Discover a Chinese chef’s secrets to a Restaurant Fried Rice recipe – quick, easy, and oh-so-delicious!
Fried Rice Recipe
❤️ About This Restaurant Style Fried Rice
What Makes This Simple Fried Rice Recipe So Amazing?!
I stepped into a busy Chinese restaurant for Sunday brunch. It was packed, and everyone was hoping to grab one of the few tables available. Almost every table had the same fried rice dish.
I was impressed by how delicious the basic fried rice was. I mustered up the courage to ask the chef about it, and he was surprisingly nice. He told me all the little secrets, and now I’m sharing them with you.
Give this amazing dish a shot in your kitchen—no need to head out and spend money on takeaways.
👨🍳 Chef’s Pro Tip
- Butter: When cooking the prawns, add a teaspoon of butter to boost their flavor.
- Eggs: Instead of whisking them, crack whole eggs directly into the hot oil and break them apart using a spatula. According to the chef, this method enhances the flavor of the eggs.
- Moisten the rice: Add a couple of tablespoons of water while stir-frying to infuse the rice with a touch of moisture. It works like magic, ensuring that the rice remains separated and moist.
- Stirring: You might see a chef busy excessively stirring rice, but because the heat in the restaurant is so much higher than in the home kitchen. To recreate a similar high-heat effect, it’s essential not to stir the rice excessively and allow it to form a slight crust.
🍚 Preparing Rice
To prepare rice for any fried rice recipe, it’s important that the rice isn’t too soft and should ideally be slightly firmer than usual, with individual grains that can be separated easily. Achieving the right rice texture involves three key steps.
- First, use the right type of rice. Long-grain rice is better suited because it’s less likely to become mushy compared to short-grain varieties.
- Second, When making rice for fried rice, lower the water amount from the usual 1:1.2 ratio used in a rice cooker to 1:1.
- Third, after the rice is cooked, use a spoon to fluff it up. Let the rice cool down, allowing any excess moisture to evaporate, which helps keep the grains separate. Some suggest refrigerating the rice overnight, but make sure to cover it to prevent excessive drying.
🥘 Substituting Ingredients
Substituting prawns:
- Cooked Proteins: You can swap out prawns with cooked proteins like sausage, ham, or roasted chicken. Just prepare them the same way you would with prawns.
- Raw Meat: For raw meat like chicken, pork, or beef, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Marinate with salt and pepper, and coat with a mixture of cornstarch and water. Cook separately, just like you would with prawns.
- Vegetarian: Swap prawns with tofu or simply skip them.
Substituting Veggies:
- Any non-leafy vegetables work well for this recipe, such as celery, bell pepper, mushrooms, and so on.
🍳 Instructions
Step One: Cook Prawns
- In a non-stick pan over medium heat, cook prawns in oil and butter until they turn pink. Set them aside.
Step Two: Brown Onions
- Set the heat to high. Add onions to the remaining oil and cook until they are slightly brown. Then, shift them to the side of the pan.
Step Three: Stir-fry Eggs
- Crack the eggs into the pan, mix the egg yolk and egg white, break them apart into small pieces using a spatula, and stir-fry until they’re cooked.
Step Four: Mix Rice and Veggies
- Add the rice, vegetable mix, and soy sauce. Mix well. Stir every 5-10 seconds to achieve a light golden crust. Add one or two tablespoons of water to keep the rice moist. Cook for 5-10 minutes, depending on your stovetop temperature.
Step Five: Finish and Serve
- Stir in the cooked prawns and spring onions then turn off the heat, and serve.
🔎 FAQs
A: It’s not essential. If you’re not comfortable with a wok, it can turn into a kitchen challenge as rice may stick. I suggest using a non-stick pan for a less stressful cooking experience.
A: This fried rice recipe is ideal for 2-3 servings. Cooking a larger quantity may make it challenging to ensure all ingredients are properly cooked and achieve that sizzling effect.
A: Oil is a crucial element in the stir-fry dish; if you’re concerned, consider using high-quality olive oil.
Now that you have all the chef’s secrets, it’s time to start cooking. If you enjoy this dish, consider giving it a 5-star rating. 🤗
Restaurant Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 400 g cooked rice
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 teaspoon butter (otpional)
- 10 prawns (more or less to your liking)
- 1/2 cup onion (finely chopped)
- 1 cup mixed veggies
- 3 eggs
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce (more or less to your taste)
- 2-3 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup spring onion (chopped, optional)
Instructions
- Cook Prawns: In a non-stick pan over medium heat, cook prawns in oil until they turn pink. Set them aside.
- Brown Onions: Set the heat to high. Add onions to the remaining oil and cook until they are slightly brown. Then, shift them to the side of the pan.
- Stir-fry Eggs: Crack the eggs into the pan, mix the egg yolk and egg white, break them apart into small pieces using a spatula, and stir-fry until they’re cooked.
- Mix Rice and Veggies: Add the rice, vegetable mix, and soy sauce. Mix well. Stir every 5-10 seconds to achieve a light golden crust. Add one or two tablespoons of water to keep the rice moist. Cook for 5-10 minutes, depending on your stovetop temperature.
- Finish and Serve: Stir in the cooked prawns and spring onions then turn off the heat, and serve.
Recipe Notes:
- Butter: When cooking the prawns, add a teaspoon of butter to boost their flavour.
- Eggs: Instead of whisking them, crack whole eggs directly into the hot oil and break them apart using a spatula. According to the chef, this method enhances the flavour of the eggs.
- Moisten the rice: Add a couple of tablespoons of water while stir-frying to infuse the rice with a touch of moisture. It works like magic, ensuring that the rice remains separated and moist.
- Stirring: You might see a chef busy excessively stirring rice, but because the heat in the restaurant is so much higher than in the home kitchen. To recreate a similar high-heat effect, it’s essential not to stir the rice excessively and allow it to form a slight crust.
Nutrition Information:
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This defineatly deserves a five star rating Lei. Different style from what I have learnt from my mom. Going to try it out. I add a few extra veges when I make it so that I don’t have to make side dishes.
Thank you for sharing it.
This is a really good recipe. I love it too.
Can I ask what kind of rice you use and what do you think the best way of cooking it is? Thank you!
Long-grain rice is better for fried rice as they won’t stick together too much.