Chixe

I love fried rice and cooking chinese food in general... my favorite kitchen implement is the wok and I try to use it for everything :)

Great video too! So no soy sauce added at all?

@Mike,

So no soy sauce added at all?

=If you like soya sauce, just add it. It makes the dish delicious too.

A chef once told me it would taste great with only salt. I heeded his advice and found him right.

Cool I'll have to try that with only salt!

@loism: how long does it usually take for the garlic and stuff to become fragant? also, do you just throw a raw egg in there?

It's a shame I dont have a real wok, its more like a very deep skillet or frying pan...

Usually I use fish sauce to substitute salt. It gives a stronger flavour than just plain salt.

@Vidar: It doesn't take long for the garlic to become fragrant, but usually I put in the onions first because if you brown the garlic too long, it loses it punch in the dish and I like mine with a little stronger garlic flavour.

What you usually do is throw in the raw egg before adding the rice and let it cook for a while before adding the rice. If you put in the egg last, the rice will become soggy and stick to each other rather than having them as individual grains. The secret to a good fried rice is that every grain is separate rather than together.

Also another secret to a good fried rice is that the rice has to be cooked a few hours beforehand (preferably overnight left over rice) and allowed to cool. This makes the rice drier than when it's just cooked allowing you to fry and break it up easier.

That is definitely the proper method.

For variety I will sometimes use a bit of sesame oil and sesame seeds in with it. But my favourite is almost exactly as you've described it above.

@Kamigoroshi,

What you usually do is throw in the raw egg before adding the rice and let it cook for a while before adding the rice. If you put in the egg last, the rice will become soggy and stick to each other rather than having them as individual grains.

Thanks for the useful tip but mine is a skill recently acquired from an old chef from Penang, Malaysia, through 'trial and error'(hehehe). He taught me to make a well in the rice then throw in the raw egg. He did the same thing to fried Kway Tiaw(a kind of Chinese broad rice noodles).Once it starts to spread and become golden, mix it very quickly with the rice. It won't make it soggy. As I have mentioned earlier, the wok has to be preheated over low heat for an equal distribution of heat. The heat makes the egg puff up almost immediately. It is a very challenging skill but worth trying.

Your style is a popularly-practised one and it promises great taste! And the use of overnight rice is a pre-requisite. I have accidentally omitted that detail, sorry. It is easier with a much lower risk of failure. Oops! Sorry again, I seem to have deviated from the topic. I am supposed to be sharing a 'simple' fried rice recipe!

I have always loved to learn different techniques of cooking from experienced cooks and chefs(and from you and other 9rulers too). Look at the video and you can see that the rice doesn't stick together.
Enclosed herewith is the shot of the fried rice:

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Hey Wait!I've forgotten the fish sauce! Thanks for mentioning it. The chef who taught me the recipe had ever mentioned it.Every one, do try fish sauce for fried rice.It gives fried rice a very rich taste.

@Vidar
Kamigoroshi was right.

@Kamigoroshi
Thanks for your helpfulness in providing the useful information to Vidar. Why don't we start sharing our secret recipes with each other?
All my friends on 9rules, if you have any pointers or suggestions, please kindly let me know.
Have a blessed day.

@Ozone42,

For variety I will sometimes use a bit of sesame oil and sesame seeds in with it

I have ever tried this flavour. Mmm, Korean fried rice! It tastes really well with sesame oil and sesame seeds.

I will try it out for sure!

What you usually do is throw in the raw egg before adding the rice and let it cook for a while before adding the rice. If you put in the egg last, the rice will become soggy and stick to each other rather than having them as individual grains.

Say, that sounds like risotto! =)

lolism: Strangely I found that to be a wonderful video. Nothing like the sizzle of a wok to make my stomach grumble.

The "golden" fried rice technique is a hard one to achieve but usually it shouldn't contain anything else but the egg and the rice. Even so, what I do is beat the egg first before adding it to the wok at low flame with nothing else in it. Then the moment I do that I add the rice, turn the heat to maximum and stir everything in so that it coats the rice nicely.

