Let me show you how to make egg fried rice the easy way. Usually, when making this classic dish the uncooked egg is added to the wok with the rice. I don’t know about you, but that method is so hit-and-miss that you’re somewhat likely to end up with an unpleasant rice/egg mush. It’s better to sidestep the issue completely, go fool-proof and prepare your egg separately. The result is perhaps even more delicious; it’s certainly easier to appreciate and savour the egg. I may be a fool, but I’m a clever one.
Like my recipe forChinese crispy beef, egg fried rice is a staple of the modern British takeaway. As synonymous with Chinese takeaway as prawn crackers, it is almost too perfectly suited to British tastes. Of course, my recipe for egg fried rice is a little divergent from the norm, which tends to be a rather basic affair. Indeed, not only do the alterations enhance the ensemble, they transform it from a side dish into a hearty main meal.
Added to the mix is a generous portion of roughly chopped spring onions. Helping to improve the overall quality of the egg fried rice, the spring onions flavour the oil, bringing much needed freshness to an otherwise heavy dish. The other main difference is the size of the egg. In “traditional” egg fried rice the egg is small, almost scrambled. You may prefer it that way, but personally I think larger chunks of omelette work better, allowing you to savour its fluffy quality and taste. Enjoy them!
If it’s something a little spicier you’re after, but still have leftover rice to use up,check out my recipe for Singapore Fried Rice…
Egg Fried Rice
Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
200g long grain rice, cooked and left to go cold
3 eggs, whisked
3 tbsp groundnut oil
8 spring onions, in large chunks
1 clove of garlic, sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
Method:
To make the omelette heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a heavy based frying pan. With the pan over a medium heat, tip in the egg and cook through. Transfer the omelette to a plate, roll up and cut up into slices of about 2cm.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a wok on a high temperature. Tip in the spring onions and garlic and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the egg, toss, and quickly follow with the rice in two parts.
Cook the rice until heated through before seasoning with the soy sauce. Turn out into a large dish and drizzle over the sesame oil. Serve alone or as a side.
Cost:这是一个很简单的菜,不含particularly expensive ingredients. As such, even with a large bunch of spring onions it should set you back no more than around£1.50.
46 replies on “Egg Fried Rice”
You are absolutely right about the “egg mush” – great recipe
It happens sometimes and it just isn’t pleasant!
I usually cook my egg in the wok with the rice but your method is more like the Japanese omelette, tamagoyaki. In anycase, it looks delicious!
Fried rice is most definitely a frugal dish! Growing up, rice was on the table at nearly every meal, sometimes there were leftovers. Making fried rice was a quick and easy way to rid of leftovers–even meats and vegetables.
Exactly, Connie! I often do that too.
Ah – I’d never heard of tamagoyaki – definitely something to try. Thanks, Rosemary.
I usually cook the egg separately as incorporating the uncooked egg in to the wok does as you say not always work. My DD won’t eat eggs but will do if in rice so I look forward to trying this recipe as we are regular rice eaters. Thanks for this.
Fantastic – I hope you both enjoy. I prefer the taste too, as well as it being simpler.
My chinese mother taught me to cook the rice, vegetables & meat first, then make a well in the middle of the wok where you cook the egg in, before you stir it all together. The sides of the wok are the coolest parts so nothing should burn.
是的,这是我们学的方式e usually done it. I think also without a proper gas stove it can be quite difficult to achieve. This way is just simpler I find.
Looks delicious! (As usual…)
Thanks! I’m glad you think so.
I’m so hungry right now
Me too…
This is a great take on a classic. I find that when making fried rice at home, it’s always best to use leftover take-out rice as opposed to making your own. It tends to be dried and doesn’t turn out mushy after stir-frying.
Mine was leftover rice, but not takeout – seems silly to pay 3-4 times the right amount for rice!
这样一个伟大的技巧烹饪鸡蛋分开,certainly makes more sense. Pinned!
I just find it works much better…
That’s how my mum does the egg for fried rice or fried noodles. In Malaysia you’d also top it with fried anchovies as a garnish and to add saltiness, or another popular garnish is crispy fried shallots.
I love the idea of topping with crispy shallots – I’ll remember that!
