

Each rice cooker is different, even for the same brand. I just vary the rice to water ratio until I am happy with the results.

I have a bottle of sushi vinegar as most of my rice ends up being made into sushi rolls by my boys.

[Laura Corin]

In general, at sea level, I use one cup of water to one cup of rice (washed, so a little damp) for most white rice; two cups of water to one cup of rice for brown rice.  

 

I have a very basic rice cooker with no special settings: I switch it on and it moves to 'warm' when the rice is cooked.

 

L

[momee]

Same as Laura for me.  Rice maker does it all. 

 

You are the queen of rice in my book, chinese rice cant' be all that different than mexican, can it?????  :)

[Chava_Raizel]

I like to think I've perfected the art of fried rice over the years - my family tells me mine is the best anyways.

 

First, sautee some diced onion (1 small onion or 1/2 large) and diced carrot (about 1/2 c.) in a little veg. oil. When the onion is starting to brown, scramble a couple eggs right into it. Then add minced garlic and dump in your pre-cooked and refrigerated rice. I use jasmine rice, but any cooked rice will do.

 

Break up the rice and really mix it into the onion/carrot/egg mixture. Then add soy sauce, teryaki sauce, a splash or two of rice vinegar and sesame oil. Sesame  oil is key to good fried rice. I have no idea on measurements - I just add stuff til it looks right. Sometimes I add a bit of duck sauce, if I have some we need to use up.

 

Now add in any veggies - I ususally do red peppers, corn and sugar snap peas. If it's in season, zucchini is really good in fried rice - and meat if you're using it. I only do leftover meat - pork roast, roasted chicken, etc.

 

Now mix everything up, sprinkle on some ginger powder (or grate in some fresh ginger if you have it), and cook on med-hi heat until everything is heated through and the rice at the bottom starts to brown up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[helena]

In general, at sea level, I use one cup of water to one cup of rice (washed, so a little damp) for most white rice; two cups of water to one cup of rice for brown rice.  

 

I have a very basic rice cooker with no special settings: I switch it on and it moves to 'warm' when the rice is cooked.

 

L

Is that for jasmine rice? Do you add salt? How much?

Thanks!

[Laura Corin]

Is that for jasmine rice? Do you add salt? How much?

Thanks!

 

No,  no salt at all - just rice and water.  I usually cook Thai Fragrant Rice, which seems to be the same as Jasmine Rice.

 

L

[helena]

Same as Laura for me.  Rice maker does it all. 

 

You are the queen of rice in my book, chinese rice cant' be all that different than mexican, can it?????   :)

Ah! Thanks! :)

Mexican rice dishes are more my thing. I don't know why my plain rice is so bad. Tonight I'm going to try again and make the fried rice tomorrow. We shall see! 

[helena]

No,  no salt at all - just rice and water.  I usually cook Thai Fragrant Rice, which seems to be the same as Jasmine Rice.

 

L

Okay, good to know. I tried adding salt to my last batch and it was... very salty.  :glare:

I'll look for this Thai rice. Our market has so many types of rice, one of them is going to speak to me. :)

[Melissa in NC]

When I am making fried rice for lunch, I saute onions and any raw veggies in the refrigerator.  Once they are cooked, I add anything that was precooked, such as leftover veggies or meat.  I dump in the left over rice, make a whole in the center of the rice, pour in oil (high smoke point) and crack an egg.  I left the egg cook for 20-30 seconds.  I stir it all up and add 1 part soy sauce, 1 part fish sauce.  Stir, cut the heat, cover and let sit for a minute to finish cooking the egg.

 

When I fix it for dinner, I add cabbage to the mixture before the egg.  I buy the pre cut cabbage for making cole slaw.

 

The fish sauce makes all the difference.

 

[angela in ohio]

I like to think I've perfected the art of fried rice over the years - my family tells me mine is the best anyways.

 

First, sautee some diced onion (1 small onion or 1/2 large) and diced carrot (about 1/2 c.) in a little veg. oil. When the onion is starting to brown, scramble a couple eggs right into it. Then add minced garlic and dump in your pre-cooked and refrigerated rice. I use jasmine rice, but any cooked rice will do.

 

Break up the rice and really mix it into the onion/carrot/egg mixture. Then add soy sauce, teryaki sauce, a splash or two of rice vinegar and sesame oil. Sesame  oil is key to good fried rice. I have no idea on measurements - I just add stuff til it looks right. Sometimes I add a bit of duck sauce, if I have some we need to use up.

 

Now add in any veggies - I ususally do red peppers, corn and sugar snap peas. If it's in season, zucchini is really good in fried rice - and meat if you're using it. I only do leftover meat - pork roast, roasted chicken, etc.

 

Now mix everything up, sprinkle on some ginger powder (or grate in some fresh ginger if you have it), and cook on med-hi heat until everything is heated through and the rice at the bottom starts to brown up.

 

Pretty much like this, except I cook the rice in the sautéed mixture, push it all to the side, and scramble the eggs beside it, then mix them in. I don't use rice vinegar, and I always use chicken.

[TammyinTN]

Here is the recipe that I use Fried Rice .  Pictures 5 and 6 are actually ones that I took and submitted (mommyof8).

 

The key is cold rice.  Typically I make rice in the steamer earlier in the day and chill for hours.  It's regular white rice - nothing fancy.  It's the one recipe that is the closest to restaurant quality than others I tried.  People love it.

 

You could make it vegan by omitting the egg and using vegetable bouillon.  I hope this helps.

I made this recipe for dinner tonight...excellent!! 

 

Thank you!!