So, I don’t really want to call this a recipe…because I’m not planning to really give lots of precise “measurements”. Think of this more as an idea or outline…especially on how to turn things maybe leftover in the fridge into a tasty quick meal. Fried rice is quite a staple in our house. We regularly make rice, and have leftovers…and everything else you need it pretty much stuff you might already have on hand. So, that’s essentially the most important thing to know. You want to use LEFTOVER or already cooked rice. You will have a mushy useless mess if you try to use freshly cooked rice. More often than not, we use jasmine rice. However, this recipe will really work with pretty much any rice (long grain, brown, a mix of both…etc).
So, start with rice that’s been cooked according to directions. I typically put it up in a container in the fridge, and it’s good to go the next day. Here’s what I typically use for my fried rice
- 4-5 cups of cold/cooled cooked jasmine rice
- olive or vegetable oil
- butter
- about 1/2 cup of chopped onion
- about 1/4 cup of chopped carrot
- 3-5 oz of diced up cooked chicken
- an egg
- 2 tsp of garlic paste
- 1 tsp of ginger paste
- 1 tsp of garlic salt (or more to taste)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- optional – a little dash of chili garlic sauce
- optional – a little drizzle of seasme oil
A lot of people will start the rice and scramble the egg in…for whatever reason, my husband I both prefer the egg to be a little more definitive (?). So, I start with the egg first. I put about a tsp of oil in my wok and a pat of butter. I scramble my egg and add a dash or 2 of soy sauce to the egg. I will add my scrambled egg to the pan and make kind of a small omelet. I take this out and cut it into little strips to add in at the end of my fried rice.
Next, I add a little more oil (about a tbsp) and another pat of butter (about a tbsp) to my wok on medium heat. I add in my chopped carrot and onion. I cook these until my onion is clear and maybe just starting to brown some. I add in my garlic and ginger paste and briefly stir fry this mixture before adding in my rice. Now, I turn the heat up to high and start mixing, turning and breaking up my rice. I sprinkle in some garlic salt (I really always eyeball this…to taste…but maybe a tsp). You can also use regular salt, or both and pepper – if you like. I have done all of the above, but sometimes I just leave s&p for each to add to their own bowl.
Somewhere along the way (haha I’m always doing as I go…but you could prep this before you start and have it ready to go) mix your 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp of hoisin, and dash of (optional) chili garlic sauce. When your rice is mostly separated, heated through and in some cases glossy/crisp – drizzle in your soy sauce mixture and toss to evenly distribute. You can add a touch more soy if needed.
Add in your cooked chicken and toss to heat through. I’ve used leftover steak before, too… It’s delicious 😉. Finally, take off heat and add in your strips of egg and toss to combine. I like to eat mine with another dash of chili garlic sauce. 😋 YUM YUM 😋
Here’s a video…