Fried Rice Recipes!

[Esox]

Yes, keep it simple. A few crispy bits are nice. avoid adding sauces and vinegar. Only A little soy sauce at the end. Then stir it in. Get the basic technique down to where you are confident and happy with your results. Then try variations from there.

also Cantonese chow mein is pretty bland stuff. Lots of Chinese restaurants will cater to the customers taste. That can be a departure from the traditional thing. Which is ok if you like it , order it and enjoy.

Keep it simple, yep. I'm trying, but the draw for me to even starting to learn to make good fried rice, are the multitude of different flavours in it.

$12.85 for a box of spicy noodles I never enjoyed paying for and I already know I can make better. I use to go to East Side Marios often. They had a dish called Firecracker Shrimp that was nothing more than Bowtie pasta, tossed in oil with Chilies and small, maybe 50 count, shrimp. $16.95 for a salad bowl full. It didnt take me long to learn how to cook that.

This is definitely one that is generally only in the Asian grocery stores - and even then it can be really hard to find as it sits in a row of 100 similar looking jars.

I had that problem where I was shopping. I was standing in the aisle for 20 minutes squinting over my glasses trying to make out what was what lol.

I do like the one I have but I can see the difference. If I can see it, I'll taste it.

This entire thread is filled with pure gold from all you guys. You're all teaching me to cook! I have other threads in mind too.

 

[Atlantic59]

I've had some in the fridge for 26 hours now, sitting on a baking sheet. Thinking about that now leads me to another question.

You've just cooked a fresh batch of rice. It's cooled to room temp. How do you store it from there and how long does it keep?

I like to use a glass food storage dish with a loose-fitting cover on it. I would try to use it within two days.

It's best not to leave rice out at room temperature very long. Food-borne illness is possible. Look up Bacillus cereus for more info.

As long as the volume of sauce is fairly small, the rice will absorb it. You will get the hang of it through practice.

 

[Avi]

@Esox btw my two favorite Chinese cookbooks are

All Under Heaven (Recipes from 35 Cuisines of China)
and Fucshia Dunlops - The Food of Sichuan

w/ both you do need an Asian grocery store near you but the recipes aren't crazy complex, sos uper accessible, and at the same time far above generic restaurants. [The Sichuan pretty authentically Sichuan - so think oil and spice ]

 

[Scrape&Splash]

I've had some in the fridge for 26 hours now, sitting on a baking sheet. Thinking about that now leads me to another question.

You've just cooked a fresh batch of rice. It's cooled to room temp. How do you store it from there and how long does it keep?




I've been thinking about all that left over plain white rice I've fed the raccoons over the years just because I dont like plain white rice and I never knew what to do with it. Which reminds me, that 2 1/2 cups of rice I cooked the other day and threw out was gone the next morning. Whatever critter ate all that deserves a medal. It must live in a tree because theres no way it was fitting back in the hole if it came out of one lol.

Well aged is good. Understood. I guess if it dries out a bit it will rehydrate as its being cooked.

Break it up in my hands! Here I was trying to do it with a spatula in the pan. I have said I learn things the hard way haha.

I fried the carrots and onions first in butter and garlic then set them aside in a bowl with the butter they cooked in. Then they went back in the pan, minus the butter. The egg's yeah, I whipped them lightly in a bowl with a fork before adding them.

Fry the carrots first... Mhmmmm. OK - that sounds good. I'm going to try that!

Yeah, breaking up a box of rice with a spatula usually results either in a bent spatula or a chunk of rice the size of a baseball shooting across the room ;-)

Handwork is good... for making croutons too. I forget which chef gave me this tip and whether it was in person or I'm conflating some video with real life, but if you rip the bread into crouton pieces it gives more interesting crispy surfaces to grab spices and dressings. Well, actually, I cheat. I cut the bread into slices and then rip the slices into pieces.

 

[Esox]

Attempt #2.

