A recipe for homemade fried rice with peas, carrots, scrambled egg, and your choice of protein, cooked in a cast-iron skillet. Fabulous fresh, but just as lovely leftover.
Fried Rice
Course: DinnerCuisine: Asian2-4
servingsGet everything ready before you turn on the stove, because once you get rolling, everything happens quickly. Eyeball the 1/2-Tbs fat measurements; during each cooking phase, the ingredients should be very lightly coated in oil.
Ingredients
1 Tbs soy sauce, or to taste
1½ tsp rice vinegar, or to taste (optional)
1½ tsp fish sauce, or to taste (optional)
1½ tsp toasted sesame oil, or to taste
2 cups leftover cooked white rice
2 Tbs bacon fat, or to taste, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into small dice
1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, cored, and roughly chopped (optional)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1½ tsp minced ginger (optional)
Kosher salt and ground (white) pepper
1 large egg, (whisked with a fork)
4 oz. frozen peas
4 oz. pre-cooked protein (optional)
Directions
- Pour the soy sauce, (vinegar, fish sauce), and sesame oil into a coffee cup. Set aside.
- Use your hands to break the rice up into individual grains. Divide the rice in half, and keep in two separate bowls. Open a window, turn your thermostat to the fan setting, and turn on the hood vent.
- Pre-heat a cast-iron pan on an ultra-high burner over high heat (setting 6) until very hot, 2½ minutes. Add 1/2-Tbs fat, then one of the bowls of rice. Cook, stirring with a wooden spatula, until the rice turns a light cream color, dries out, and starts to clump together, no more than 3 minutes. Transfer it back into its bowl. Repeat with another 1/2-Tbs fat and remaining rice, and when it’s done (it may take less time than the first batch), add it to the other rice so that now all the rice is in one bowl.
- Add another 1/2-Tbs fat to pan. Add onion, carrot, (and pepper). Cook until the carrot is al dente, 3 minutes. Add the scallions, garlic, (and ginger) and cook, stirring gently, until lightly softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Turn heat to its lowest setting. Push the pan’s contents to the side, creating an empty space in the pan. Add 1/2 Tbs fat to the empty space, and scramble the egg in it, breaking it up into small pieces as you do. Stir the pan’s ingredients together. Add the rice back into the pan. Add soy sauce mixture and stir to coat.
- Turn the heat to low (setting 2). Add frozen peas (and protein), and continue to toss and stir until peas are thawed. If the bottom of the pan starts to dry out, add a splash of water. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if necessary.
Notes
- By “leftover,” I mean rice that has been cooked, cooled, and refrigerated overnight or longer.
- Substitutions: vegetable oil for the bacon fat, ¼-cup minced cilantro (added with the peas) for the scallions.
If you’re having this and only this for dinner, you’ve got two generous servings. If you’re having it as a side, four to six. Fried rice reheats perfectly, so consider any leftovers to be a boon.
Intro
Do you love fried rice so much that it’s the second thing you look at on an Asian menu? Right after you’ve looked at the egg rolls? Do you imagine that you could never make fried rice at home, because it would require equipment and ingredients that you don’t have? Well, the answers to those questions are, “Me too,” “Me too,” and “Untrue.”
Fried rice is a good way to use up leftover rice. It’s also a good way to clear out your vegetable bin. You can make it in a cast-iron skillet, and it’s actually pretty easy to do. There are a few optional ingredients that might be hard to come by, but the core ingredients you may already have on-hand.
Social Learning
Tips and Tricks
Some people say that you can make fried rice only with certain types of rice. Jasmine is my favorite go-to, everyday rice, so that’s what I tend to have, and so that’s what I use for fried rice. As far as I’m concerned, it’s perfect for it. Most people also say that the rice you use for fried rice needs to be leftover, although there are some seemingly credible sources who say that isn’t so. I’ve only ever used leftover rice.
I usually exercise all the ingredient options in this recipe, except for the red pepper and ginger. I’ll add those things if I have them on-hand, but I wouldn’t rush out to the store to get them. Don’t fear the fish sauce option. Although this dish is perfectly good without it, the fish sauce really makes the rice taste like you got it from a restaurant.
If you use bacon fat, its flavor will be apparent in the final dish. So, make sure that the rest of the dish’s ingredients harmonize with it. I often use olive oil for this dish, because it’s what I’ve got in the pantry. Even though its relative low smoking point isn’t ideal for this purpose, it works well enough.
Before you turn on the stove, put all your ingredients in order of addition, and memorize the timings and heat settings. Once things get going, you won’t have a lot of time to refer to the recipe. The amount of rice that I’ve called for might not seem like enough when you’re prepping. Trust me, though, once you have the dish fully assembled, it’s a perfect amount.
