Stop Overthinking Fried Rice

This video uses the traditional steaming method to prepare fried rice, albeit using a little 'hack' that we thought up to easily port the method to a western kitchen.
0:00 - Preparing the Rice
0:38 - The Par-boil and Steam Method
2:45 - Frying up Osmanthus Egg (optional)
3:27 - Frying Rice
4:22 - Why do people tell you to use day old rice?
TO STEAM THE RICE
Rinse 230g (~1 metric cup) of Jasmine or any other medium grain rice (e.g. Calrose). Par boil for three minutes. Drain, keeping in a strainer. Rinse your pot and add in two inches of water, and get that up to a boil.
Spread the rice evenly on the strainer, and poke a couple holes in the rice. Place the strainer on the bubbling pot. Cover, wrapping the lid with a damp towel (foil is also ok). Steam for 15 minutes.
Transfer to a plate.
SIMPLE EGG AND SCALLION FRIED RICE
Add ins: Egg, ~2, beaten; Scallion, ~40g
Seasoning for the egg: salt, 1/8 tsp; sugar, 1/8 tsp
Soy sauce, ~2 tsp
Seasoning for the rice: salt, ½ tsp; sugar, 1 tsp; white pepper, ¼ tsp; MSG, ¼ tsp
Lard/oil for frying: 1 tbsp for the egg, 1.5 tbsp for the rice
Add the seasoning to the egg and beat well. Slice the scallions.
If going for osmanthus egg, over a medium low flame add the egg in a thin stream while stirring constantly. Continue to ‘smush’ it against your pan/wok for ~3-4 minutes until the egg is set and quite broken up. Alternatively, just scramble the egg. Either way, scooch to the side.
Add the remaining lard/oil, mix with the rice. Once combined, mix everything together. Fry for about ~1 minute, then add in the soy sauce. Fry for another minute. Add in the seasoning, and mix well. Add in the scallions, heat off.
PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE
Add ins: Pineapple, ~1/2 cup; Egg, ~1, beaten; spam, ~150g; scallion, ~2 sprigs
Dice the pineapple and the spam. Season the egg with a sprinkle of salt and sugar. Slice the scallions. Fry the egg, followed by the rice. Add in the spam and the seasoning. Fry those together for ~30 seconds, then add in the pineapple chunks. Shut off the heat, add in the scallions, mix. Optionally serve in a cored pineapple topped with pork floss.
SHACHA BEEF FRIED RICE
Add ins: Beef loin, 200g, marinated (see marinade below); garlic, 3 cloves; ginger, ~1cm; Teochew Shacha sauce (沙茶酱), 4 tsp
Marinade for the beef: salt, 1/2 tsp; sugar, 1 tsp; cornstarch, 1 tsp; soy sauce, 1/2 tsp; liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine, 1 tsp; oyster sauce, 1 tsp; oil to coat, 1 tsp
Finely dice the beef (or just use ground beef, also ok), mix it with the marinade. Mince the garlic and the ginger. Fry the beef, scooch to the side. Fry the aromatics until fragrant, then add in the Shacha sauce. Fry for ~30 seconds. Add in the rice, and after quick coat with the oil, combine everything and fry for ~2 minutes. Add in the seasoning and give it a quick fry.
WESTERN FRIED RICE
Video on the topic is here: • “Western” Fried Rice (...
Add ins: Onion, ½; Ketchup, 5 tbsp; Hotdog or Spam, ~75g; Char Siu BBQ Pork or Honey Ham, ~75g; Tomato, ½; Red Bell Pepper, ½
Finely mince the onion. Dice the hot dog, Char Siu, tomato, and red bell pepper.
Fry the onion until translucent, then add in the ketchup. Fry for ~3 minutes until the oil separates from the ketchup. Add the hot dog and the Char Siu, fry for ~30 seconds. Optionally hit with ~1 tbsp of Shaoxing wine, add in the rice. Fry everything together for ~2 minutes. Optionally season with a teaspoon of soy sauce, and add in the seasoning. Add the tomato and bell bepper, ~15 second fry.
