Egg fried rice is my favorite. It’s kind of silly, because it’s the most basic of all fried rice, but there’s something about eggs and rice that just go together.
I love egg fried rice so much that when Mike and I hit up Din Tai Fung, we’ll order the shrimp fried rice and I’ll give Mike all the shrimp so I can just enjoy the egg fried rice because it’s so good! Are you guys fans of Din Tai Fung? It’s a Taiwanese dumpling house that’s been around since the 70s and is a beloved institution for a reason. I love their xiao long bao, their green beans, and of course, their fried rice!
Egg fried rice is delicious in it’s simplicity: soft scrambled eggs, perfectly crisp and fluffy rice, all accented by aromatic green onions. I season my egg fried rice with garlic and ginger and just a hint of white pepper. Simple comfort food at it’s best! I could eat egg fried rice all day everyday and never tire of it. If you love egg fried rice too, read on for all the tips and tricks to making the best egg fried rice of your life.
How to make egg fried rice
At its core, fried rice is a dish of rice that’s been fried. It’s that simple. But like most simple things, it can be both elevated and basic. There are a couple of keys to good fried rice, the most important being the rice you use, the amount/control of heat, and the seasonings.
To start, for fried rice, you need rice.
Give your rice good wash and cook it according to your favorite method. Our classic rice ratio is 1:1.25 rice to water. It comes out fluffy and perfect every time. After I cook the rice, I make sure to fluff it up, separating the grains. Then I pop it in the fridge.
When it’s time to cook, I prep all the ingredients.
Slice up the green onions, lightly beat the eggs, and make a simple seasoning.
For seasoning
I mix up a bit of chicken stock (you can use water if you don’t eat chicken) with oil, garlic power, ginger powder, salt, white pepper, and a bit of sugar. Using garlic and ginger powder gives you all the flavor without chopping or tiny bits. I love garlic and ginger powder because it’s simply garlic and ginger, dehydrated and ground up.
Stirring the seasoning mix into cold rice has several benefits.
It seasons the rice, breaks it up so that all the grains are separate, and hydrates everything so you don’t have dry rice kernels. The heat of frying the rice evaporates the chicken stock and you’re left with flavor coating each rice grain. The oil in the seasoning mix also helps you not use as much oil when frying. It’s genius! I can say that because Mike invented it. I love this method so much. Trust me, it works!
Once you’re done seasoning the rice, it’s time to fry.
Heat up a bit of oil in a wok and add the whites and light green parts of your green onions. Stir briefly then add the lightly beaten eggs. You want to fry your eggs so that they’re just set. When they’re done, remove them from the wok.
Crisp the rice.
Add a tiny bit more oil, turn the heat on high and add all the rice and cook, stirring occasionally until the rice is hot, toasty, and crisp. You don’t need to move the rice around too much, the goal is to let it crisp up. When it’s hot and toasty, add the eggs back in and mix everything up. Stir in the green parts of the green onion and it’s time to eat!
Egg fried rice ingredients
- rice: cold, day old rice is best, but if you have to use fresh rice because you’re desperate, you can do it: be sure to spread it out and try to cool it down so it’s not hot and steamy. More on what kind of rice you want below.
- eggs: this is an ultra luxurious egg fried rice with a 1 cup of rice to 1 egg ratio. You can use less eggs if you like but the fluffy eggs are the best part!
- green onions: Slice up two big bunches of green onions, keeping the greens and whites/light green parts separate.
- seasoning: We’ll be using chicken stock, ginger, garlic, and white pepper to season. There’s also just the tiniest bit of sugar – it adds contrast and accents the rice so you get the barest hint of sweetness. Note: if you don’t eat chicken, you can use a bit of water with an extra pinch of salt.
What kind of rice do I use for fried rice?