When I turn the heat to its lowest setting just before scrambling the egg, it’s not that I want to scramble the egg over low heat. The cast-iron’s residual pan heat will still be quite high. I just want to have more control at this point. It’s important that you allow ample room for scrambling the egg. I use a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, and when I push the veg to one side, I have plenty of room for the egg. The egg has to be completely cooked before you mix it into the veg. Otherwise, it will coat the other ingredients, which is not at all what you want.
If when you’re done, you think it needs salt, I’d recommend not more than a pinch. Use your fingers and hold them high above the pan. This will give you a better initial distribution, which will result in a better final distribution once you stir. If you think it still needs more salt, what it probably needs is more rice vinegar and/or soy sauce.
My cast-iron skillet is well seasoned, but I do get sticking here and there when making fried rice. A bit of the rice might stick, and/or a bit of the egg might stick. It’s usually minor, although I’ve had a few bad days. Anything that does stick ultimately unsticks at some point, without requiring a lot of muscle … certainly by the time you’re done. If you manage to still have stuck-on stuff when you’re done, leave the finished dish in the skillet for a few minutes once it’s done, off heat, (which is perfectly fine, because the residual pan heat will keep the rice quite warm) and any remnant of sticking will complete resolve itself.
Ideas
Since you’re using frozen peas, it makes a lot of sense to consider using a package of frozen peas and carrots instead – as David at Spiced does – and skip the peeling, dicing, and cooking of a fresh carrot.
David also suggests rotisserie chicken as the protein, which I think is a great idea. (At my favorite grocery, they sell rotisserie chicken meat, stripped off the bone, by the pound.) Consider chopping the chicken, rather than dicing or shredding it. But also consider bacon, as Mimi at Chef Mimi Blog does in a recipe by David Chang. Between four and eight slices, pre-cooked and chopped, should do it. Taking more inspiration from Mimi’s post, you might consider adding a squeeze of lime.
Dried split peas will work as a substitute for frozen! Soak them for eight hours, strain them. Give them three minutes in the pan, with oil, prior to the onion and carrot, then add the onion and carrot to them, with more oil, proceeding as written.
I love cabbage in fried rice, as a nice addition to the rest of the dish’s ingredients. Four ounces is just about right, but I wouldn’t complain about six. Make it easy on yourself and buy a package of pre-shredded cole slaw mix. Add it along with the scallions. You’ll probably need to double the sauces, only because you’ll now have a lot more veg in the pan.
The Backstory
I like rice. I cook a lot of it, regularly – all the more since I discovered how good the Instant Pot is at cooking it. As a result, I often have leftover rice around. I like to eat it for breakfast, treating it similarly to oatmeal: warming it up with milk, cinnamon, brown sugar, raisins, plus a dash of salt and a pat of butter. As a mid-day snack, I’ll reheat leftover rice with butter, salt, and pepper. But lately, I’ve been wanting to eat more protein, so I’ve pointed my leftover rice in the “fried rice” direction.
I experimented with things like this before (in college, but I never inhaled. Oh wait … that’s a different topic entirely), but it was a pretty particular gochujang-style fried rice that I was experimenting with. This recipe is more mainstream.
I have a new-ish stove, and it has an ultra-high burner. I mainly use it for boiling large pots of water (for pasta, for instance), but it’s also fabulous for anything that needs a really hot flame, like searing meat … or making fried rice. On any other burner, I think I’d probably crank the heat up a few notches.
Outro
It’s as good leftover as it is fresh. I’ll eat it at room temperature. I’ll also eat it cold, even though it’s not ideal that way. It’s a great way to use up leftover ingredients that may be parked in your fridge. Once you’re familiar with the recipe, it’s quick and easy. All of this makes fried rice quite useful for meals at both home and packed in a lunchbucket.
Fried Rice
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Love all your tips for this — the one I always do when making Asian food is making sure all my ingredients are ready to add and in order. Memorizing the timing is a great idea. Thanks for a great recipe. When we revisit carbs (still trying to drop some weight), I know this will be one of the first things I make.
Mmm! “Return to carbs” are the three nicest words I’ve heard all year!
I love fried rice so thank you for sharing your recipe.
You’re welcome, Judy!
That looks really moreish! Love that you used bacon fat here.
Thanks, Angie!
I’m not sure that I’ll ever return to carbs, so I’m happy to live vicariously through you and your recipes Jeff.
I remember growing up both Mum and Dad would have their versions of fried rice and loved eating it.
I love carbs too much to give them up. My compromise is to always eat some fat or protein with them.
Oh yum!
🙂
Hahahaha! I was just thinking about David Chang’s bacon fried rice as I read this recipe! It’s so good. I’m with DSA – kinda cutting back on carbs right now, but I love this!
Thanks for the heads-up on that recipe!