Carrot and onions in butter with garlic, seared maybe 3-4 minutes and out into a bowl.

Peanut oil in, pan hot. Rice in. Nice sizzle as it hit the pan but as I thought, it cooled off and then heated again, a bit slowly to me. Tossing and folding, added more peanut oil, the rice is thirsty. I could feel the sear taking as I was folding and tossing but gave it about 10 minutes. Theres a nice sear on a lot of it but I didnt want to overdo it.

Two eggs in, lightly scrambled. When they stiffened a bit I added the carrots, onions and peas in, folding quickly. Around 3 tbl spoons Soy in, 1/2 tbl spoon Oyster sauce, 1 tbl spoon Chili garlic sauce. Folding and tossing until all blended in. Heat off, 1/2 tbl spoon Sesame oil in, folding and working it in until blended and then into two bowls.

Its better. Much better.

The rice as I was taking it off the baking sheet was dry, crispy dry around the edges of the pan but still moist although not clumping, in the center. It broke up in my hands easily with very few grains sticking to my hands. Just about got it.

The amount of Soy sauce is good. I'm still not tasting the Oyster sauce much and I should have used more of the chili garlic sauce but its okay. You really dont need much Sesame oil. That stuff is potent.

Third times a charm right?

 

[Atlantic59]

Attempt #2.

View attachment 1138378

Carrot and onions in butter with garlic, seared maybe 3-4 minutes and out into a bowl.

Peanut oil in, pan hot. Rice in. Nice sizzle as it hit the pan but as I thought, it cooled off and then heated again, a bit slowly to me. Tossing and folding, added more peanut oil, the rice is thirsty. I could feel the sear taking as I was folding and tossing but gave it about 10 minutes. Theres a nice sear on a lot of it but I didnt want to overdo it.

Two eggs in, lightly scrambled. When they stiffened a bit I added the carrots, onions and peas in, folding quickly. Around 3 tbl spoons Soy in, 1/2 tbl spoon Oyster sauce, 1 tbl spoon Chili garlic sauce. Folding and tossing until all blended in. Heat off, 1/2 tbl spoon Sesame oil in, folding and working it in until blended and then into two bowls.

Its better. Much better.

The rice as I was taking it off the baking sheet was dry, crispy dry around the edges of the pan but still moist although not clumping, in the center. It broke up in my hands easily with very few grains sticking to my hands. Just about got it.

The amount of Soy sauce is good. I'm still not tasting the Oyster sauce much and I should have used more of the chili garlic sauce but its okay. You really dont need much Sesame oil. That stuff is potent.

Third times a charm right?

How many cups of rice did you make this time?

You are not really supposed to taste oyster sauce directly. It enhances the flavors of the other ingredients. You don't taste seafood in oyster sauce, you taste umami, a savory flavor. Good for vegetables such as bok choi or kai lan. Don't smother the flavor of your ingredients, enhance them.

 

[Esox]

I like to use a glass food storage dish with a loose-fitting cover on it. I would try to use it within two days.

It's best not to leave rice out at room temperature very long. Food-borne illness is possible. Look up Bacillus cereus for more info.

As long as the volume of sauce is fairly small, the rice will absorb it. You will get the hang of it through practice.

Yeah, I dont like leaving perishable foods out at room temp any longer than necessary. I'll just cool it and let it dry a bit while moving it around and then into the fridge it will go in a Rubbermaid container with lid. I can always leave it out for 30 minutes or so before I start cooking.

I wasnt sure how thirsty the rice would be but it was pretty thirsty this time. I get the idea, its all about adding the right amounts of oils and sauces at the right time so the rice absorbs it. When I dumped it into the bowls the pan was basically clean. Its a nonstick but it was mostly dry with just a very light skim of oil over it. No puddling.

