Easy Perfect Fried Rice

Making fried rice at home is easy but there is a method to making it which will save you lots of time and avoid making the dish too gluggy. If you follow this simple recipe I guarantee you will enjoy this dish.

Ingredients

You will need:

• Some left over cooked rice that has been refrigerated. (This helps to dry the rice out).  Note:  in this recipe I cooked 2 cups of basmati rice in a rice cooker the day before making it.
  
• A large onion
• 3 rashers of bacon (fatty is okay because it helps to create fat for the pan and therefore stops the fried rice from sticking).
• 3 eggs and a dash of milk
• 1 cup of Frozen peas
• A chicken stock cube or chicken stock powder (optional)
  
• Sesame oil
• Soy Sauce
  

Note: these ingredients may sound bland but trust me, sometimes simple is best and this will taste delicious I promise.

Utensils

• A non stick wok for cooking your fried rice
• A non stick small frying pan for the eggs.
• A wooden spatula

Remove the rind from the bacon. If the bacon is very fatty remove some of the fat but not all. You don't want it too fatty but you want enough fat with the bacon to stop the rice from sticking to the pan.

Dice the bacon into small pieces.

Finely dice a large onion.

Add a splash of sesame oil to your wok and heat the oil.  Get it nice and hot.  You don't need too much oil here because the bacon will create fat in the pan, so just add enough to lightly coat the wok.

Add the onion and bacon to the wok on a high heat to start with. Fry rapidly for about two to three minutes.

When the bacon appears as if it's starting to brown add your frozen peas and a dash of chicken stock powder (not too much, just a shake or two). Cook long enough for the peas to thaw and any moisture from the peas to evaporate.

Turn the heat down to low on the wok.

Add your refrigerated rice. Tip: If some of the rice is clumped together, use your hands to break the rice apart as you add it to the wok.

Keep folding the rice over with your spatula to mix the ingredients through and heat the rice through. While that is heating, go to the next step.

Now that the fried rice is heating through, crack your two to three eggs into a jug or bowl, add a good dash of milk and whisk it with a fork so that the yolk and egg white have combined.

Add some sesame oil to a separate small non stick pan and heat the oil.

Add the egg and then reduce the heat.

Eggs will burn if the heat is up too high so keep it a fairly low heat and as it's cooking push the egg into the middle of the pan to form it into an omlette.  (See all the photos below).

When it's cooked through break it into small pieces with your spatula. Add it to your fried rice and fold it through.

Note: Most fried rice recipes will tell you to make a center and cook the egg in the Fried Rice wok - I don't do this anymore. I end up losing too much of the egg this way. It either sticks to the pan, or rice falls into it before it's cooked properly. I use a separate pan and that way I get lovely large fluffy chunks of egg in the dish, as you will see in the photos below.

When the dish is heated through properly you can start serving it.  Note:  the taste of this dish really relies on the fact that you are going to add soy sauce to your fried rice before you eat it.  Soy sauce really ads to the flavor of this dish.  Without soy sauce I think the dish might be quite bland. 

Important: I have found that it's always best to add soy sauce to the rice after you've served it in a bowl or plate. In other words, let the person eating the rice add the amount of soy they prefer.

Adding soy sauce to the dish while it's cooking just doesn't work. It can make the rice too moist and sticky, and the flavor seems to change, which means you need to add more after it's served anyway.

Some finely chopped shallots or spring onions go well with this dish as well, garnished on top.

I only buy one type of rice and that is Basmati.  Basmati has a lovely aromatic flavor and is great with curries.

I use any left over rice from a curry to make up a wok of fried rice.  It works perfectly well.

Jasmine or any other type of aromatic rice would do fine as well. 

Soy Sauce comes in so many varieties - cooking soy, light and dark, and premium blends.

I recently bought a premium soy because my preferred brand was not on the shelf and I have to say it's one of the nicest soy's I've ever added to fried rice.The brand I purchased is Lee Kum Kee premium soy - my partner even said that this dish tasted better with that soy sauce.

Personally I prefer the Chinese brands of soy sauce. Most supermarkets stock Chinese goods these days but if yours doesn't visit your nearest china town or Chinese grocer. And don't be afraid to ask for advice.

Soy sauce is very high in salt and therefore people with high blood pressure should be careful and use it sparingly.

Now that you've got a great foundation recipe you can add any other ingredients you like.

Snow peas are an excellent addition, although add them at the end when the rice is heating through as you don't want to overcook them.

Mushrooms, bean shoots and bamboo shoots also go well.

Chinese people often also add crab meat, prawns, chicken, or pork - so experiment and see what you like.

My recipe is used in my home just to use up left over rice, and I use it as a meal filler for those times I'm starving between meals or just want something light to eat. It's very filling and your kids will love it too.

Rice is highly nutritious and is the main food staple in so many asian countries.

If you've made up a big supply, you can refrigerate any leftovers and store it for a few days. 

To reheat, add a serving to a microwave dish and nuke on medium for about two minutes.  It will taste just as good as the day you made it, if not better.