We are trying to cut carbs at the moment too, hence most of my recipes at the moment being low in calories, but I love fried rice, and you have gone to so much trouble with this recipe Jeff. Asian recipes always happen quickly once the cooking starts so yes great idea to have everything ready before the cooking begins. I’ve also become a fan of keeping bags of frozen vegetables in the freezer, save so much time for your type of recipe. Thanks Jeff.
You’re welcome, Pauline!
Is there any one out there who does not love fried rice?
Good question!
Me encanta el arroz frito y el tuyo te ha quedado perfecto. Besos!
Thank you!
Oh, boy, I haven’t made fried rice in years so I’m glad to have your formula and tips!!!
You’re welcome! Hope they’re helpful.
There is something about Chinese cuisine that is very tasty- even a simple fried rice. I’ll have mine without the fish sauce please- thanks.
Don’t fear the fish sauce! 😉
I absolutely love fried rice! Looks fantastic!
Thanks, Javier!
Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe and your wealth of knowledge about making the perfect fried rice, I am sure you will get Uncle Rogers tick of approval . It’s sure to become a staple in many kitchens, mine included!
Thank you. That’s very kind, Raymund.
I love fried rice, but I’m almost embarrassed to admit I have not made any for ages. Such an easy, tasty, and versatile dish!
🙂
Haha – you and I have the same routine when it comes to looking at Asian menus. 1) Eggroll 2) Fried Rice. Done. 🙂 Fried rice is such a versatile recipe, but you have to make sure the flavors all balance well. Thanks so much for the shout-out, my friend!
Any time!
Great idea with bacon Jeff! We always have shrimp, I never thought about just bacon. I love the way you presented it too!
Thank you, Diane!
Scrambled egg in fried rice is one of the best all time “comfort food” combos for me. My kids have been especially into fried rice lately, after having a Thai version they loved. I’ll give this a go for them! 🙂 ~Valentina
🙂
Jeff the Chef, your homemade fried rice recipe is a game-changer! I love how adaptable it is with different proteins and veggies. And you’re right, it’s just as delicious fresh as it is leftover. Thanks for sharing your tips and tricks! 🍚🥢
Thank you so much!
Cooking recipes are like a map to culinary adventure! They guide us through the process, helping us explore new flavors and techniques. Plus, there’s something so satisfying about creating a delicious dish from scratch. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned chef, recipes inspire creativity in the kitchen! Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome, James!
Great recipe, Jeff! Fried rice is such a versatile dish. What’s your favorite unique ingredient to add that takes it from ordinary to extraordinary? Can’t wait to try your twist!
Thanks, Emily, and that’s a great question. I’ve come to think of it as something that can take whatever leftovers you can throw at it, more or less. Of those I’ve tried so far, the one I think I like best is shredded cabbage.
This recipe is a lifesaver for weeknight dinners! I added a splash of lime juice at the end for a little zing, and it was delicious. Thanks for sharing this easy and flavorful dish!”
Would you recommend any specific protein combinations that work particularly well with this fried rice? I’m thinking of trying shrimp and chicken together, but I’m curious about your favorites!
I’ve never had shrim and chicken together in fried rice, but I saw give it a try! At my house it’s almost always chicken. But in the post, I mentioned bacon – it’s really good in fried rice. And chicken plus bacon … I haven’t don that in fried rice, but I’ve never encountered that combination and not loved it.
Jeff the Chef’s take on *Fried Rice* sounds absolutely delicious! There’s something so comforting about a well-made fried rice, and I imagine Jeff adds his own unique flair to it. I love how versatile this dish can be, with endless options to customize it with different flavors and ingredients. Did Jeff share any special tips or ingredients that make his version stand out?
Thank you. Yes, Jeff does. And yes, Jeff did.
Wow, Jeff, this fried rice recipe sounds incredible! I love how adaptable it is—perfect for using up leftovers and really making it your own with different proteins and veggies. I especially like your suggestion of using bacon fat; it must give the rice such a rich flavor. I’m definitely going to give this a try next time I have leftover rice in the fridge. Also, I’ve never tried cabbage in fried rice before, but it sounds like a great addition. Do you have any other veggie suggestions that work particularly well with this dish? Thanks for sharing such a detailed recipe!
I see that you mention using bacon fat, but would other types of fat (like duck fat or chicken fat) work well in fried rice too? Any recommendations for when to use them?
I wish I were so knowledgeable that I could answer your questions! I’ve never worked with duck or chicken fat in the way you’re asking about.
Jeff, your take on fried rice is both mouthwatering and inspiring! I love how you’ve highlighted its versatility—it’s truly a dish that can be tailored to anyone’s taste. Your cooking tips make it feel approachable, even for someone like me who sometimes overthinks simple recipes.
Do you have a favorite combination of ingredients for your fried rice that you always come back to?
Thank you, Jennifer. I have to say that the items I’ve mentioned in the post are my favorites.