Fried rice is not a dish. It’s a blueprint for many, many dishes and can be made with virtually any leftovers in your fridge.
~ J. Kenji López-Alt ~
I found this quote about Fried Rice on one of the few YouTube channels I follow – that of J. Kenji López-Alt. As I mentioned in my Two-Minute Mayonnaise post, López-Alt is the son of a geneticist and immunologist, and the grandson of a chemist. He is a renowned chef, food writer, and Chief Culinary Advisor for Serious Eats. This is the chef to follow if you are looking for effective cooking techniques and recipes that work. I have watched his video on turning food scraps from the fridge into fried rice many times. It has given me lots of ideas and the confidence to try to turn leftovers into a delicious hot meal.
Not a lot of wok
If you can find leftovers in your fridge, you can make Fried Rice. And it’s really up to you what you put into it. If you don’t like eggs, or you are vegan, don’t worry. You need some leftover rice, some aromatics like onion or garlic, a few veggies and some optional form of protein. Have you guiltily been staring at some wilting herbs and a gnarly carrot at the bottom of your fridge? This is your chance to use those fridge scraps! Take them out, chop them up and get ready for a tasty meal using one pan only. This is a win-win sort of dish. Don’t be scared to experiment ( J. Kenji López-Alt is very good at experimenting) and feel free to improvise.
The basics
It is probably easiest to use a wok to make Fried Rice, but if you don’t have one, or are too lazy to wash it afterwards, just use a large non-stick pan. You can use cold leftover rice (homemade, or from a take-away restaurant) or you can use a pre-cooked packet of rice. I have even used some pre-cooked frozen rice that comes complete with fried onions and peas! 
Many people use spring onions (green onions or scallions) in their Fried Rice, but I use normal white onion. A little bit of chopped garlic, ginger or chilli is also lovely, but if you are eating this at the office or don’t like spicy food, you can leave it out. The protein you use is also up to you. Scrambled egg, ham, bacon, leftover chicken and tofu are all valid options or just make it vegetarian. You can also choose to just season it with salt, or add soy sauce, or flavour-enhancing seasoning such as MSG or chicken bouillon powder. And you really don’t have to eat your yummy Fried Rice with chopsticks, unless you want to!
Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 tbsp oil for frying
- 2 eggs, beaten * Optional
- ½ cup aromatics, eg spring onion, white onion, chopped garlic, grated ginger and/or chopped fresh chilli If you are using spring onion (scallions), use the white parts for the aromatics and reserve the green parts for sprinkling over at the end.
- 2 cups cold, leftover rice
- 1 cup protein of your choice, eg chopped ham, cold chicken, steak strips or tofu
- 1 to 2 cups veggies of your choice, eg sliced green beans, carrots, asparagus, broccoli or cabbage You can also use frozen veggies like peas, corn or a mixture.
- 1 to 2 tbsp soy sauce * Optional
- 1 tsp sesame oil * Optional
- salt, pepper or MSG to taste
- 1 to 2 tbsp green herbs or spring onion tops, chopped * Optional
Instructions
- In a wok or large non-stick frying pan, add oil and beaten eggs and scramble the eggs quickly using a spatula. * See note
- Remove scrambled eggs from the wok. Add more oil and fry aromatics (onion, garlic, ginger or chilli) over medium to high heat until translucent. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add your protein of choice and stir-fry lightly for a few minutes. If you are using raw meat or fish, make sure you fry it until mostly cooked.
- Add your veggies of choice and stir-fry for a further 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add your cold, cooked rice and mix it through the contents of the wok. Stir-fry everything together until the rice is warmed up. You can add a little bit more oil if necessary. Add the scrambled eggs back to the wok and mix through.
- Now add your seasoning of choice, like salt, pepper, MSG, chicken bouillion powder, soy sauce and sesame oil. Stir and toss everything together, making sure the protein you have added is cooked through and the rice is warmed up.
- Serve in bowls with chopped green herbs, sliced spring onions or chilli crisp scattered over.
Notes
- The quantities given are just a suggestion. Use as much or as little ingredients as you want. It will probably work best if you have the same amount of rice as the protein and veggies together, but this is not a hard rule. This adds to its amazing versatility - you can have a quick meal for one with just a few ingredients, or a whole family meal!
- The recipe as given will probably serve 3 to 4 people for lunch and 2 to 3 people as a main meal.
- Proper chefs might scramble the eggs in a part of the wok away from the frying aromatics, but I am not that coordinated, so I scramble my eggs first and then remove the eggs from the wok before starting on the aromatics.
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