Rice is one of the largest consumed grains in the entire world. It is a popular food in almost all cultures, but in Asia, rice is a staple. Asian cultures typically eat white rice, or sticky rice, but you can make easy fried rice with brown rice as well if you want a whole grain brown rice.
This is a simple fried rice recipe that will give you a good base for creating easy fried rice recipes anytime. I am basing it on four servings of rice, or about 4 cups of cooked rice. The first thing you do is to prepare rice according to directions. Like I mentioned, white rice is the most authentic rice to use when cooking fried rice, but if you would prefer to use a brown rice, that is a healthier alternative. I like to cook rice a little drier than I would typically cook it, as you don’t want rice to be too wet when frying. I usually cook rice for fried rice using about a quarter cup less water than the directions call for. This gives you a good firm rice to work with.
The second step is beating two eggs in a bowl. Along with that, I mix in a few tablespoons of soy sauce, ginger, a bit of Chinese five spice, a lot of garlic, onion, and a big squeeze of honey. Alternatively, if you have some duck sauce from your Chinese take-out, you can add that. Sometimes I will add a packet of spicy mustard in the egg mixture to give it a kick. The reason you add duck sauce or honey to your fried rice egg mixture, is to balance out the savory flavors with a bit of sweet. If you want more of a sweet and sour fried rice, you would add more duck sauce or honey. Combine the spices with the egg mixture, then mix in the cooked rice. You should get a good coating on the rice. Allow it to sit for a few minutes so the rice will absorb the spices and be thoroughly coated with the egg mixture.
The next step in cooking easy fried rice, is to heat a heavy pan or wok on medium to high heat. Coat very well with oil. I personally prefer coconut oil with a dash of sesame oil. This gives your fried rice a very authentic Chinese restaurant taste. Then, pour your rice in and fry it. You don’t want your fried rice to burn, but you will want to leave it for a moment before stirring the rice.
Fry the rice, stirring every minute or so, until it is a golden brown. Then, you can add in your additions and fry for a bit more. Some authentic fried rice additions include, snap peas, baby corn, water chestnuts, onions, shrimp, bean threads (sprouts), and shredded carrots. When you add your vegetables or meat to the fried rice, you can splash in a bit more soy sauce and five spice if you prefer.
Fried rice can be easy to make if you know the basics. Enjoy your easy fried rice, and all the money you will save not eating Chinese take-out!
