• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About Me
  • Privacy Policy
    • Nutritional Disclaimer

Best Recipe Picks

  • All Recipes
  • Meal Prep
  • Asian
  • Slow Cooker
    • Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker
  • Gluten Free
  • Dessert
  • Reviews
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE SEE MY FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY FOR DETAILS.

September 1, 2016

Perfect Fried Rice + Recipe Video

Perfect Fried Rice – it’s so easy to make this popular Chinese takeout dish at home. Best of all, this 15 minute recipe includes a few secret ingredients and tips to make it better than the local takeout restaurant. Plus recipe video.

Chinese Fried Rice makes the perfect easy weeknight dish. With the most authentic flavors! My father was the head chef at a top Hong Kong Chinese restaurant and this was his specialty! So delicious and way better than any takeout!

Pin for later AND follow my Recipes Board for more tasty Asian recipes!

Please note, this post contains some affiliate links.

Quick and easy meals are always a favorite around here.

One of the questions I get asked the most on here? How to make the perfect restaurant style fried rice at home.

Chinese Fried Rice makes the perfect easy weeknight dish. With the most authentic flavors! My father was the head chef at a top Hong Kong Chinese restaurant and this was his specialty! So delicious and way better than any takeout!

With SO many recipes online that claim to be the best or better-than-takeout fried rice, did you guys really need another fried rice recipe?

And what makes my PERFECT FRIED recipe so special? Well, I figured it was about time since:

  1. Fried rice was the very FIRST real dish I learned how to make at just 11 years old
  2. I still make it almost every week
  3. And, I’ve got my own secret tips plus a short video on how to achieve that perfect bowl of fried rice.

Plus you guys already LOVE my authentic Chow Mein, Lo Mein and Pad Thai dishes.

And this Perfect Fried Rice is another easy ONE pan dish. Do you guys always have odds and ends lingering around by the end of the week? Fried rice is seriously the BEST for cleaning out the fridge!

Chinese Fried Rice makes the perfect easy weeknight dish. With the most authentic flavors! My father was the head chef at a top Hong Kong Chinese restaurant and this was his specialty! So delicious and way better than any takeout!
Chinese Fried Rice makes the perfect easy weeknight dish. With the most authentic flavors! My father was the head chef at a top Hong Kong Chinese restaurant and this was his specialty! So delicious and way better than any takeout!

The one I’m sharing today uses diced mixed vegetables (fresh or frozen (thawed first)) and a couple of eggs.

You can choose to add chicken or your favorite protein – shrimp, beef or tofu.

How to Make the Perfect Fried Rice

Use a large wok. It helps to retain and distribute even heat. This one,  this one and this one, are my favorite.

Three secret ingredients I use are:

  • Fish sauce (it adds SO much umami flavor and should not be skipped) (I’ve heard also read great things about this Vegan version)
  • Mirin (Japanese sweet wine) or you can try to use dry sherry in a pinch
  • Sesame oil (for that toasted nutty flavor)

And if you want a kick of heat you can add in some grated ginger, diced onions, Sriracha, chili garlic sauce or red pepper flakes.

I also like to add in some roasted cashews for a nice crunch if I have them on hand.

Chinese Fried Rice makes the perfect easy weeknight dish. With the most authentic flavors! My father was the head chef at a top Hong Kong Chinese restaurant and this was his specialty! So delicious and way better than any takeout!

Here are some tips I’ve learned over the years:

  1. Type of rice – Medium to long grain rice works best. I almost always use Jasmine rice which produces fluffy, sturdy grains that don’t clump or fall apart when fried. Short grain rice like sweet/sushi rice or glutinous rice, tends to be softer and stick together.
  2. Chilled cooked rice – preferably day-old leftover rice that had a chance to firm up in the fridge making it easier to separate and decreases the chances of your fried rice turning out mushy. If you don’t have any leftover rice and don’t want to wait until the next day, you can make your rice with 1/3 less of water than what it calls for or spread the freshly cooked rice onto a large baking sheet and place the entire tray in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, then toss the entire batch into a large zip-top back for a few hours
  3. A blazing hot wok (a wok is ideal but a large nonstick pan or skillet) and an adequate amount of oil will ensure your ingredients don’t stick to the surface.
  4. Try not to overcrowd your pan with too much rice or add-ins or the cooking surface won’t get hot enough and your ingredients will get soggy causing the rice to clump together. You can always cook in batches or each ingredient individually (raw vegetables or meat, egg) then remove from the pan onto separate plates and return all the ingredients to the pan at the end. Ideally, you should cook no more than 2-3 servings at a time.
  5. Don’t overdo the saucy seasonings like soy sauce or it will make your rice mushy. You can always season at the end with a little bit more salt, pepper or even red pepper chili flakes for a kick of heat.

BONUS TIP: USING A RICE COOKER to cook your rice grains helps ensure that you’ll consistently get perfectly cooked rice every. single. time. We use and love this Tiger JAX-T10U-K. It’s the perfect size for our family, super easy to use and the rice cooks up perfectly every time.

