How to Make the Best Fried Rice at Home (Easy Recipes)

Having a lot of leftovers? Or you just want to have some fried rice? Fried rice is one of the fairly easy dishes to make at home. It’s one of the dishes where you could throw almost any things at it and the result is still perfect. In Asia, mostly southeast, fried rice is one of the popular street foods with so many different varieties and unaccountable garnish too.

Preparing fried rice

Fried rice is very easy to make and serve at home as long as you could master some of these details.  First off is the main ingredient, RICE of course. The best rice for fried rice is long-grain white or brown rice. Also, to make the best fried rice, leftover cooked rice is recommended, if not a must. This is due to its lack of moisture and stickiness, which make the frying process faster and prevent the final result from its sloppy state. If your family usually eats rice, then use the leftover for this, if not, just cook your long grain rice the day before, fluff it, and put the whole thing in the fridge after it cools down.

As with any frying dishes, you will need some type of fat. Now, in South East Asia, to bring out the scent and flavor, most people would use animal fat like pork or chicken to fry then add in either shallot or garlic to maximize the frying scent. You could substitute for vegetable oil, but don’t miss the shallot, as its aromatic characteristic is a wonder.

Now a typical fried rice recipe, apart from the rice itself, other ingredients would include egg, protein, vegetables, and some type of condiment or garnish.

Egg is a must in fried rice, to help with the look and also separate the rice grains. Protein can be anything, from meats (chicken, beef, pork, etc.) to seafood (shrimp, crab, lobster, cured fish, calamari, etc.), in any form, fresh, cooked, pickled, or cured (sausage, ham, hot dog…).

Vegetables typically are used anything that would add color and has some form of texture, like carrots, broccoli, onion, mushroom, corn, pea, etc. So just look at your fridge, anything would do really.

Some sauces to be used with fried rice are soy sauce, chili paste-like Sriracha, fish sauce, oyster sauce…

Finally, before serving, you could add some source of parsley, coriander leaves, pickled cabbage, kamahi … or event fresh slices of cucumber for garnish.

In addition, to make fried rice easily, you would need the right tools. Most of the fried rice is being done on the stove top, so it’s required that you know your heat source well. Here is a list of what you will need:

• Pan: a pan is what you will need to fry anything on, a non-stick one if you don’t want to mess with cleaning after work. Actually, the best pan to use for fried rice is a Wok, as this type of pan has a large and evenly slope bottom to help in distributing the heat ease when stirring the ingredient motion. A wok also has a long handle that is very easy to use, so get one if you really like any stir-fried dishes.
• Wooden spatula or chopsticks: use these to stir the rice when frying and help in preventing scratch to your pan surface. They are light in weight too, compare to the professional frying ladle.

If you have read all of the above info, now let’s get ready to make some fried rice. Following are some easy to make fried rice at home recipes, there are also a few tips and tricks along the process.

Tips and tricks

• Any ingredients to be fried should be cut in the same size. It’s better to use cooked meats and seafood (except for eggs) for your fried rice dish to prevent the taste mixing and other problem.
• Rice: use your leftover from cooked long-grain rice; do not use medium or short grain type as they are too sticky and moist. If you don’t have leftover rice, you could try the method below.

Easy fried rice recipes

Egg fried rice

Egg fried rice is the simplest of all fried rice dishes. It is so easy to make, fast, and flavorful.

Ingredient (serve 2)

• 2 cups of cooked long-grain rice (see rice preparation for fried rice)
• 2 eggs
• 2 small pieces of garlic or shallot (can be substitute by ¼ medium-size onion)
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp seasoning powder or chicken bouillon granules
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce
• Black pepper
• 3 pieces of green onion or scallion
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• Cilantro, grape tomato, chili…etc for decoration

Preparation

• Fluff to separate your rice into the grain.
• Cut green onions in half to separate the white stem and the green leaves. Finely chopped and put into separate containers.
• Crush your garlic, and then finely chop them. If you use shallot or onion, finely chop them too.
• In a small bowl, put in eggs, ½ tsp seasoning powder or chicken bouillon granules, and sprinkle on a little bit of black pepper, stir and mix.

