What is Chinese Fried Rice?
Fried rice is one of the most popular Chinese recipes ever.
I am sure everyone has had fried rice from takeouts or restaurants.
There are many variations of this dish; regardless of the types, fried rice fits everyone’s palate and it’s filling as a meal.
Ingredients for Chinese Fried Rice
- Garlic
- Chinese sausage, or lap cheong
- Eggs
- Frozen mixed vegetables
- Steamed rice
- Fish sauce
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Cook’s Tips
- If you make steamed rice, make sure you cook extra so you will have some leftover. Keep the leftover rice in the fridge and the next day, you can turn the rice into a mouthwatering and homey fried rice that you can eat or pack to work.
- You can buy Chinese sausage or lap cheong at Asian stores.
- The sausage imparts an iconic flavor and aroma to the rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of rice do Chinese restaurants use?
Chinese restaurants will usually use Jasmine Rice.
How do you make fried rice with fresh rice?
Allow the rice to sit out while it’s hot and give it a few minutes so that the moisture will evaporate. This way, you can still make great fried rice. As for day old rice, make sure to break it up before frying so it does not end up too chunky.
How many calories?
This recipe has 641 calories per serving.
What Dishes to Serve with this Recipe?
This dish is best served with other Chinese entrees. For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
Pairs well with:
Chinese Fried Rice Recipe
Fried Rice - homemade Chinese fried rice recipe with Chinese sausage, vegetables, eggs and steamed rice. So easy and much better than takeout.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Chinese lap cheong sausage, cut into small pieces
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetable, thawed
- 4 cups overnight, leftover steamed rice
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 dashes ground white pepper, or black pepper
- Salt, to taste
Directions
-
1Heat up a wok or skillet with the cooking oil on medium heat. Add and saute the garlic until aromatic. Add the Chinese lap cheong sausage, stir and cook for about 1 minute. Add the eggs, let cook and break the eggs into pieces using spatula. Add the mixed vegetables and stir well. Add in the rice, stir to combine well with all the ingredients.
-
2Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, ground pepper, salt and continue to stir-fry for a minute or two. As soon as the rice becomes toasty, dish out and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Leftover rice is ideal for making fried rice due to the lower moisture content in the rice. Freshly made rice is too "starchy" and "wet" for a good fried rice as the rice would be mushy and stick together. Leftover rice that has been refrigerated is dry and perfect for fried rice.
Tiens
My favorite food.. easy to cook & delicious..thanks for great newsletter & posting..its insipring
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks Tiens.
Lily
Just made it for the dinner in a short while. Very yummy!!
DB
Do you use a commercial brand of Chinese sausage or do you buy the ones that hang in pairs in the meat section of Asian markets. The sausage looks so fresh!
Rasa Malaysia
I used the ones already packaged.
Rich
Frozen vegetables? Peas ok, but otherwise go with fresh, sautéed mushrooms, onions, etc.
Rasa Malaysia
Frozen mixed vegetables were what I used. You don’t want to put mushroom and onions in fried rice as they have too much moisture in them and will make the fried rice soggy.
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Susan
To make a good fry rice dish is very simple and one does not have to rely on overnight rice. In order to have dry rice, one must use the right type of rice grain and the amount of water. Try using long grain, Jasmine or Basmati, add less water than usual. As soon as the ric is done, stir it with chopstick and leave it uncover until you are ready to use.
Another important note is what else are being added? Peas, chopped brocolli stem, beans, Chinese sausage, luncheon meat and eggs if cooked separately, will help to control the dryness of the fryrice.
SparklingRachel
Wow, thanks Steven for explaining some keys points about how to cook fried rice. It’s very insightful and I agreed, it not easy. I’ll definitely try that out when I cook fried rice again. :)
Steven
Hi,
Nice work! Not many people know the reason behind using ‘overnight rice). I thought I am the only one who know this secret! :-p
Another cheating method is use freshly cooked rice and spread rice evenly on a flat plate. Allow to cool for 15 minutes then put in the fridge (Not freezer) for 15 mins. ( Spread evenly and putting evening is to allow moisture to evaporate)
The reason why overnight rice taste so nice when cooking fried rice is because of the dryness of overnight rice. Freshly cooked rice has a high moisture content which makes the rice ‘sticks’ when cooking instead of ‘burn’. We want a certain degree of ‘burn’ but not over ‘burn’. When rice are ‘burn’, the aroma of the rice are forced out and combine with the seasoning, produce a tasty fried rice.
Fried rice is a very common dish and seems so easy to cook. In my opinion, it is one of the most difficult to cook. During the cooking, you need to toss the rice a few times so that the ‘burning’ of the fried rice is spread evenly. And you have to be careful not to overburn the rice.
Yes, Salted fish is recommended for fried rice because of the strong smell and the saltish taste but not too much.
Some notes, you need a good wok which you can toss easily. Reason is you need the oil to be evenly spread over the rice. Otherwise, the ‘burning’ will not be even. I prefer to use traditional cast iron wok. For beginners, start with servings of 1-2 so you can manage the rice easily. Also, have a feel of the ‘fire’, you can only use the big ‘fire’ for about 10-15 seconds and toss 5-6 times to create a good ‘burn’. A good cast iron wok can transfer this high heat intensity to the rice instantly. And finally, I have never taste a good fried rice cooked with electric or induction stove.
Thank you so much for posting the recipe.
Shannon
What is overnight rice?? You mean soak overnight or something? Please explain. Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
Overnight rice means leftover right that is kept in the fridge overnight.