@Esox btw my two favorite Chinese cookbooks are

All Under Heaven (Recipes from 35 Cuisines of China)
and Fucshia Dunlops - The Food of Sichuan

w/ both you do need an Asian grocery store near you but the recipes aren't crazy complex, sos uper accessible, and at the same time far above generic restaurants. [The Sichuan pretty authentically Sichuan - so think oil and spice ]

I think cooking at home should better most mainstream restaurants and thats always been my goal. I can cook a better steak or chop than any restaurant I've been in and I've been in some damn good steak houses.

When it comes to different things like Asian style and higher end Italian cuisine I need help and am not afraid to ask lol.

Fry the carrots first... Mhmmmm. OK - that sounds good. I'm going to try that!

Yeah, breaking up a box of rice with a spatula usually results either in a bent spatula or a chunk of rice the size of a baseball shooting across the room ;-)

Handwork is good... for making croutons too. I forget which chef gave me this tip and whether it was in person or I'm conflating some video with real life, but if you rip the bread into crouton pieces it gives more interesting crispy surfaces to grab spices and dressings. Well, actually, I cheat. I cut the bread into slices and then rip the slices into pieces.

I was picking rice up off the floor haha. Three times. Peas too. They really run away when their frozen lol.

Croutons. I cube bread and then onto a dry baking sheet and into the oven at 300F for maybe 10 minutes. Get a deep wide pan hot. Dried bits out of the oven, light splash of Extra Virgin olive in the pan, heat up, dried bread in and continuously tossing. I add Parsley, I like fresh Greek myself cut up very finely, a touch of ground Rosemary and toss until browned lightly and fully oiled. Off the heat, a good sprinkle of dried Parmesan, toss until lightly covered and into a paper towel lined bowl to cool while being tossed now and then soak up the excess oil.

Tearing it up, like as a stuffing for Turkey might just work better, yeah.

How many cups of rice did you make this time?

You are not really supposed to taste oyster sauce directly. It enhances the flavors of the other ingredients. You don't taste seafood in oyster sauce, you taste umami, a savory flavor. Good for vegetables such as bok choi or kai lan. Don't smother the flavor of your ingredients, enhance them.

I cooked 1 cup of rice yesterday. I'm not sure what that comes out to as cooked rice but its enough until I get into the swing of things or have more mouths to feed. Preferably the former haha.

Next time I'll leave the Oyster sauce out and see what I'm missing.

Yes, keep it simple. A few crispy bits are nice. avoid adding sauces and vinegar. Only A little soy sauce at the end. Then stir it in. Get the basic technique down to where you are confident and happy with your results. Then try variations from there.

Pure gold right there.

 

[Blackgrass]

Rice...having it on a baking sheet in the fridge might not be the best for a couple of reasons. It’s not necessary to dry it out completely. Just dump it in a plastic or glass storage container and snap on a lid. You don’t have to do anything special to it.
Another reason is I would be afraid the rice could pick up “flavors” from your fridge. Homer Simpson eating the box of baking soda from the fridge comes to mind.
Oil...be careful adding additional oil. You don’t want the rice to be oily, it is okay if it sticks a little at first. This will actually get a little crusty and eventually loosen into the dish as a whole as you continue cooking.
Looks much improved over your first try!

 

[Esox]

Rice...having it on a baking sheet in the fridge might not be the best for a couple of reasons. It’s not necessary to dry it out completely. Just dump it in a plastic or glass storage container and snap on a lid. You don’t have to do anything special to it.
Another reason is I would be afraid the rice could pick up “flavors” from your fridge. Homer Simpson eating the box of baking soda from the fridge comes to mind.
Oil...be careful adding additional oil. You don’t want the rice to be oily, it is okay if it sticks a little at first. This will actually get a little crusty and eventually loosen into the dish as a whole as you continue cooking.
Looks much improved over your first try!

There isnt much in the fridge to pick flavours up from at the moment haha but I get what you mean. Finding the perfect balance of moisture in the rice seems important, maybe I'm over thinking it. I dont normally like adding more oil just because it cools the pan off but I turned it up before in anticipation of that. This is what I mean about the pan I have being less than ideal. I'm use to it but its still a PITA. When I added the carrots and onions I let them heat up on top of the rice and didnt fold them in until I knew they'd be heated enough to not cool the pan significantly.

