How to cook Fried Rice

imoldernu

imoldernu

Gone but not forgotten
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Some of you may remember a post about how to cook hard boiled eggs, and may have even shared your own recipe. (161 posts)

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/cooking-hard-boiled-eggs-92545.html

Well, anyway, after finding a bag of rice in the back of the pantry closet, I thought it might worth looking for a recipe for fried rice that would make my guessing unnecessary. So... Google "Fried Rice Recipe". 406,000,000 results...

Try it yourself... even if you're not interested in fried rice.

Much like the highly vaunted best HB egg recipes ... not what you'd expect. After looking at the first 6 recipes, I noticed one thing ... although the processes were different, not a single recipe even mentioned that the rice should be cooked, never mind no mention of soaking the rice first. The other neat thing was that preparation time plus cooking time would be about 20 minutes. (now that's really funny)

So, I tried it myself... even though some of the recipes asked for spices, most, were totally unknown to me or jeanie. Imagine... 1/4 teaspoon of safflower juice, or a sprinkle of dried ground poinsettia stalks. 15 different vegetables, five kind of meat (even though most recipes didn't mention meat.)

The first recipe that mentioned cooking the rice, said to boil until cooked, spread out on a large cooking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and put into the freezer for one half hour, before sauteeing.

So... at the risk of starting another hard boiled egg controversy.... anybody have a suggestion?

ummm... The suggestion to go to a Chinese or Japanese restaurant has already been made. :)

Cheers!
 
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1. We only do fried rice with day old cold rice that has been refrigerated. Otherwise your fried rice will come out sticky and mushy.

2. Here is what mom used to do with leftovers and maybe 4 to 6 cups of day old cooked refrigerated rice. You can see that this is definitely a leftovers recipe as I suspect fried rice has been traditionally.

Chopped onion - maybe half. Sometimes some celery and bell pepper too. Some leftover cooked vegetables chopped. 1 or two eggs. Leftover meat - cooked pork, chicken or whatever chopped. Sugar and soy sauce.

Sauté the onion (and celery and bell pepper if using) in oil in a frying pan until it starts to brown/soften. Crack the eggs into the pan and fry for a bit. When the eggs are pretty firm use spatula to cut into strips. Add chopped up leftover vegetables and meat and stir to heat. Add cold rice on top. Pour over 1 teaspoon of sugar and two tablespoons of soy sauce over the rice. Break up rice in pan, and gently mix to combine. Let heat through.

I’m pretty sure she learned this from an old Chinese lady.
 
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audreyh1 said:
1. We only do fried rice with day old cold rice that has been refrigerated. Otherwise your fried rice will come out sticky and mushy.

2. Here is what mom used to do with leftovers and maybe 4 to 6 cups of day old cooked refrigerated rice. You can see that this is definitely a leftovers recipe as I suspect fried rice has been traditionally.

Chopped onion - maybe half. Sometimes some celery and bell pepper too. Some leftover cooked vegetables chopped. 1 or two eggs. Leftover meat - cooked pork, chicken or whatever chopped. Sugar and soy sauce.

Sauté the onion (and celery and bell pepper if using) in oil in a frying pan until it starts to brown/soften. Crack the eggs into the pan and fry for a bit. When the eggs are pretty firm use spatula to cut into strips. Add chopped up leftover vegetables and meat and stir to heat. Add cold rice on top. Pour over 1 teaspoon of sugar and two tablespoons of soy sauce over the rice. Break up rice in pan, and gently mix to combine. Let heat through.

I’m pretty sure she learned this from an old Chinese lady.
Click to expand...

Very similar to my moms recipe--great use for leftovers!
 
audreyh1 said:
1. We only do fried rice with day old cold rice that has been refrigerated. Otherwise your fried rice will come out sticky and mushy.
Click to expand...

This is important. You do not make good fried rice with freshly cooked rice.

I like to add egg (i just quickly scramble it, then break it up and add it to the rice), generous amounts of soy sauce, scallions, water chestnuts, maybe some peas.
 
