EASY 20-Minute Fried Rice Recipe - I Heart Naptime (2024)

FAQs

How to make fried rice without it being a day old? ›

To get that perfect day-old rice without waiting 24 hours, the process is actually fairly simple. Just rinse and drain fresh, raw rice and sauté in oil. Add a little less water than you normally would to the pan, and bring to the boil before covering and simmering.

High Heat is Key: Cook the rice over high heat, as in the P.F. Chang's Chicken Fried Rice (Copycat Recipe). High heat allows for quick evaporation of excess moisture, keeping the rice grains separate and preventing sogginess.

But this ingredient makes such a difference in good fried rice, and a little goes a long way. So even if you're not into oysters, don't be scared of oyster sauce! Toasted sesame oil, on the other hand, is 100% non-negotiable. It is my favorite smelling ingredient in my kitchen, and tastes wonderful in fried rice.

Fresh-cooked: So long as you spread the rice out on a plate or tray while it's still hot and give it a few minutes to allow some surface moisture to evaporate, you can make excellent fried rice with fresh rice. Day-old rice: Day-old rice tends to clump, so you'll need to break it up by hand before stir-frying.

- Freshly cooked rice is hot, steamy, very moist and a little sticky ? this will make your fried rice clumpy and soggy. - Day-old rice is dryer and will give your fried rice a good texture and will bring out the individual flavours of the other ingredients.

Use equal amounts of rice and water. BOIL water. ADD rice, stir, cover & remove from heat. WAIT 5 minutes, or until the water is absorbed, then fluff.

Replacing the water with vegetable broth and chopped garlic is a great way to add a savory touch to your rice. And, vegetable broth will enhance the natural flavors of any added vegetables in a stir fry recipe with rice or fried rice dish.

To make instant rice—like Minute Rice—manufacturers take parboiled rice and “puff” it, which creates pockets in the rice that allow “water to easily soak in without additional boiling,” according to Armstrong. That's why you only need to boil your water and wait for the rice to soak it up when using instant rice.

Fried rice syndrome is caused by a bacterium called Bacillus cereus, which is present in these types of starchy foods prior to cooking. Bacillus cereus is a heat-resistant bacteria, so even recooking foods that have not been appropriately refrigerated can result in food poisoning.

To give your dish that signature fried rice taste, you'll need to drizzle in sesame oil and soy sauce, but feel free to use as much or as little as you wish. You can even mix in things like garlic powder, ginger root, or Sriracha sauce and chili pepper for a bit of a kick.

Why is my fried rice always mushy? ›

The most common reason(s) I've seen when fried rice turns out “mushy” is that when you cook the rice before frying it, the rice is not allowed to cook until all the cooking liquid doesn't steam away from the pan you cook it in.

Which rice is best for fried rice? Pick a medium-grain white rice, which is the standard in Chinese cuisine. A fresh batch of this variety turns out sticky in your rice cooker, which makes it easy to eat with chopsticks, yet it also has the ability to separate into individual grains.

Spread it out in a thin layer on a baking sheet or tray so it cools rapidly. Then, when cold, put into a container, cover and chill in the fridge. Keep the rice for no more than a day before reheating it – and then only reheat it once. Whichever reheating method you use, make sure the rice is piping hot before serving.

You could make fried rice from freshly cooked rice, but it's not likely going to have the right texture because it will be too moist. Leftover rice is ideal because it's drier and therefore, cooks great right in your skillet along with the other ingredients.

Once I cook the rice, how should it be stored for that day? In a container in the fridge. For longer periods, freeze it.

Storing Cooked Rice In The Refrigerator

If you're planning to eat the leftover rice within three or four days (maybe in some fried rice, perhaps?), store it in the refrigerator. Those little cardboard take-out containers may be cute, but they will also let in air, making leftover rice chewy and hard.