Direction

1. 1 Place your pan on the stovetop, at high heat for couple minutes until hot. Add oil, slant, and turn the pan around so that the oil covers the whole pan bottom. Remove the excess oil.
2. 2 Add the chopped garlic/shallot and the chopped white head part of the green onion. Stir with your spatula or chopstick.
3. 3 When the garlic/shallot color turn lightly brown (not fully brown, you don’t want it to burn), add cooked rice, stir.
4. 4 Add in seasoning powder, salt, fish sauce/soy sauce; note that the rice will now be a little wet, stir the rice throughout at least 5 minutes. Depend on how much dryness and crunchy you want to adjust your stir-frying time. The longer you fry, the drier your rice will be.
5. 5 Slowly pour in your eggs while keep stirring with the other hand.
6. 6 Keep stirring so that all the egg is distributed and mixed evenly with the rice.
7. 7 When all the rice grains are dried, fluffy, and separate and don’t stick to the pan, then add in the remaining chopped green onion. Stir throughout to mix then turn off the heat source.
8. 8 Now you have your egg fried rice, transfer them to a wide dish and decorate with a tomato and a stem of cilantro. Serve your fried rice with soy sauce and chili (see below) for extra flavor.

Direction for chili soy sauce (to serve with fried rice)

• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp warm water
• ½ tsp sugar
• ½ tsp Sriracha or chili paste
• 1 tsp red rice vinegar

Mix the entire above ingredient together (until all sugar is dissolved). Add a little of this sauce one at a time as you eat will add a spicy, mildly tangy flavor to your fried rice overall taste.

Enjoy!

Shrimp fried rice

Shrimp (and crab) fried rice is an easy dish to make, just open your fridge and adjust this recipe to whatever you have on hand for a terrific meal to remember.

Ingredient (serve 2)

• 2 cups of cooked long grain rice (see rice preparation for fried rice)
• 2 eggs
• 10 medium shrimp or a cup of salad shrimp
• 1 small crab meat can (optional)
• 1 cup mixed vegetables of your choice
• ½ medium onion
• 1 slice ginger
• 2 small pieces of garlic or shallot (can be substitute by ¼ medium size onion)
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp chicken bouillon powder
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce
• Black pepper
• 2 stems of green onion or scallion
• Vegetable oil
• Cilantro
• Grape tomato, chili…etc for decoration

Preparation

• Fluff to separate your rice to the grain.
• Drain the crab can.
• Chopped onion and cilantro.
• Cut green onions in half to separate the white stems and the green leaves. Finely chopped the white part and cut the green part into 1-inch long chunk.
• Grate or mince ginger.
• Crush your garlic, and then finely chop them. If you use shallot or onion, finely chop them too.
• In a small bowl, put in eggs and sprinkle on a little bit of black pepper, stir and mix.
• If you use salad shrimp, skip this; otherwise, cut your shrimps into half-inch chunks.