With rice, don't forget about proper food storage, AKA 'fried rice syndrome'

"Bacillus cereus is a toxin-producing bacteria that is one of the most common causes of food poisoning, also called "fried rice syndrome." An estimated 63,000 cases of food poisoning caused by B. cereus occur each year within the U.S., according to a 2019 article published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology. However, the vast majority of cases go unreported, because the symptoms are generally mild and subside on their own with rest and hydration.

Leftover fried rice is a primary culprit, said Philip Tierno, a microbiologist and clinical professor at New York University Langone Health. After the rice is cooked, it is often left at room temperature for more than two hours to cool before frying it with other ingredients. Cooling the rice ensures that the finished fried rice won't get clumpy or become soggy. But reheating it doesn't get rid of the toxins the bacteria have already produced. "

https://www.livescience.com/65374-bacillus-cereus-fried-rice-syndrome.html
 
Not a recipe but an observation...


When you go to those Japanese places that cook in front of you... they do fried rice... so they have cooked rice they put on the skillet... then they crack a few eggs on it and keep flipping.. put on the mixture of other veggies and pour a lot of soy sauce.. comes out wonderful...


I have never seen water chestnuts in any I have had but that sounds yummy as I do like them...
 
In addition to the cooked cold rice, meat, vegetables, and egg, at the end I season the dish with salt, pepper, soy sauce, 1 tsp of Better Than Bouillon beef base, and 1/2 tsp of toasted sesame seed oil.
 
imoldernu said:
So... at the risk of starting another hard boiled egg controversy.... anybody have a suggestion?

ummm... The suggestion to go to a Chinese or Japanese restaurant has already been made. :)

Cheers!
Click to expand...


Have you tried watching YouTube for fried rice and other recipes? Lot of cooking techniques are not very easy to understand just by reading text recipes.
 
tapahelp said:
Have you tried watching YouTube for fried rice and other recipes? Lot of cooking techniques are not very easy to understand just by reading text recipes.
Click to expand...

Great tip!

I often watch YouTube videos for coaching on new cooking techniques and recipes.
 
audreyh1 said:
Great tip!



I often watch YouTube videos for coaching on new cooking techniques and recipes.
Click to expand...


If a picture is worth thousand words, what’s a video worth? :)

There are a few apps on iOS and Android that have excellent video production quality. e.g. Kitchen Stories.

I watch several videos for one dish and pick a few to watch multiple times. Cooking is not just following directions always.
 
Rice must not be fresh. It's using up leftovers so make the rice at least a day or two earlier and refrigerate until ready to make the fried rice.



We save bacon grease. I use it for all sorts of things, but this is one of the lesser known things that I've found works REALLY well without people realizing it's in there. This and soy sauce is ALL the seasoning I add.



So I use a large stainless steel wok on a gas stovetop. Heat it up good and hot, add a tablespoon of bacon grease, then add in meat to cook first. We usually do cut up chicken breast/thigh, leftover ham (cubed) or shrimp, but honestly you don't have to have any meat in there for it to still be tasty. In any case, cook meat, stirring/turning the bits frequently so they are not sticking, until done (ham generally is already cooked so we just add that in at the end, but any raw meats, cook first in a bit of grease). Turn off heat for the moment and remove meat from wok and set aside in a large bowl (LARGE because there will be more things "set aside")


Next, kick that heat back up and add veggies. I do a few green onions, maybe diced regular onions, carrots, celery, bean sprouts, peas... I may use fresh and cut to order or I may use frozen bagged "stir fry" packages. If frozen, I cook it halfway to doneness according to package directions and then add them to the hot wok with a bit more bacon grease, cook until heated through/done to preference. Some folks like a bit of crunch, some like them mushy so you'll have to gauge your personal preference. When finished, turn off heat so you can add these veggies to the meat bowl and set it aside again.



