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Fried Rice

Dinner Feb 16 and 17, 2024


Note: I finally educated myself on how to make fried rice properly by reading The Wok by J. Kenji López-Alt.


Key points I learned:


Use dry rice - one of the easiest way to get dry rice is to use day old rice that's been stored in a non-airtight container. But you can also cook rice, spread it out on a sheet pan while it's still hot, and let it sit out for an hour or so, preferably under a fan.


Break up clumped rice by hand before adding it to your wok.


You don't have to rinse you rice if your using day old rice - I always rinse rice before cooking to remove the excess starch. It's a must for stir frying fresh rice, but apparently not for day-old.

I measure the rice out (⅔ cup per person if rice is the main, not a side dish), add it to my rice cooker's cooking pot, run some cold water into the pot (more water is better than less), swirl the water and rice around with my hand until the water gets cloudy, strain with a fine-mesh strainer, sometimes I let the cold water run over the rice in the strainer, add the rice back into the pot, repeat 2 more times.


Your wok has to be scary hot - "I'm talking turn-on-the-fan-and unplug-the smoke-detectors hot." (Kenji, The Wok). Preheat your wok with the burner on high for 5-10 minutes and then get ready for the smoke once you add the oil.


Cook in batches - it helps keep your wok hot. Transfer what's been cooking into a heat proof bowl. Once everything is cooked, you can add everything back to the wok to reheat it.


Have every component out and ready before adding anything to the wok. Cooking at such a high heat, so quickly, and smoking up your kitchen is stressful. Don't make it worse by burning something while you wondered off looking for your soy sauce.


Ingredients:

Rice

Eggs

Vegetable Oil

Whatever you want, fried rice is a very versatile dish


Directions:

Cut ingredients into small, bite-sized pieces


Beat eggs (one per rice serving) together in a small bowl


If using day old rice, break up rice clumps by hand into individual grains


Preheat wok over high heat until lightly smoking


Add 3 tablespoons of oil and swirl to coat


Reduce heat to medium


Cook meat, in batches if necessary, transfer to a bowl, and set aside


Return the wok to high heat until lightly smoking


Add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat


Reduce heat to medium


Cook veggies, in batches if necessary, transfer to the bowl, and set aside


Return the wok to high heat until lightly smoking


Add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat


Cook rice until it's a pale brown, in batches if necessary, transfer to the bowl, and set aside


Pour egg into the rice and mix to coat all the rice in egg


Mix in any aromatics if using (garlic, scallions, ginger, etc) until fragrant, about 30 seconds


Return ingredients in the bowl to the wok


Season (soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, pepper, etc.)





First and second attempts at fried rice

Both attempts are mushroom, carrot, spinach, and edamame

Top row: first attempt at fried rice - rice was still too wet and wok wasn't hot enough, so rice stuck to the wok

Bottom row: Second attempt, much better

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