 Direction

1. 1 Place your pan on the stovetop, at high heat for a couple minutes until hot. Add oil, slant, and turn the pan around so that the oil covers the whole pan bottom. Remove excess oil.
2. 2 Add  1/3 of the chopped garlic/shallot and all grated ginger into the pan, stir until lightly brown.
3. 3 Add shrimp. If your shrimp is un-cook, stir a bit until it lightly cook.
4. 4 Add crab and chicken bouillon, stir gently to mix. Do not mash the crab. Transfer all into a heat-safe container.
5. 5 Add ½ tsp of oil into your pan; put all remaining chopped garlic/shallot and the chopped white head part of the green onion. Stir with your spatula or chopstick.
6. 6 When the garlic/shallot color turns lightly brown (not fully brown, you don’t want it to burn), add chopped onion, stir until turn color a bit.
7. 7 Add rice, stir fry throughout.
8. 8 Add in seasoning powder, salt, fish sauce/soy sauce; note that the rice will now be a little wet, stir the rice throughout at least 5 minutes. Depend on how much dryness and crunchy you want to adjust your stir-frying time.  The longer you fry, the drier your rice will be.
9. 9 Add mixed vegetables, stir throughout to mix and fried everything.
10. 10 When all veggies are cooked and somewhat dried, add all the prepared shrimp/crab in, stir and mix well
11. 11 Slowly pour in your eggs while keep stirring with the other hand.
12. 12 Keep stirring so that all the egg is distributed and mixed evenly with the rice/shrimp/vegetable, creating a uniform light yellow color.
13. 13 When all the rice grains are dried, fluffy, and separate and don’t stick to the pan, then add in the remaining chopped scallion. Stir throughout to mix.
14. 14 Finally add chopped cilantro, stir to mix, and turn off the heat source.
15. 15 Now you have your egg shrimp fried rice, transfer them to a wide dish.
16. 16 You could add fried onion granules as garnishment on top or decorate your dish with a tomato and a slice of chili pepper or chili flower. Serve your fried rice with chili soy sauce or pickle mini cucumber for extra flavor.

Vegetable fried rice

Vegetable fried rice is simple enough at home. It is perfect to take care of all your leftover or simply a quick breakfast. Adjust this recipe to what you have on hand, for vegetarian option, just skip all the meat in the recipe.

Ingredient (serve 2)

• 2 cups of cooked long-grain rice (see rice preparation for fried rice)
• 1 ½ cup mixed vegetables
• A handful of mushroom (shitake prefer, otherwise use oyster or portabella)
• 2 eggs
• 1 hot dog or sausage or ham (meat option)
• 2 small pieces of garlic or shallot (can be substituted by ¼ medium-size onion)
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp chicken bouillon granule powder (optional)
• 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce
• Black pepper
• 3 stem of green onion
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 stem of Cilantro,1 grape tomato, or chili…etc for decoration

Preparation

• Fluff to separate your rice to the grain.
• Cut green onions in half to separate the white stem and the green leaves. Finely chopped and put into separate containers.
• Crush your garlic, and then finely chop them. If you use shallot or onion, finely chop them too.
• In a small bowl, put in eggs and sprinkle on some black pepper, stir and mix.
• Chop mushroom into small cubes (the same cube size as your mixed veggies)
• If you use the meat option, cut them into the above cube size too.

Direction

1. 1 Place your pan on the stovetop, wait for a little till hot, and add 1 Tbsp butter to melt. Slant and turn the pan around quickly to covers the whole bottom.
2. 2 Add the chopped garlic/shallot. Stir with your spatula or chopstick to light brown color (not burn). This will release an aromatic smell, add the chopped white head part of the green onion. Stir.
3. 3 Add mushroom, stir to mix, then add all veggies, 1 Tbsp oyster sauce, and stir until all veggies are cooked.
4. 4 Add 1 Tbsp butter and then add cooked rice, stir for a couple minutes.
5. 5 Add in chicken bouillon powder, salt, fish sauce/soy sauce; note that the rice will now be a little wet, stir the rice throughout.
6. 6 Add meats(if use).
7. 7 Depend on how much dryness and crunchy you want your rice to be, adjust your stir-frying time. The longer you fry, the drier your rice will be. So just keep stirring.
8. 8 Slowly pour in your eggs while keep stirring with the other hand.
9. 9 Keep stirring so that all the egg is distributed and mixed evenly with the rice.
10. 10 When all the rice grains are dried, fluffy, and separate and don’t stick to the pan, then add in the remaining chopped green onion. Stir throughout to mix then turn off the heat source.
11. 11 Now your vegetable fried rice is ready, decorate with a small flower cut tomato and a stem of cilantro. Serve your fried rice with chili soy sauce for extra flavor.