Learn how to make fried rice, the perfect easy dinner

Fried rice is the PERFECT weeknight meal, you can use up a bunch of stuff you already have cooked in the fridge. Fresh and frozen vegetables, Chinese sausage or smoked sausage, chicken, shrimp or ham…IT’S ALL GOOD!

On the weekends I make a double batch of rice in my rice cooker so I can have it to make fried rice later in the week. Sometimes I’ll just steam some leftover rice in the microwave to serve with Roasted Salmon with Sweet Chili Sauce, another quick and easy weeknight meal. I buy long grain white rice in bulk in 20 pound bags from my local big box warehouse store. White rice lasts for over a year in your pantry when stored properly, brown rice doesn’t last as long so I keep it in my pantry in smaller amounts. I usually use white rice but fried rice made with brown rice is delicious too, if I have left over brown rice it definitely gets turned into fried rice. You can even use cooked Quinoa in place of rice for a fun twist on this recipe.

Serious Eats has a fantastic post on making fried rice. They really break down the ins and outs of how different rice varieties perform. Check the post out HERE

I used a flat bottomed carbon steel wok that I bought a few days ago. You have to scrub it well before the first use and “season” it with oil over high heat. Over time it will turn black and be non stick. You rinse and dry the wok thoroughly after use to prevent rusting. You do have to baby it a bit but so far it’s working really well.

Carrots, onions and eggs are always in my kitchen so they’re always in my fried rice. I also usually have broccoli in my fridge so I’ll chop some up and add it. This is a great place to use the broccoli stems as well. They have a crispy texture similar to water chestnuts, you may have to peel them if the outside is stringy. Frozen peas are great in fried rice, just toss them in near the end of cooking and they will heat up pretty quickly. My daughter isn’t a fan of peas so I don’t use them.

You can keep this a vegetarian dish or you can add cooked chicken, pork, shrimp and/or smoked sausage, they‘re all fantastic in fried rice. You can serve fried rice as a complete meal or serve it as a side with roast chicken or Broiled Salmon with Sweet Chili Sauce

how to make fried rice

Demetra Overton

I cooked this in a wok but a large skillet will work as well

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

  

• 2-3 carrots
• 1/2 an onion about a 1/2 cup chopped
• 2 cups chopped broccoli
• canola coconut or vegetable oil for stir frying
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups cooked meat sausage or shrimp (optional)
• 3 cups cooked white rice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce

Instructions

 

• Peel and chop the carrots and onion. Have all the veggies and meats chopped and ready to go
• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in your wok
• Beat the eggs and scramble them in the hot oil. Use your spatula to chop the scrambled egg up a bit. I like to soft scramble the egg because it will continue to cook in the hot rice.
• Remove the scrambled egg from the wok-skillet and set aside
• Add more oil to the wok/skillet if you need and stir fry the vegetables and meats in batches. Remove this from the skillet and set aside
• Break up the rice and stir fry it add the grated ginger and soy sauce and stir fry to coat.
• Add the eggs, veggies and meats back to the wok/skillet

how to make fried rice