Chinese Fried Rice makes the perfect easy weeknight dish. With the most authentic flavors! My father was the head chef at a top Hong Kong Chinese restaurant and this was his specialty! So delicious and way better than any takeout!

My husband and kids are big rice fanatics so having a rice cooker makes it super easy and convenient to make which we then use for a batch of fried rice at the end of the week.

Fried rice is also a sure way to get my kids to clear their bowl even when they tell me they’re not really hungry.

It’s also a tasty and simple dish to make during those busy weeknights once school is back in session.

Chinese Fried Rice makes the perfect easy weeknight dish. With the most authentic flavors! My father was the head chef at a top Hong Kong Chinese restaurant and this was his specialty! So delicious and way better than any takeout!

Yields 2-3

Perfect Chinese Fried Rice + Video

Perfect Fried Rice - an easy to customize 15 minute dish that's perfect for busy weeknights.

7 minPrep Time

8 minCook Time

15 minTotal Time

Save RecipeSave Recipe
Print Recipe

4.8 based on 10 review(s)

My Recipes My Lists My Calendar

Ingredients

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 cup mixed vegetables (fresh or frozen (thawed first))

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 1/2 cups cooked, day-old rice, chilled and clumps separated

2 1/2 -3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons fish sauce (or vegan fysh sauce)

1 teaspoon Mirin (Shaoxing wine or dry sherry can also be used in a pinch)

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Salt, black pepper, to taste

Cooked chicken, beef or pork, cut into bite-sized pieces(leave out for meatless version)

Optional

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1/4 cup finely diced onions

Sriracha or crushed red pepper flakes

1 green onion, thinly sliced

Roasted cashews

Sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil on high heat in a non-stick wok or pan until smoky hot. Toss in the mixed vegetables and sauté for about 10 seconds.Add garlic and stir-fry for another minute.
  2. Push all the ingredients to one side of the pan and pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble into small pieces until cooked. (Add in cooked meat if using and saute for another minute).
  3. Stir in the rice and break up any large chunks with a spatula while tossing until heated through, around 2 minutes.
  4. Drizzle in soy sauce, fish sauce, mirin and sesame oil, tossing to combine everything evenly. Keep stirring the fried rice until slightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add salt, black pepper, red chili flakes or even Sriracha to taste.
  5. Transfer to bowls and serve hot and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.

Notes

Feel free to swap in other vegetables to your liking but be sure they are chopped in bite-sized pieces so they cook evenly. Check the blog post for more tips.

Leave out the chicken and use whatever protein you have on hand

7.8.1.2
425
https://bestrecipepicks.com/perfect-fried-rice/

More takeout favorites:

Slow cooker / Crockpot Chicken Lo Mein Noodles – very popular with readers

Crock pot Slow Cooker Chicken Lo Mein makes the perfect easy Asian-inspired weeknight meal! Best of all, takes only 15 minutes to put together with the most authentic flavors! So delicious and way better than any Chinese takeout! Leftovers make great lunch bowls or for your weekly meal prepping for school or work lunches and even dinner!

Pineapple Fried Rice

This Pineapple Fried Rice recipe is the perfect easy weeknight side dish to your meal. Best of all, it's easy to customize with any protein like chicken or shrimp and you can add your favorite Thai flavors.. Greta way to clean out your fridge with all those extra vegetables and leftovers also make a great meal to pack for work or school lunch bowls.

Quinoa Fried Rice

Quinoa Fried Rice makes a simple and healthy alternative to traditional fried rice. Full of protein and vegetables and just perfect for busy weeknights. Best of all, instructions included to make it in your Instant Pot pressure cooker or on the stove!

Easy Chicken Lo Mein – NO SLOW COOKER REQUIRED
Easy Chicken Lo Mein makes a delicious weeknight meal & way better than takeout!

Skinny Beef and Broccoli

Broccoli & Beef Rice Bowls make the perfect weeknight dish

Stir Fried Shanghai Noodles with Ground Pork and Napa Cabbage

Shanghai Fried Noodles is the perfect easy weeknight meal!

Classic Chicken Chow Mien

Chicken Chow Mein is so easy to make and makes the perfect weeknight meal! Forget calling takeout, this is so much better!

 Chinese Fried Rice makes the perfect easy weeknight dish. With the most authentic flavors! My father was the head chef at a top Hong Kong Chinese restaurant and this was his specialty! So delicious and way better than any takeout!

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Filed Under: 30 Minute Meal, Asian, One Pan / Pot / Skillet, Recipes Tagged With: easy

Reader Interactions

If you make this or any of my recipes, I'd love to see! Just snap a photo and hashtag it #bestrecipepicks or tag me @bestrecipepicks on Instagram!

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Roasted Vegetables

    Roasted Vegetables

    February 15, 2019
  • Chicken Souvlaki Quinoa

    Chicken Souvlaki Quinoa

    January 11, 2019
  • Thumbprint Cookies

    Thumbprint Cookies

    December 4, 2018

Disclosure:

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Disclosure Policy

Copyright 2018 © Best Recipe Picks. All Rights Reserved.