It is much improved. I impressed myself haha.

 

[Scrape&Splash]

Rice...having it on a baking sheet in the fridge might not be the best for a couple of reasons. It’s not necessary to dry it out completely. Just dump it in a plastic or glass storage container and snap on a lid. You don’t have to do anything special to it.
Another reason is I would be afraid the rice could pick up “flavors” from your fridge. Homer Simpson eating the box of baking soda from the fridge comes to mind.
Oil...be careful adding additional oil. You don’t want the rice to be oily, it is okay if it sticks a little at first. This will actually get a little crusty and eventually loosen into the dish as a whole as you continue cooking.
Looks much improved over your first try!

Yeah, I dont like leaving perishable foods out at room temp any longer than necessary. I'll just cool it and let it dry a bit while moving it around and then into the fridge it will go in a Rubbermaid container with lid. I can always leave it out for 30 minutes or so before I start cooking.

I wasnt sure how thirsty the rice would be but it was pretty thirsty this time. I get the idea, its all about adding the right amounts of oils and sauces at the right time so the rice absorbs it. When I dumped it into the bowls the pan was basically clean. Its a nonstick but it was mostly dry with just a very light skim of oil over it. No puddling.


I think cooking at home should better most mainstream restaurants and thats always been my goal. I can cook a better steak or chop than any restaurant I've been in and I've been in some damn good steak houses.

When it comes to different things like Asian style and higher end Italian cuisine I need help and am not afraid to ask lol.




I was picking rice up off the floor haha. Three times. Peas too. They really run away when their frozen lol.

Croutons. I cube bread and then onto a dry baking sheet and into the oven at 300F for maybe 10 minutes. Get a deep wide pan hot. Dried bits out of the oven, light splash of Extra Virgin olive in the pan, heat up, dried bread in and continuously tossing. I add Parsley, I like fresh Greek myself cut up very finely, a touch of ground Rosemary and toss until browned lightly and fully oiled. Off the heat, a good sprinkle of dried Parmesan, toss until lightly covered and into a paper towel lined bowl to cool while being tossed now and then soak up the excess oil.

Tearing it up, like as a stuffing for Turkey might just work better, yeah.




I cooked 1 cup of rice yesterday. I'm not sure what that comes out to as cooked rice but its enough until I get into the swing of things or have more mouths to feed. Preferably the former haha.

Next time I'll leave the Oyster sauce out and see what I'm missing.




Pure gold right there.

10 minutes before you take the croutons out, pop the pan out of the oven, shove them together so they're against one another but not piled - grate Pecorino/Parmesan cheese over them and put them back in for the final 10 minutes. Props to Chef John (Youtube - definitely check him out) for that tip. Good god. But this comes with a warning. They transition from croutons to a snack food and the family will eat them like potato chips. You have been warned ;-)

This is the guy - and this is the best fast pasta in my repertoire - completely and unabashedly stolen from him.

 

[Esox]

10 minutes before you take the croutons out, pop the pan out of the oven, shove them together so they're against one another but not piled - grate Pecorino/Parmesan cheese over them and put them back in for the final 10 minutes. Props to Chef John (Youtube - definitely check him out) for that tip. Good god. But this comes with a warning. They transition from croutons to a snack food and the family will eat them like potato chips. You have been warned ;-)

Ahhhh, I get it. Thats a great idea. They wont kill you, Doritos will.

 

[Scrape&Splash]

Ahhhh, I get it. Thats a great idea. They wont kill you, Doritos will.

T.R.U.E. ;-) !!!

 

[Buster]

personally I don’t use oyster sauce in fried rice. Start with bacon and that will add depth of flavor you might be looking for.