So now the fried rice/egg part: hot wok, another tablespoon or two of grease, dump in a 3-4 cups of rice, stir and cook for a few minutes (most all the grease will be absorbed into the rice) and then push up the side of the wok to create an open space and add a bit more grease. TURN DOWN THE HEAT AT THIS POINT and give it a minute or two. Eggs don't like high heat, so low-medium once the eggs are in there. Crack an egg or two into that open grease area and scramble eggs. When almost done, stir that rice back into the center and blend the egg into the rice until it's evenly distributed. I sometimes add in a handful or two of chopped green onion at this point so they get cooked a bit but not super soggy cooked.



Add in meat and veggies into the wok with the rice/egg mixture and blend well. Now comes the soy sauce. I drizzle and then fold/stir the mix and taste test along the way. I use low sodium soy sauce, and while I don't think I've ever measured it, just doing a few rounds of a light drizzle and tasting works out well without going too hard.



So not good if you're trying to reduce your fat/cholesterol, but really tasty. :D
 
Good fried rice - using microwave ... dead easy IF you follow certain guidelines (and you don't have to use older leftover rice !)
1. Cook the rice - untill it is just done and no more ... ie do not overcook ! How long this takes actually depends on the type of rice you use - there is no "one time fits all" But to give you a feel for it - it's likely to be from 7 to 12 minutes. When washed after cooking (some wash before - that's ok) , grains should not be stuck together like some sort of rice goo.
2 Drain the rice well ... really well , no , really really well !! (for best results do 2 or 3 hours in advance. I drain in a sieve - hole made in rice at lowest point


Now ready to start. (assume 2 portion size quantity) Stir during a),b) and c) as desired

a) Preheat rice - I gave above qty 2 mins at full power
b) Add oil - I never measure , guess it's a couple of tablespoons - mix in well before
c) "Cook" - 2 mins on full power
d) Add a beaten egg (2 if you like it very eggy) - cook for 1 min on full power. Remove , break up / mix up rice so you no longer have a big semi solid lump !!
e) Cook again for 1 minute on full power - repeat the break up move (it will be much easier this time)
f) Cook again for 1 minute on full power. During this time , you can add "bits" to taste - eg peas , or whatever. Depending on what you add and in what quantity you may have to heat more , simply as required.


DONE.



Above works every time , my own invention. Have tried frying in a wok , etc etc - not easy , messy , hard work , big cleaning job on wok after , etc etc. Yes it works , but why create more washing up :confused:


PS I use a plastic bowl , glass would work too ... have fun !
 
tapahelp said:
If a picture is worth thousand words, what’s a video worth? :)

There are a few apps on iOS and Android that have excellent video production quality. e.g. Kitchen Stories.

I watch several videos for one dish and pick a few to watch multiple times. Cooking is not just following directions always.
Click to expand...

Well I did end up looking at a few, and they are quite different from how I do it, LOL!
 
audreyh1 said:
Well I did end up looking at a few, and they are quite different from how I do it, LOL!
Click to expand...


Pick a few to learn and master cooking fried rice. There are a zillion videos and variations of any item on YouTube.
 
I like to add a teaspoon of sesame oil at the end. Really enhances it I think.
 
Thanks all... Am planning an hour of Utube, and will have to get a few dry spices and liquid spices.
The one thing that I think I now understand, is...
Cooking the rice. Yup... I know I'm dumb, but nowhere could I find anything about soaking and then boiling the rice (cookin)... and nothing that said how long to cook the rice. ?'til the water boils? 10 minutes? half hour?
.... drain? wash? keep it somewhat wet, or spread it out and let it dry? use cooked packaged rice? .... and the amount... what I tried first was 3 cups, and it overflowed the biggest fry pan I own.
Or... as some sources seem to say, just cook the rice in a few tablespoon of oil? I thought this would harden the kernels.
...What if I want to prepare it for 6?... Dumb question, but can I sear in a regular large pot?