The only problem with this is that it takes timing and you have to prepare the rice beforehand by breaking it up into as much individual grains as possible(which is why you need cold cooked rice). If you don't do this before hand, the egg won't coat the rice properly and create the desired effect. Plus if you want to cheat a little, a little turmeric goes well, not enough that you can taste but enough that it helps bring out that yellow. That's why I don't do it often unless I'm out to impress people. lots or preparation for a dish that's just egg and rice. :)

On the subject of fried rice, another way of ensuring that the rice breaks evenly is to use a metal wok (not the non stick or stainless steel ones. Usually black and you have to oil it after every wash or it'll rust) and a metal spatula. It handles the heat better and the rice doesn't stick the bottom of the wok with the continuous tossing (and scraping) with the spatula. You need a good arm for this to properly mix all the ingredients together with the rice evenly especially when you're cooking for more than one person.

Long grain rice always gives the best results, but medium grain will do in a pinch. Never use short grain rice for fried rice. If the rice absorbs too much moisture, it'll become soggy.

There are a lot of little tweaks in cooking fried rice though and surprisingly, it's not as simple as it seems, at least if you got picky taste buds like mine. Then again, I've been cooking since I was 8 and food is always a good hobby to invest in. :)

Almost forgot, if you're using sesame seeds or sesame oil. Add the sesame seeds to the oil first when you're starting to fry. Add the sesame oil last by sprinkling it lightly on top of the rice as you're tossing it.

Sesame oil is a fragrant oil and shouldn't be used in high heat or it'll break down. It shouldn't be used too much either because it's a strong tasting oil.

The seeds however will break as you're frying so releasing the fragrance, the moment it starts to brown, that's when it's good so time it right.

Fresh Kimchi is a great additive to fried rice if you've got no time to add vegetables to it. Of course, kimchi is an acquired taste and I know quite a few people that don't like its strong taste. Plus you probably have to know a Korean who knows how to make kimchi. I just happen to live with one who taught me how to make it from scratch and for some reason I'm now addicted to it.

Ah that's why my rice stuck together..... I put the egg in last! Duh lol. Not sure how I missed that one, but I'm sure glad to know the right way to cook it now.

Sticky rice is good too, but usually I have that more towards sweet than savory.

Thanks gratefully for your participation. Maybe I should show you how I did my own version of fried rice in a new video.

I would like to stress again that my fried rice doesn't stick.

@Mike

Yours may stick in the beginning but after much practice It won't be a problem.

However, stick to the one mentioned by kamigoroshi if you do not wish to waste your rice. Doing it by trial and error may be wasteful.

Good day every one. Let's go on having an endless adventure with food.

@kamigoroshi,

The only problem with this is that it takes timing and you have to prepare the rice beforehand by breaking it up into as much individual grains as possible(which is why you need cold cooked rice). If you don't do this before hand, the egg won't coat the rice properly and create the desired effect. Plus if you want to cheat a little, a little turmeric goes well, not enough that you can taste but enough that it helps bring out that yellow. That's why I don't do it often unless I'm out to impress people. lots or preparation for a dish that's just egg and rice. :)

Ya, you're right. I;ve lost count of the amount of rice I have wasted. You have known golden fried rice very well. Have you ever read a Japanese Cookery comic which features the recipe in one episode? I can't remember the exact name in English but it can be translated as 'Great Gourmet'(I hope I am right with the effort). In Chinese, it is 'Da Si Ge'.

Great idea of how to use the sesame oil. Kudos to you. I also doff my hat for you. Your experience has blown me away......

@Shadowsun7,

Say, that sounds like risotto! =)

It is not a risotto dish. If you can work with the spatula fast enough, the rice will not be sticking together like lovers do(hehe)

I had actually wanted to share a similar recipe to the one given by Kamigoroshi but decided to post a little trickier one in the end, to add something different to the simplicity.

//lolism: Strangely I found that to be a wonderful video. Nothing like the sizzle of a wok to make my stomach grumble.//

Thank you, Shadowsun7.

Man, I gotta try this. I love Chinese sausage in my fried rice. I haven't made it for years. The best batch I made was in college and that was completely by accident. Time to cultivate some sort of technique!

The "make a well in the food" technique is a little hard, at least for me. I've tried it before, especially when making a sauce along with whatever i'm cooking. I always try to add a little corn starch to it to make it thicker (i like sauces to be thick and sticky, not liquid), but it's not as easy as it sounds.

Also, would fried rice taste good if I were to throw some sugar in it while cooking?

@Kami: ask your roommate if it's true that you can make kimchi with just about any vegetable and not just chinese cabbage, please.