我认为我们的地理位置发挥作用了吗?推荐-g in Australia where fried rice is a staple I have never heard of the egg not being made into a flat pancake before cooking the rest: quite surprised to read that! Shallots, prawns, ham slivers . . . these naturally are part of the story also . . .
Interesting – perhaps I’ll have to come up with an alternative with this in mind :D. Thanks!
Mmm, yes, prawn, ham, sausage, Chinese sausage, mushroom, peppers, chorizo, anything goes. As someone above said, fried rice is very much a leftovers dish. The traditional Malay way of making it also uses a base paste of prawn paste, fish sauce, finely chopped shallot, chilli, garlic, and sugar and salt. The next time you’re in an Asian shop, see if they stock little packets of Adabi brand “perencah”. My favourite ‘flavour’ is the “perencah bihun goreng” (for fried noodles). There’s a version made for fried rice as well, but I prefer the noodle version. Very slight difference – but have a go and see what you think. There’s a tom yam version I love as well. Technically you could just buy fresh or dry shrimp paste and make it up yourself with the other ingredients,, but I’m lazy, and the packets are relatively cheap. You just heat up your oil and fry this paste off first, then add everything else. It works for stir fry vegetables as well. It does end up a heavier dish overall, but if you throw in a variety of meat/tofu and veg then it’s a great meal on its own.
Sorry, I’ve gotten a bit evangelical…it is just one of my favouritest things ever. I’m away on work just now, and my partner was telling me he had fried rice the other night (he makes it Malaysian style now as well), so I was thinking about it and your post was so timely
Definitely a helpful comment! I’ll have to do another version at some point go get a handle on some more of these flavourings. I’m actually going to take a trip to my local Asian supermarket tomorrow. Stay tuned.
There’s a Japanese dish you might like called oyakodon. Thought I’d let ya know.
Thank you! I looked it up, loved it and now might do my own rendition this weekend!
Yum! the egg always gets lost in mine when I add it with the rice so this is a nice way to keep it separate and fully appreciate the egg flavour!
Exactly and it tastes so much better!
Oh, yummy!
Oh, it certainly was!
Great idea to do the eggs separately. I usually get it right in the wok but, when it goes wrong, there’s no pulling it back.
Don’t pretend like it ever goes wrong for you, Conor.
Of course not. Great pre cycling food too BTW.
Nah – post cycling. I never eat proper food before a ride…
At my age, the pre feeding and taking on water etc is vital. Otherwise, there will be a body found dehydrated like the Clonycavan Man lying in a ditch somewhere up the Wicklow mountains.
I drink and might have a snack or something, but I tend to just consistently fuel on a ride and then carb pack after a ride to enable me to function for the rest of the day.
My fail-proof way of adding egg to fried rice is to push the rice to one side of the pan, add a little bit more oil to the empty side, add beaten eggs and fry the egg till it’s almost cooked, then mix through the rice. When you mix egg into the rice directly that’s when mush happens. Try it next time!
I prefer this method in terms of flavour and texture too. It’s not just about the simplicity. I can do egg fried rice the other way – you try my way
So many ways to do the same dish huh?! I do like your idea of doing the egg first as you can be assured it’s cooked which is important when feeding stuff like this to sprogs with delicate stomachs!
However, I do the Ken Hom method of frying off spring onions, ginger and garlic, then the cooled cooked basmati rice,ensuring it gets covered nicely with the oil onion mixture. In the meantime, whisk eggs and add toasted sesame seed oil, pushing my rice to the side then cooking egg before combining. Then adding soy sauce to colour it up.
Mind you, I don’t use a wok for this but a very heavy based frying pan. Me and woks have a bit of sticking issue which gets me in a tizzy.
Minor point but might be worth saying in your step 1 above that it’s ground nut oil that the egg is cooked in.
Oh look….now I have a craving for egg fried rice!
Exactly. I think it works better flavour wise – simplicity isn’t my only justification. I have tried Ken Hom’s method and it’s ok, but I wasn’t bowled over. I have a craving again for it too.
Ok, Im glad im not the only one who has totally failed with (mushy)eggs in a wok… but they always make it look so easy!! And now, so do you
Haha – sometimes it just messes up and isn’t nice, so you may as well go fool proof. Plus, I prefer it.
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