Y'all are right... back to UTube... before i create some new incredible inedible delicacy. :blush:
 
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I use a rice cooker to cook rice. That way, don't have to monitor over a stove as when ready, the rice cooker goes from cooking to keep warm mode automatically.
 
imoldernu said:
Thanks all... Am planning an hour of utube, and will have to get a few dry spices and liquid spices.
The one thing that I think I now understand, is...
Cooking the rice. Yup... I know I'm dumb, but nowhere could I find anything about soaking and then boiling the rice (cookin)... and nothing that said how long to cook the rice.
.... drain? wash? keep it somewhat wet, or spread it out and let it dry? use cooked packaged rice? .... and the amount... what I tried first was 3 cups, and it overflowed the biggest fry pan I own.
Or... as some sources seem to say, just cook the rice in a few tablespoon of oil? I thought this would harden the kernels.
...What if I want to prepare it for 6?... Dumb question, but can I sear in a regular large pot?

y'all are right... back to UTube... before i create some new incredible inedible delicacy. :blush:
Click to expand...



Get an Instant Pot. Cooking rice is easy in Instant Pot. They go on sale very frequently. You can use it for many other recipes.

Cleaning rice: Rice you get now does not have so many impurities. Just rinse once or twice depending on how it looks. More you wash and rinse, more nutrients you will lose.

You can cook rice in a regular pot. But you will have to learn and adjust the water quantity or ratio and time. :)

YouTube should have plenty of Instant Pot videos too.
 
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We have a rice cooker and I almost always use jasmine rice. When I do a Chinese stir fry, I always make more rice than needed so we can have fried rice the next day. I don't use egg or sugar. Just whatever vegetables happen to be in the fridge. Typically some combination of onion, bell pepper, garlic, jalapeno, green onion, celery, bok choy, carrot, broccoli, cilantro, etc. I always add a little sesame oil to the soy sauce and sometimes a touch of hoisin or oyster sauce. If we happen to have some leftover cooked meat, that gets chopped and added as well. We like chicken best, but often it's just vegetables.

I get some oil very hot in a large non-stick pan and add vegetables in whatever order seems most likely to cook them evenly. I take care not to overcook the vegetables. They should be slightly crunchy IMHO. When the time is right, in goes the meat, rice, and soy sauce mix. Stir/flip for another minute or two, add a little salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with green onion or cilantro. One of my favs.
 
imoldernu said:
Thanks all... Am planning an hour of Utube, and will have to get a few dry spices and liquid spices.
The one thing that I think I now understand, is...
Cooking the rice. Yup... I know I'm dumb, but nowhere could I find anything about soaking and then boiling the rice (cookin)... and nothing that said how long to cook the rice. ?'til the water boils? 10 minutes? half hour?
.... drain? wash? keep it somewhat wet, or spread it out and let it dry? use cooked packaged rice? .... and the amount... what I tried first was 3 cups, and it overflowed the biggest fry pan I own.
Or... as some sources seem to say, just cook the rice in a few tablespoon of oil? I thought this would harden the kernels.
...What if I want to prepare it for 6?... Dumb question, but can I sear in a regular large pot?

Y'all are right... back to UTube... before i create some new incredible inedible delicacy. :blush:
Click to expand...


Hate to say it , but you must not have read my post .... two questions need answered 1. How do I know it's done ? Ans - by taste (sample) , hard to describe what to feel for - if it's still hard and chewey it's not cooked ... you want it just past that state. As I said you do not want it overcooked and time will be shorter than most people expect (7 to 12 mins was my guide) 2. How do I cook it ? Ans : there are two methods :total absorbtion ... I don't use , and , the other way : Loads of water - like pints and pints - cook rice till done - see answer 1 , and drain. There must be enough water to allow grains to move about (lots) while it's boiling ... you cannot have too much water , you can have too little !


when drained - wash it , if you didn't before.
 
We use a rice cooker for rice.

I have a small one. I use 1 1/2 cups water to 1 cup rice regardless of white or brown. Good pinch of salt and a splash of oil. I think with a rice cooker less water escapes compared to stovetop. I rarely do more than 2 cups at a time.
 
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