Simple Egg Fried Rice

This simple egg fried rice is super easy and quick to make, and takes only 15 minutes! You can easily make this for a quick weekday meal or as a side to go with your favorite Chinese takeout entrees.

A simple egg fried rice is no doubt a must have for Chinese takeout entrees like beef with broccoli and General Tso's tofu. Shoot, it's amazing on it's own too!

We love making egg fried rice for quick lunches and dinners, especially during the weekdays. It's really easy to make. Sometimes, we like to add whatever vegetables we have to our fried rice as well.

Perfect for a meal or as a side!

Ingredients

• Day old rice - Old rice is always better for making fried rice than freshly cooked rice. Old rice tends to be drier, which is prevents the rice from clumping together and gives fried rice a nice, chewy texture.

• Eggs - What's egg fried rice without eggs?! Plus, eggs give fried rice their iconic aromatic flavor and smell.

• Yellow onion - Besides eggs, yellow onion is another ingredient that adds to fried rice's aromatic flavor.

• Peas and carrots - These two vegetables are iconic in plain fried rice. You can just use the frozen packet of mixed peas and carrots. You can also omit if you're not a fan of peas and carrots.

• Shaoxing rice wine - In much Chinese cooking, shaoxing rice wine is used to give dishes extra fragrance and "wok hei" flavor.

• Soy sauce - One of the main seasonings that colors fried rice and gives it a golden color.

• Oyster sauce - The other seasoning that adds both color and flavor to the fried rice.

• Sesame oil, green onion, sesame seeds - These are all optional garnishes and flavoring. They all add an extra touch to this simple egg fried rice, but can be omitted as well.

What kind of rice is best for fried rice?

Any day old rice can make good fried rice. But long grain rice is definitely the best rice to use. Because long grain rice contains less starch, the rice is less likely to clump together when cooking.

We normally use medium grain rice because it's what we usually keep in our pantry. It makes pretty good fried rice as well. I do recommend that you make the rice a tad drier if using a shorter grain rice.

What can I substitute for oyster sauce?

Soy sauce and oyster sauce combo is the easiest way to season fried rice at home. However, if you don't have oyster sauce or if you're allergic to shellfish, here are a couple of substitutes:

• Use sweet soy sauce. You can use ½ tablespoon of sweet soy sauce along with 1 ½ tablespoons of regular soy sauce.

• Use more soy sauce. Although this substitution won't replicate the same flavor as using oyster sauce, it'll still taste good! Just use 2 tablespoons of soy sauce total and omit the oyster sauce.
  • Also add a couple pinches of sugar to substitute for the mild sweetness in the oyster sauce.

Instruction

Prepare the day old rice:

1. Using gloved hands or clean hands, rub the day old rice between your hands to break up the rice. You can also break up the rice in a resealable gallon freezer bag.

Pre-cook the eggs:

2. In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, add about 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add the two beaten eggs. Let the eggs cook for a few seconds stir to break it up. Stir fry until the eggs are just cooked. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Make the egg fried rice:

3. Add a couple more tablespoons of oil into the same pan and reduce the heat to medium. Add the prepared rice. Stir fry and toss to coat the rice in oil for 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Push the rice to one side of the pan and add a tablespoon of oil to the other side. When the oil is hot, add the peas, carrots, and onions and stir fry until the onion is fragrant and starts to look translucent.

🌟 Pro tip: Move the rice side of the pan off the heat to prevent the rice from getting burned while cooking the vegetables.

5. Mix the vegetables and rice together and add the egg. Stir fry everything and give the rice a few tosses to help distribute the veggies and eggs.

6. Drizzle the shaoxing rice wine around the pan and stir fry until the rice is fragrant and the alcohol is cooked off, about 30 seconds.

🌟 Pro tip: An easy way to tell if the alcohol is cooked off is by smell. If it no longer smells like alcohol, you're good!

7. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. Stir fry and toss the fried rice for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the sauces are well distributed and the rice is hot throughout.

8. Garnish with thinly sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy while hot!

🌟 Pro tip: If you don't like the taste of raw green onions, add the sliced green onions into the fried rice after it's seasoned and hot. Give the rice a few tosses and this will cook the green onions just enough without wilting it.

Variations

This simple egg fried rice is the bases of making other variations of fried rice. You can easily add chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, and other vegetables to this egg fried rice. Do note that you may need to add a little more soy sauce and oyster sauce to accommodate for the extra ingredients.

Mushy fried rice

Mushy fried rice is usually caused by overcooked white rice, rice that is too wet for fried rice, or using too much liquid seasoning.

The easiest way to prevent your egg fried rice from being mushy is using day old rice or rice that is cooked on the drier side. By the time your seasonings are added, the rice that seems a little dry will be perfect fried rice texture.

Recipe Tips

• Dry out cooked white rice. The best way to ensure that your fried rice doesn't turn out mushy is by using day old rice that's been slightly dried out.
  • You can dry out your freshly cooked rice by spreading it on a plate or a sheet pan. Let the rice cool completely then transfer to a storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days.

• Cook the rice in some oil. The reason we cook our rice in some oil is to help keep the rice grains separate as they heat up. When the rice is hot, the starch tends to clump the rice together.
  • This step is especially helpful when your rice is on the sticky side. Whether the rice is a bit wetter or if you use medium or short grain rice.

• If you want to shape your fried rice into a mound, use a bowl. Pack the fried rice into a bowl and flatten the top. Place a plate on top of the bowl, then flip the plate with the bowl.
• If you want to shape your fried rice into a mound, use a bowl. Pack the fried rice into a bowl and flatten the top. Place a plate on top of the bowl, then flip the plate with the bowl.

Storage

This simple egg fried rice can be kept in the fridge for 3 to 4 days after properly cooling and transferred to an airtight container.

Reheat

This egg fried rice can be reheated with two methods.

• Using the microwave: Place the cold fried rice in microwave safe container. Give the rice a couple drizzle of water and heat for 1.5 minutes or until it's heated through.

• On the the stovetop: Heat a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the cold fried rice with a small amount of water. Break up the rice and stir fry until hot throughout.

FAQ

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