That said. If you like the flavor of oyster sauce try this for breakfast. In a small rice bowl add Hot plain white rice. Top with an over easy egg (or two) and a tablespoon of oyster sauce. This is where the magic happens. Break the yolk and stir the yolk and sauce to coat the rice. That’s it! Start eating! Super simple but has lots of flavor. My wife’s family makes this a lot. Simple home style Chinese dish.

 

[TexLaw]

This thread could become the Badger & Blade Mess Hall Amazing Compendium Cookbook of Fried Rice and Such. Amazing!

 

[Buster]

@Esox btw my two favorite Chinese cookbooks are

All Under Heaven (Recipes from 35 Cuisines of China)
and Fucshia Dunlops - The Food of Sichuan

w/ both you do need an Asian grocery store near you but the recipes aren't crazy complex, sos uper accessible, and at the same time far above generic restaurants. [The Sichuan pretty authentically Sichuan - so think oil and spice ]

This is a good Cantonese home style cook book. The author went to high school with my mother in-law. I actually owned it before I met my wife. Then my mother in-law gifted me a signed copy. Pretty affordable used.

Chopsticks, Cleaver, and Wok: Homestyle... book by Jennie Low

www.thriftbooks.com

 

[Rushman2112]

I was quite surprised the first time my wife cooked 'nasi goreng' which is Indonesian for fried rice, as she used cooked rice. I'd only ever made a pilau-style version, but given she's Indonesian I assumed she knew what she was doing.

So fully agree with all the comments, you must start with cooked rice, ideally left over from yesterday's dinner. In fact, nasi goreng rarely has anything that is not left overs, the whole point is using it all up the next day(!)

Meat, seafood, veg, whatever you have to hand. Seasoning, usually light and dark soy sauces, you want some sweet to balance, maybe a dash of fish sauce, chilli, garlic, and a beaten egg.

Then, for the true Indonesian breakfast of champions, top it with a fried egg. My wife likes the bottom crispy so I have the oil slightly hotter than if doing it Western style - the bottom comes out almost but not quite burned.

 

[Doc4]

I was quite surprised the first time my wife cooked 'nasi goreng'

Didn't he lose the Battle of Britain?

 

[Rushman2112]

Funnily enough, it used to be on the menu of the staff canteen in London, and being of juvenile disposition we called it Nazi Goering...

 

[Esox]

Start with bacon and that will add depth of flavor you might be looking for.

Do you cook the bacon in the rice or separately? Use the bacon fat to cook the rice instead of oil?

This thread could become the Badger & Blade Mess Hall Amazing Compendium Cookbook of Fried Rice and Such. Amazing!

Yeah lol. Theres a lot of experience in this thread.

I was quite surprised the first time my wife cooked 'nasi goreng' which is Indonesian for fried rice, as she used cooked rice. I'd only ever made a pilau-style version, but given she's Indonesian I assumed she knew what she was doing.

So fully agree with all the comments, you must start with cooked rice, ideally left over from yesterday's dinner. In fact, nasi goreng rarely has anything that is not left overs, the whole point is using it all up the next day(!)

Meat, seafood, veg, whatever you have to hand. Seasoning, usually light and dark soy sauces, you want some sweet to balance, maybe a dash of fish sauce, chilli, garlic, and a beaten egg.

Then, for the true Indonesian breakfast of champions, top it with a fried egg. My wife likes the bottom crispy so I have the oil slightly hotter than if doing it Western style - the bottom comes out almost but not quite burned.View attachment 1138501

That looks good. My father liked his eggs the same way.

 

[Blackgrass]

Funny thing about this thread...Everyone’s right.
Fried rice is like meatloaf or an omelet. There are a lot of ways to get to the finished product and some folks prefer a French omelet and some a country omelet. Turkey meatloaf, ketchup on top, all-beef, etc, etc...

At the end of the day, its leftover rice swirled around in a hot pan with some other stuff until the whole thing is heated up and dumped on a plate.