Learning how to cook fried rice is very easy and for the home cook it can really be a lifesaver on those nights you really don’t feel like cooking. You basically can use any leftover meat or veggies that you have in the fridge and end up with a quick easy comfort food. Now you don’t have to use leftovers to make fried rice but it is getting the chance to use up some of these items instead of tossing them that makes this dish so great to me.

If you happen to be a member of my Home Cooks Edge newsletter you know that one of my philosophy when cooking is to plan ahead. When I think about what I going to make for dinner thought out the week I try and make thing that I take the next or the day after and turn in to another completely different meal. I do this for a couple of reason one it saves a lot of money and two it lessen the time spent in the kitchen which help keep cooking from becoming a choir.

With that being said fried rice is a perfect plan ahead meal all you need is some rice, veggies, a meat product and a couple of eggs with everything but the rice being optional. The downside is I have no real set recipe it is more kind guidelines then a set of ingredient. So in this hub I will go over how to cook fried rice and then go over some common meals that I turn into fried rice.

The best fried rice is made with leftover rice preferably 2-3 days old. The reason is that you want the rice to dry out if not you run the risk of gummy sticky mess. Long grain rice is going to be your best choice it tends to be a little dry then other type of rice. In my household it is basmati rice to me it has a better flavor, texture and aroma. (Just keep in mind that basmati rice holds moisture in longer than plain long grain rice so you may need go closer or 3-4 day old rice.)

Now keep in mind that rice is the main ingredient in fried rice so the extra care to dry it out will go a long way toward the end product. But sometimes you do not really have the choice right so if you find that need make the rice that day than that’s what you can do is cook your rice then spread it out on a sheet pan and place it in the freezer for about thirty minutes this will help dry it. Whatever you do don’t use freshly made hot rice because you will end up with a huge starchy rice ball.

Scrambled eggs are a staple in many fried rice recipes but if don’t like in yours don’t use them. If you are going to use them you need to decide if you want them mixed in with rice or as a garnish place on to p of the rice after cooking. The choice is yours.

Know I anyways have used a little soy sauce in my fried rice and thought that it was a given until it was point out to me that this was not always the case. But to me it is what makes a fried rice dish. I even make a special soy sauce just for my fried rice. I take a 1 cup of soy sauce and ¼ a cup of crush red peppers and let it steep for a day or two then strain the flake out keeping the soy sauce of course. This gives you this wonderful spicy soy sauce. I then use a couple of dashes when cooking the fried rice.

As said in the beginning this is a clear out the fridge type of dish so anything goes. With the veggies I do stay away from starchy items like potatoes and corn. My favorites are broccoli, carrots, and peas. Some form of onion is a must as well. Any type of meat will work. All you need to do is chop up the veggies and meat into small bite size pieces.

How to cook fried rice is very simple. Start by getting your meat and veggie together and cutting them up into small pieces that roughly the same size.

If you have a wok heat it up over medium high heat if not grab a large skillet and heat it up. Once you have your pans good and hot scramble up you eggs (2-3 eggs). Then remove from the pan and set aside.

Next toss in the veggies and the meat and cook for a couple of minutes (2-3) flipping and stirring the whole time. Next add a little soy sauce, then your rice.

Keep stirring and cooking just until the rice is good in hot stir in the egg (if you prefer that way) a coupel more splash of soy sauce and serve.