Egg Fried Rice

Name: Egg Fried Rice
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 500 g (3 cups) cooked long-grain rice, cold, from about 200 g raw; ideally a day old, see Perfect Rice; 3 tbsp neutral oil, e.g. sunflower or rapeseed; 3 eggs, large, beaten with a pinch of salt; 4 scallions, whites and greens separated, thinly sliced; 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 100 g (¾ cup) frozen peas, thawed; 1½ tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil; ¼ tsp ground white pepper; fine sea salt, to taste

Separate, smoky, savory grains in under 15 minutes

Serves: 2
Hands-on: 15 min
Total: 15 min
Level: Easy

Fried rice is what cold leftover rice was made for. Cooking in a very hot pan in small batches gives you separate, lightly toasted grains instead of a sticky pile, and the egg goes in with the rice so it coats the grains in gold. Unlike Congee, where rice is simmered to a soft porridge, here cold cooked rice is fried fast and dry so every grain stays separate.

Ingredients

500 gcooked long-grain rice, cold (3 cups)from about 200 g raw; ideally a day old, see Perfect Rice
3 tbspneutral oile.g. sunflower or rapeseed
3eggslarge, beaten with a pinch of salt
4scallionswhites and greens separated, thinly sliced
2 clovesgarlicfinely chopped
100 gfrozen peas (¾ cup)thawed
1½ tbsplight soy sauce
1 tsptoasted sesame oil
¼ tspground white pepper
fine sea saltto taste

Diet: Vegetarian, Dairy-free
Allergens: egg, soy, gluten, sesame
Origin: China

Method

Break up the cold rice with your hands so there are no clumps.
Heat a wok or your largest frying pan over high heat until it just begins to smoke. Add 2 tbsp of the oil, swirl, then add the scallion whites and garlic and stir for 15 seconds.
Add the rice and spread it out. Leave it for 30 seconds to toast, then toss. Repeat for 3–4 minutes, until the grains are hot, separate and some are lightly crisp. 4 min
Push the rice to one side, add the remaining oil to the empty space and pour in the eggs. Let them set for 10 seconds, then scramble softly and toss them through the rice while still slightly wet, so they coat the grains.
Add the peas, soy sauce and white pepper and toss for 1 minute. 1 min
Take off the heat, toss in the sesame oil and scallion greens, and taste for salt.

Why it works

Freshly cooked rice is full of surface moisture and steams into mush in the pan. Chilled rice has dried on the surface and its starch has firmed up (retrogradation), so the grains stay separate and fry rather than stick. High heat evaporates moisture instantly and gives the light smoky taste of a hot wok.

Common mistakes

Using warm, fresh rice: if you must, spread it on a tray and chill it uncovered for 30 minutes first.
Overloading the pan: for more than 2 portions, cook in batches.
Too much soy sauce: it makes the rice wet and brown. Season mostly with salt.

Variations

Shrimp fried rice: Stir-fry 200 g raw peeled shrimp first until just pink, remove, and toss back in with the peas (adds crustaceans).
Kimchi fried rice: Add 150 g chopped kimchi with the rice and top with a fried egg (Fried Eggs).

Make ahead and storage

Cooked rice must be cooled quickly and refrigerated within 1 hour; use within 1 day. Eat fried rice fresh.

Notes

A large non-stick or cast-iron pan works if you have no wok; cook in two batches. Tamari makes it gluten-free.