A classic side dish in many chinese meals that can also be a main dish, fried rice is delicious and cheap. Making fried rice taste authentic is sometimes a challenge. Make sure you have oyster sauce and sesame oil to give it that authentic flavor.
Fried rice is a great recipe to master and serve instead of spending money on take out. Where I live, most restaurants serve a dish of fried rice half the size of this for $9. This dish should cost closer to $5 or less and be twice the size of what I would get from a Chinese restaurant.
Related: Sweet Curried Beef
Ingredients
Rice– the base of this cheap and delicious meal
Bacon– bacon is not a necessary ingredient and can be replaced with many other meat options, but bacon is a tasty way to complete your fried rice
Peas– you can use frozen or canned, but personally I prefer frozen peas for the flavor
Carrots– you can dice your own carrots, however it may be easier to purchase a bag of frozen carrots and peas that are already diced for you
Onion– dice up an onion to add flavor and texture to your fried rice
Eggs– these will add some protein to your fried rice, you can omit them, but it may feel like something is missing
Soy sauce– can substitute with coconut aminos for a gluten free option
Oyster sauce– for the perfect flavor a tiny bit of oyster sauce will take you there
Sesame oil– sesame oil will help your fried rice get to the authentic flavor
Garlic– garlic is the best for adding flavor to your dish
Ginger– ginger helps the flavor more
Salt– add as much or as little as you want, I frequently omit salt from most foods
Pepper– again add as much or as little as you want
Green onions– an optional garnish
Directions
- Cook rice at least 1 day in advance
- Cook bacon (if desired)
- Chop all vegetables
- Sauté garlic and onion with sesame oil
- Add other vegetables and allow them to cook
- Add rice, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and ginger- stir occasionally
- Add chopped bacon (if desired)
- Whisk eggs together in a small bowl or cup
- Make a small space in the middle of the pan to add eggs
- Scramble them until they are cooked
- Mix everything together
- Serve warm
Tools
Pan- I love this Anolon pan. It’s large and sturdy.
Instant pot- Rice tastes amazing when it has been cooked in an instant pot.
Knife- I love this knife, it is sharp and affordable\
Related: Vegan Meal Plan
Tips
- Make sure your rice is cooked at least one day in advance so that it becomes more fried
- Try adding shrimp or chicken
- Try quinoa or brown rice instead of rice
- See if pineapple is something you like with your fried rice but probably omit the bacon
- Replace bacon with ham or spam
- Try kimchi in your fried rice
- See if chopped zucchini, or yellow squash is a yummy addition to your fried rice
- Try to make a simplified version using just rice, carrots & peas, soy sauce, and eggs
- Make your fried rice vegan by omitting oyster sauce, eggs, and meat
- Add corn
Whole30 Option
Replace the rice with cauliflower rice
Ensure bacon is Whole30 compliant- doesn’t have added sugar
Replace soy sauce with coconut aminos
Omit oyster sauce
Fried rice is simple and delicious. Try it out and I’m sure it will soon become a favorite of yours too!
Have you tried this recipe? What did you think?
Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 lb rice cooked & one day old
- 3 slices bacon optional
- ½ cup peas
- ½ cup carrots diced
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 2-3 eggs
- 3 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos
- ½ tsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- pepper
- salt
- green onions optional for garnish
Instructions
- Cook rice at least 1 day in advance
- Cook bacon (if desired)
- Chop all vegetables
- Saute garlic and onion with sesame oil
- Add other vegetables and allow them to cook
- Add rice, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and ginger- stir occasionally
- Add chopped bacon (if desired)
- Whisk eggs together in a small bowl or cup
- Make a small space in the middle of the pan to add eggs
- Scramble them until they are cooked
- Mix everything together
- Serve warm