@loism: You mean Cooking Master Boy? The first dish he cooked in the manga was the fried rice. Believe it or not, that's where I got the idea in the first place. Then it was a matter of getting the technique right.

I did do it by trial and error anyway. But I did eat everything I cooked. I had plenty of time on my hands anyway. Waste not want not right?

@Estarla: By any chance is it called "lap cheong"? Often long, looks dried out and tough if you overcook it? I haven't had those in a while. They are great in fried rice. :)

@Vidar: You can't. You definitely need chinese cabbage. Even though you can add other things like onion and shredded carrots (which we do add in his recipe). It would not be kimchi without the cabbage unfortunately.

(Is making a batch of chicken fried rice right now)

Kamigoroshi,

@loism: You mean Cooking Master Boy? The first dish he cooked in the manga was the fried rice. Believe it or not, that's where I got the idea in the first place. Then it was a matter of getting the technique right.

=Exactly! I did try the recipe two years ago. How wonderful to have a chance to talk about fried rice with you.By the way, have you ever read 'Cooking papa' by Totti Ueyama?

//I did do it by trial and error anyway. But I did eat everything I cooked. I had plenty of time on my hands anyway. Waste not want not right?//

Very well said and I should be like you. It's a shame that I threw too much of it in the past(an invisible hammer hits me on the head/bang!/.

//@Vidar: You can't. You definitely need chinese cabbage. Even though you can add other things like onion and shredded carrots (which we do add in his recipe). It would not be kimchi without the cabbage unfortunately.//

@ Vidar
Kimchi is another favourite of mine. I picked up the skill from my sister. She had learnt the skill from a Korean sister.

However, it's hard to get the kimchi chili sauce in Sarawak. I am not sure if I can get it in Kuala Lumpur but I will go there three weeks from now.

I have made my persoanl version of kimchi sauce. Instead of using imported sauce. I made it last year. I ground fresh chilies and cooked it with sugar and rice flour till it thickened. When it had cooled, I added in seaweed(what does it call in Japanese?), toasted sesame seeds, Chinese spring onions, grated apples, Korean fish sauce, onions, pounded garlic and dried fish flakes. No vinegar is used for this recipe. I seasoned it with salt. I rubbed the sauce to every piece of cabbage leave(it must be cleaned with salt and be squeezed by hand to drain it of excess water) and store it in an air-tight glass container.

Since Malaysia is hot and humid, I put it in the refrigerator for a month. The taste was quite like the Korean Kimchi.

@Kamigoroshi (or any one)
Do you know other recipes for Kimchi?

From what I hear, even if you somehow manage to complete ruin the batch of kimchi you're currently working on, it would still taste great. Not sure though, other than the chinese cabbage and the chili, all the other ingredients required for making it are kinda pricey here.

@Vidar

all the other ingredients required for making it are kinda pricey here.

You are right. One container of Kimchi sauce may cost RM15(maybe the equivalent of US 4.50) in my hometown Miri. I saw a few just now in a supermarket but they were made in Japan. I'd rather make my own version of the pickled cabbage. Other than being used for fried rice. It is great for soup. The taste is different from the Korean version though.

@Estarla,

I love Chinese sausage in my fried rice. I haven't made it for years.

Similarly, I haven't made the one with 'Lap Cheong' for years.
Why don't we make ourselves one this week and share the experience....
Have a nice day....

Well, kimchi is fermented pickled cabbage. Not much to ruin there but the smell is sure strong because it's got to be made in bulk and fermented.

As far as I know, it's pretty cheap to get all the things here maybe because at the end of it, after making the kimchi, it'll last a good couple of months and that's assuming you're eating it twice a day everyday.

The only special ingredient I know is the kimchi chili and that comes in paste form in a box. The rest of it are just vegetables.

Aside from fried rice and a side dish, you can also use it in one of those Korean pancakes. Also delicious but that's a different thin altogether than the topic.

So, Let us be well-indulged in the plain charm of fried rice in our own ways.
Viva, fried rice.

alright! next course, gyoza!

I know gyoza. It is another recipe which I picked up from others.

Eh, it works for me. But to be honest mine is always from the take-away. I need to cook more with rice!

I love fried rice, but prefer Japanese food over Chinese food (at least the Chinese we get in most places in the US... BLECH)