March 12, 2021
Why are we afraid to make fried rice at home? Because we’ve messed it up before! Well, now you don’t have to. I’ve got the secrets for you on fried rice that won’t let you down.
How To Make Fried Rice At Home
This was not something I had done successfully, just kind of “meh” rice that never got that yummy taste and texture. Until I hit on a few simple secrets. Now it’s easy and delicious.
We LOVE fried rice, but with being grounded 😷 for a year and a half, we haven’t eaten out a lot.
We needed a fix.
And of course with the Blackstone Griddle and warm weather coming, I had to try it.
I’ve done it outdoors, and I’ve done it on the stovetop. Both were easy and delicious, and it’s easily customizable.
You want to know what the biggest secret was? Cold rice. That doesn’t even sound good. But that’s the big thing.
What Kind Of Rice?
You are all about to find out just how low I will stoop for a shortcut. This is about the most unfancy dish you can make.
I used two kinds of rice for my recipe.
One was a boil-in-bag rice. Yep. Just white rice. Not even the name brand. The store brand.😆 And it was fine.
Please don’t be shocked.
And you may be relieved to know I also have done the jasmine rice.
The second kind is a frozen rice with vegetables already in it. The variety I found was Birds Eye Long Grain White Rice with Mixed Vegetables. (That’s peas, corn, and carrots.) I had no idea cooked rice was available as a frozen food.
Leave the frozen bag of rice out on the counter for a half hour or more, but don’t cook it yet. Just let it thaw slowly.
Cook your stovetop rice, and then put it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Get it chilled.
THE BASIC RECIPE
Those are the first steps to make fried rice. At home I have a big stir-fry style pan that I use for stuff that needs some space. It’s perfect for this recipe, because you end up stirring the rice quite a bit and it doesn’t spill over the edge when it’s moved around in the big pan.
You’ve got your two kinds of rice. You also need a lot of butter. Probably half a stick. Probably more than that. I love butter. You need a lot of salt and pepper, and about half an onion.
Those are my basics, but certainly you could use a different oil, and you could eliminate the onion.
Additionally, you can add fried egg bites, more vegetables, bits of shrimp or chicken, whatever your favorite thing is.
I use Liquid Aminos instead of Soy Sauce. And I just use a tablespoon or so. If there’s another flavor you like, throw it in.
I think that’s the fun of all this — it’s easily customizable.
Exactly in what order?
I melt about 2 tablespoons of butter, and saute the chopped onion. Then 2 more tablespoons of butter, and add in both kinds of cold rice. Then generously salt and pepper. Let it cook a couple of minutes, then turn it over and let it cook a couple of minutes more, and keep doing that. Each section will gradually get brown in varying degrees. At some point you’ll probably feel it sticking a tiny bit. Add in 2 more tablespoons of butter.
You’ll probably do that more than once. Just be patient, enjoy the process of smelling it as the rice begins to cook and brown in the butter.
Add in your flavoring — Soy Sauce or Liquid Aminos. Don’t overdo it. Even skip it if you like. It’s fine without it.
If you want to use an egg or two, scoot the rice to the edges, to clear out a space in the pan. Put a little butter there (yep) and crack the egg into that area. Flip it over a few times and move it around in its own space until it’s cooked. then kind of chop it up and move it around as you stir the rice some more. It will get mixed through the rice eventually.
Add in your bits of meat and other cooked vegetables that you like.
On The Blackstone Griddle
Oh, y’all. If you’re doing it on the griddle, it’s so big!
You can move all that rice around, flatten it out, pile it up, make rice castles. 🏰
It’s so nice to have the space. You can brown some chopped vegetables or meat over to the side and stir them together near the end.
If At First You Don’t Succeed…
Don’t get discouraged if you have a less than stellar result the first time. Maybe you need to adjust your heat, or you may need to (mmmmmm) use more butter. I actually found out I was using too much of the flavor sauce, and it’s better now that I’ve reduced that.
If you’re eating low-carb, this is probably not the dish for you. We actually were in a cheat season (is that even legal?) when I made it. So it’s not a frequent flyer on my menu.
I was just excited that I finally got it right, and wanted to call you right away to tell you about it. Thanks for answering.
Are you a fried rice fan?
I feel like I’m too excited about this. I don’t toss bites in anyone’s mouth or make little onion volcanoes. But it’s a popular side dish around here even without the fancy hibachi show.
Sometimes I just want to talk about it with someone else who gets excited about what we’re doing.
So if this was exciting or even mildly interesting feel free to scroll on down there and say so! I still get really excited about comments.
The recipe collection is growing here on the blog. Are you a fan? And here’s a question: What’s your favorite delicious recipe?
Another question: What’s one you’re looking for?
Let me know. After all, it’s a small community. Just you, me, and my mom. 😜 Glad you’re here.
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-Grammye
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What’s the tip of the week?
This one seems so simple, but it makes the evening a lot easier. If you’ve cooked in a pan that left some stuck-on or even burned-on residue, you kinda know it’s gonna give you trouble.
(Of course I’m not saying I have. But if you ask my family, they’ll be happy to tell you stories.)
Here’s what to do: Put some water in the pan and put it on the stove, and turn the heat on low. Do it before you sit down to eat. Let that warm water soften the stubborn food while you enjoy your dinner, and by the time you wash dishes it will be easier to remove. After you pour out the water, wipe out any food or grease residue with a paper towel to avoid sending that debris down your drain.
See? You just got an extra 10 minutes to watch reruns on TV with your hubby.
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As an Asian, I SHOULD know how to fry some rice, but alas, my cooking skills in general leave much to be desired (rice sticking to the pan, anyone?). So after reading this informational instructional, I guess I might give it another go later. Thanks for this post!
Stuart, I’m so pleased to see you here. Thank you for the visit, and for the kind words. (And thanks for not making fun of my U.S. southern-woman rice recipe.) I totally get the sticking-to-the-pan issue. I’ve spent a great portion of my life trying to reverse that exact problem. Most of the stuff I cook is quite well done. I am always surprised to see the “blackened” choice at restaurants. I always have this thought: Isn’t everything blackened? 😄