Egg–fried rice is a popular and frequently ordered Chinese takeaway dish. It appears simple to prepare, but it’s all too easy to wind up with a sticky mess in the bottom of your wok if you’re not careful! The critical point to remember is to use pre-cooked rice that has been chilled overnight in the refrigerator.
Using freshly cooked rice ensures a gluey result – the additional moisture content causes everything to stick together. When you put it in the fridge, your rice will be beautifully cold, but it will also be significantly drier, resulting in gorgeous separate rice grains. Indeed, if you’re cooking rice for a recipe, consider cooking extra and storing it in the refrigerator for fried rice the next day.
Once you’ve prepared your rice, two other points to remember are getting your wok smoking hot before frying the rice and avoiding overcrowding. To maintain the maximum heat in the wok, bring it to a high temperature and then fry your rice in stages if required – putting too much rice into the wok at once can exhaust all of the heat in the pan.
How To Make Egg Fried Rice?
Ensure that you use cooked cold rice – not warm rice. As rice cooks, it dries slightly, which helps prevent the fried rice from becoming sticky and claggy. Rice that has been slightly cooled and dried will likewise absorb additional flavor.
In a wok, fry onion in a bit of oil until translucent, then add minced garlic and simmer for an additional 30 seconds. Increase the heat to high and add the rice. Drizzle with a bit of sesame oil. Combine everything using a spatula. Nota bene: Using a spatula is critical since it enables you to reach underneath the rice and toss it rather than breaking it up (if you were to stir with a spoon, for example).
Egg fried rice is a satisfying and infinitely customizable favorite that never disappoints. This delectable but straightforward recipe is ideal for a quick lunch or snack.
Ingredient
- A dozen big eggs
- Three tablespoons oil, divided (peanut, vegetable, or olive)
- One onion, diced (about one small onion)
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups diced mixed veggies, such as bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, and other similar vegetables
- 1/2 cup sliced onions, split into white and green portions
- A sprinkle of salt
- 4 cups jasmine rice, boiled overnight
- 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce (if gluten-free, use tamari)
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered five-spice
- An optional sprinkle of ground white pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sesame oil, toasted
Instructions
- In a small mixing dish, crack the eggs and whisk them together.
- One tablespoon oil, heated in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beaten eggs to the hot pan and scramble them for approximately a minute. Turn off the heat and transfer the eggs to a dish.
- In a wok over high heat, drizzle the remaining two tablespoons of oil. Cook, stirring regularly, for 1 to 2 minutes after adding the onions. Cook for 2 minutes after adding the mixed veggies and white sections of the scallions and, using a pinch of salt, season the vegetables.
- Cook the cooked rice in the pan or wok for several minutes until thoroughly warm. If there are huge clumps of rice, use the back of your spatula to break them apart.
- Stir in the soy sauce, five-spice powder, white pepper (if desired), and sesame oil to evenly distribute the ingredients. (Please see remark 6) Stir in the scrambled eggs until everything is well combined. Finish with the remaining sliced scallions as a garnish. Serve right away
Tips For Making To Make Egg Fried Rice
- The fried rice will have a mild smell from the peanut oil. Although olive oil is not typically used in Chinese cooking, the flavor of olive oil is barely discernible in this dish.
- It makes no difference which color onion you use, and onions can be white, yellow, sweet, or red. You can substitute shallots for onions if you don’t have any.
- For this dish, you can use any vegetables you wish. This fried rice works well with corn, bell peppers, carrots, green beans, zucchini, and peas. It’s entirely up to you how many vegetables you use. Remember that the more vegetables you use, the more moisture you’ll likely bring to the wok as the fried rice cooks.
- This can result in soggy fried rice, especially if the wok (or sauté pan) is overcrowded. I’ve found that 2 cups of diced vegetables are plenty.
- I like to save some of the onions’ dark green parts for garnish.
- Mix 1 tablespoon of my teriyaki sauce or store-bought hoisin sauce to give the fried rice more flavor.
What Vegetables To Use In Egg-Fried Rice?
The wonderful thing about this healthy egg-fried rice is that it is adaptable and can be made with various vegetables. It’s an excellent refrigerator raid supper.
We used cabbage, baby corn, pepper, carrots, courgette, and beansprouts, but you may use any vegetable. Choose quick-cooking vegetables to ensure that all vegetables cook at the same rate. Pak choi (bok choy) and frozen peas are excellent additions to their vibrant green color.
Is Egg-Fried Rice Healthy?
While regular egg fried rice contains approximately 360 calories per portion, our recipe contains only 280 calories per portion. It’s a rich supply of fiber and protein and a good source of vegetables. Additionally, we reduced the oil used, making it lower in fat than the typical side dish.
Fried rice dishes are frequently rich in salt, so we used a low-salt soy sauce to keep the salt content low.
Typically, egg-fried rice is high in harmful calories due to copious amounts of cooking oil. However, this healthier version is far more beneficial to your health, as the egg adds protein, minerals, and nutrients. Eggs may be an excellent addition to a balanced diet because they are a substantial source of protein and contain various nutrients. One thing to keep an eye on while making any fried rice is the sodium content, and it can be lowered by substituting low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos for the regular soy sauce.
Can Leftover Rice Be Used To Create Egg Fried Rice?
Yes, absolutely; it is suggested, as freshly cooked rice can be too moist. Ensure that the rice has been properly cooled and stored, and you are ready to start. You don’t have time to prepare the rice before creating this dish, or you don’t have any leftovers? Fry a packet of microwaveable rice in this dish.
Additionally, rice will have slightly increased moisture during its time in the refrigerator, making it an ideal combo dish. Rice’s starchiness, whether eaten with stir fry or curry, provides a refreshing finish to a hot and spicy dinner.
Is It Permissible To Add Meat Or Fish To Egg-Fried Rice?
We kept this version vegetarian (vegan if the egg is omitted), but you may substitute beef or fish. Have any leftover chicken? Shred-it and toss it. You may even finely dice a chicken breast and cook it separately from the rest of the ingredients. Add some tofu for additional vegan protein. Pair this with some prawns or shredded grilled salmon, or perhaps some scallops if you’re fancy. Fried rice is a one-pot wonder that serves as a whole dinner. You may substitute any meat or leftovers. Ground or shredded beef, pork, chicken, chopped ham, or shrimp are all excellent!
Conclusion
Fried rice is a one-pot meal in and of itself. You can use any meat or leftovers. Ground or shredded beef, pork, chicken, diced ham, or shrimp are all reasonable substitutions! “egg rice” is a colloquial term for a raw egg put into piping hot rice. Fear not – the hot rice will cook the egg as you stir it in. As a result, you’re treated to some of the best Japanese comfort food you’ve ever eaten – the most creamy, delicious bowl of rice you’ve ever tasted. “egg rice” refers to a raw egg mixed into piping hot rice. Fear not – as you stir the egg into the wild rice, it will cook. As a result, you’re treated to some of the best Japanese comfort food you’ve ever had — the creamiest, most exquisite bowl of rice you’ve ever had.