To be honest, you can use any kind of rice for fried rice! At home we mostly use Koshihikari or Kokuho Rose, but growing up, fried rice was day old jasmine rice. Now, I totally prefer fried rice made from Japanese rice. The kernels are so plump and chewy. If you haven’t tried it, please do, it’s a whole new world of fried rice, especially if you’re looking to make a Din Tai Fung fried rice copycat. Din Tai Fung uses Nishiki rice, a Californian grown medium grain rice that is super similar to Kokuho Rose or Calrose.
You can easily use your favorite rice – the key is to use cold/day old rice. Make sure you break the rice up before you add it to the wok by adding the seasoning and gently squeezing and breaking into loose individual kernels. Each grain of rice should be firm, fluffy, and distinct. Using day old, cold rice stops it from clumping up and sticking to the pan.
Do I need a wok for fried rice?
The answer is yes and no. You don’t NEED a wok, but if you have one, use it! A wok, with its different heat zones, due to its cute and round shape, is ideal for frying and tossing, perfect for fried rice. If you use a wok, you’re going to get some wok hei, that essential smokey essence you get when you get when you use a wok over hot heat. Chinese people are crazy about wok hei, which means “wok breath” and if you want that authentic fried rice flavor, a wok is how you’re going to get it.
A good carbon steel wok is usually not too expensive and will last you a lifetime. If you have a gas stove, you’ll want a wok that is perfectly round on the bottom. If you are on electric or induction, you need to get a flat-bottomed wok. In either case, it’s best to get a pre-seasoned one so you don’t need to remove the handle and season it yourself.
If you don’t have a wok, using a cast iron or non-stick pan is perfectly acceptable, just make sure it it’s big enough and remember that with non-stick, don’t turn up the heat as much. Of the multiple kinds of non-stick pans out there, a ceramic/non-teflon coating is your best bet.
How much oil do I need for fried rice?
If you want delicious, restaurant quality fried rice, you’re going to need oil. Hot oil helps the rice move around and distributes heat and flavor. Fried rice shouldn’t be oily, but it does have oil in it! Having said that, please don’t go overboard, no one likes super oily fried rice.
What to add to egg fried rice
I LOVE the simplicity of egg fried rice, but the beauty of it is that you can essentially add anything to it to customize it for your very own. Go the classic Din Tai Fung route and top with with some plump and juicy shrimp, or add in cubes of bbq pork, or diced chicken. Pictured: ham and egg fried rice.
What to serve with egg fried rice
- green and crisp garlicky gailan
- quick and easy homemade char siu
- home style classic Chinese tomato eggs
- juicy Taiwanese popcorn chicken
Hope fried rice is in your future!
xoxo steph
Egg Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup chicken stock no sodium preferred
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper optional
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 4 tbsp neutral oil divided
- 2 bunches green onions sliced
- 6 large eggs lightly beaten
- 6 cup rice cooked, day old jasmine preferred
Special Equipment
- Wok
Instructions
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the chicken stock, salt, ground ginger, garlic powder, white pepper, sugar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Mix the sauce into the cold rice, breaking up the rice, until you coat all the the grains of rice. Set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs with a pinch of salt.
- Heat up 1 tbsp of oil in a wok or frying pan and add the white parts of the green onion, and fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the eggs to the hot wok and scrabble the eggs until mostly set, but slightly runny. Remove from the word and set aside.
- Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok and add the rice, stirring occasionally, until the rice is crispy and hot.
- Add the eggs back into the wok, mixing and breaking up so everything is evenly distributed.
- Add the remaining green onions, toss, and enjoy hot!
when I can splurge on rice calories, I love egg fried rice, never made it through, love the walk-through, thank you!
As a Chinese, I have to compliment you on how authentic your egg-fried rice is! I’m glad you like this homemade Chinese dish. You can also add chopped ham and cooked green beans as toppings to make egg fried rice even more delicious~
I’ve always struggled with fried rice getting a bit soggy and stuck in the pan but following this recipe worked beautifully! I think seasoning the rice before adding it in is a great trick!