Jerome
Is this recipe using 4 cups of cooked overnight rice or does it refer to the quantity 4 cups of uncooked rice gives. As rice is much larger once cooked. Thanks
Rasa Malaysia
4 cups of cooked rice.
Huffiz
Thanks for the recipe! we tried and we like it so much :)
Rasa Malaysia
Haha, now I know what I should make myself for lunch. Fried rice! :)
Marilyn
I have had fried rice with salted fish at restaurants before and loved it. I asked at the Chinsese grocery and they directed me to salted Mackarel.
Marilyn
OOPS – sent too soon. When I opened the package it really smelled. The recipe I was using did not say anything about cooking before adding to the rice dish I was making. I am afraid the smell turned my family off to the dish. Did I use the wront type? Or does cooking it first help. I cut in small pieces but think perhaps they should have been smaller.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Marilyn,
You should cut the salted fish to very tiny pieces and also deep fry them before adding to the fried rice.
Emile
Couldn’t get hold of the salted fish at short notice but it still came out awsomely tasty. I just love this website, its the best foody one I’ve ever come across. The pictures say so much more than words could ever say.
Mykitchen
I tried your fried rice recipe and loved it. The salted fish adds a lot of flavors to the fried rice. What a huge difference it makes to a somewhat plain fried rice dish.
Mykitchen
I tried your fried rice recipe and loved it. The salted fish adds a lot of flavors to the fried rice. What a huge difference it makes to a somewhat plain fried rice dish.
NYMY
Fried rice! I love fried rice. Fried rice is the most ordered dish in Chinese restaurants, I know because I work in one. Everyone just loves fried rice be it basic fried rice or chicken fried rice or shrimp fried rice. I love fried rice with salted fish.
My Taste Heaven
My mother has a Chinese fried rice recipe that I love, but your Chinese fried rice is loaded with all the good ingredients. I will try your recipe soon!
Anonymous
I love Chinese fried rice and I always order it at Chinese restaurants or Chinese take-outs. I like the idea of the leftover rice from Chinese restaurant and will try your Chinese fried rice recipe soon.
Anonymous
Can imagine the taste of the fried rice … hmmm.. yummy…. oh.. it would be more tastier if eat with Korean Kimchi (which I normally do and get it from this web site
http://www.kimchi-shan.blogspot.com/
jams. of course
yum!!
Azni
I love chinese fried rice. Your chinese fried rice recipe is so easy to follow. thanks.
chattygurl
Hi, I always order chicken and salted fish fried rice at one of my fave chinese restaurant, I even attempted to do it once but turned out very salty, may I ask what kind of salted fish did you use?
UnkaLeong
Have some rice left over. You just gave me an Idea for dinner tonight. Hmmm..No Kiam hu wor. Pinjam? Can? Hahahah…
CurryMee
I saw spring onions in the photo but it was not listed in the ingredients.
Chuck
Nothing beats fried rice, well maybe deluxe fried rice! March must have been fried rice month for food bloggers, ha!
tigerfish
Deluxe fried rice, anytime for me. I want it together with those chinese greens.
wmw
Wow, rice dishes here and there. I like. Was saying in Babe’s blog…there’s sambal belacan; tom yam; kampung; pattaya; pineapple and the list goes on…love most varieties. Yours look so yummy!
Cynthia
I’m intrigued by the fried rice with salted fish, I heard about that last year from a few fellow bloggers. Can’t wait for you to post that recipe.
daphne
love the dried shrimp idea. Sometimes, I add a tablespoon of sambal to stirfry the rice as well!
Kevin
Fried rice is so easy and so tasty. It is a great way to clean out the fridge at the end of the week.
Mochachocolata Rita
loveee ham yu gai lap chao fan…recently i made fried rice with miso paste and another one with roasted eel…try try ^_^
Laurie
Oh how I wish I could make this so it really tastes like Chinese fried rice!
It looks awesome!
Piggy
Hmm.. this is one dish that I still can’t do well… Love the pic of the rice, I feel that it’s calling out to me.. haha!
Ronald
Dear Madame
I just stumble upon your blog thru InterWined.com,
i am malaysian student in Italy, now doing my final year master thesis..
glad i found your blog, i have ran out of ideas on what to eat during lunch and dinner ( i prefer to cook)..
the worst i got to my craving of malaysian food was to cook a chicken curry (i made the sauce really thick and then put in some spaghetti..yummy!)
but since now i have your blog as guidance, i’ll try to cook any of the dish, given that i can find the ingredients in the market…
happy i found the blog!
Farina
chinese fried rice. u just cant go wrong w tht. ;)
Meena
I love fried rice! I always make sure I have some leftover rice waiting for me in the fridge for a quick and delicious supper anytime of the week. Mine always includes whatever I can scrounge from the fridge/freezer. :)
Nilmandra
I love salted fish and chicken fried rice, and so does the husband after he’s tried it last year. He always asks for it now when we go to our local Chinese restaurant :p There’s a lot of ‘stuff’ in your deluxe version!
Indonesia-Eats
I like overnight rice to make fried rice too :)
OkiHwn
I grew up eating fried rice flavored with hum ha (shrimp paste). Very smelly, but VERY TASTY! Same basic ingredients – lup cheong, char siu, ham, egg, green onion, round onion, etc. Salted fish is another great choice for flavoring.
Jennifer Purse
Do you have a recipe for the ‘hum ha’ ? I was married to a Cantonese born Australian Chinese and his family also made fried rice with ‘hum ha’
Many thanks
Jennifer
wenching & esiong
We like Chinese fried rice a lot too. Lately we added some kimchi into the fried rice, it went well too!