GUIZHOU-ISH GUAILU FRIED RICE
‘Ish’ because the following’s got a couple western sourcing related shortcuts. Full video is here: • “Western” Fried Rice (...
Add ins: Hunan Chopped Chilis or Lao Gan Ma Pickled Chili, 1 tbsp; Garlic, 3 Cloves; Ginger, 1 inch; Scallion, ~2 sprigs, white and green parts separated; Bacon, 2-3 slices; Suancai fermented cabbage or Kimchi, 15g; Canned Kidney Beans, ~1/4 cup; Cilantro, ~2 sprigs
Dark Soy Sauce, 1 tbsp
Soy Sauce, 1 tsp
Seasoning: salt, 1/8 tsp; sugar, ½ tsp; MSG, ¼ tsp; dark Chinese vinegar, 2 tsp
In a mortar, pound together the chopped chili together with the garlic, ginger, and white part of the scallion. Cut the bacon into ~1 inch strips. Rinse the slime off the kidney beans. Mince the fermented vegetable. Slice the cilantro and scallion greens.
In a bit of oil or lard, fry the bacon until it renders out all of the grease. Remove, set aside. Add in the pounded chili paste mixture, fry for ~3-5 minutes until the oil’s obviously clear again. Add in the fermented vegetable and beans. Quick fry, add in the rice. Fry for ~2 minutes, then swirl in the soy sauces. Fry for another minute until incorporated. Add in the seasoning, mix, add in the scallion greens and cilantro.
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/ chinesecookingdemystified
Outro Music: คิดถึงคุณจัง by ธานินทร์ อินทรเทพ
Found via My Analog Journal (great channel): • Live Stream: Favourite...

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Hey guys, a few notes: 1. IMPORTANT CORRECTION: Jasmine rice is apparently categorized as a long grain rice, not medium grain. I'd always thought of it as 'medium', as it behaves quite differently to other long grain rices like Basmati, and much closer to something like Calrose (which *is* a medium grain). While this might feel like a small mix-up, that quick suggestion of "or any medium grain rice" MIGHT lead to issues, as apparently risotto rices are also technically categorized as 'medium'... and would unequivocally *not* work, as those are unpolished rices. What I can tell you with confidence is that both Jasmine rice and Calrose rice will work for this method :) 2. I know that this is our… nth video on Fried Rice. Apologies, we just wanted to have a good 101 sort of video out there that (1) used the steaming method together *with* (2) our ‘made for the western kitchen’ strainer hack. Something I could send people on /r/askculinary or whatnot if they’re struggling with fried rice. Previously, the strainer thing was sort of hidden inside of our Western Fried Rice video, which was a fun one but not really the best introduction to the technique. 3. The downside to steaming in a fine mesh strainer is that you do have an upper limit on portion size. 230g of rice is a pretty respectable quantity (and I’d gather you could probably push it to ~280g depending on your strainer?), but to get those huge extended family sized quantities you would want to invest in one of these: www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Anti-Scald-Steamed-Restaurant-Steamer/dp/B08CN68PBM 4. We went over steaming rice in a steaming basket before (here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpurgqKPdtVsf5I ), but to be completely honest, I personally haven’t looked back ever since we slapped together this strainer hack. I just… really really dislike having to wash the starchy rice cloth after steaming. 5. One of the nice things about using steamed rice over leftover rice is just how quickly everything comes together. With leftover rice, you really need to work to break up the clumps (I know some people ‘pre-break-up’ the rice, but we find that really runs the risk of breaking the grains themselves). 6. Quick heads up, I might have been slightly guilty of doing the ‘recipe writer underestimates timing’ thing with the 30 minutes. If you’re firing on all cylinders, efficiently moving from one step to the next… it could be done in 30 minutes. In the real world where you’re making a couple other dishes, listening to music, having a couple beers? Timed myself the other day - probably more like 40-45. 7. Oh, I know I might've triggered some people dumping the rice boiling water down the drain haha. In some places in China (Sichuan for sure, but elsewhere too I think?), people will keep the water, season it, and drink it as a soup... which's called 米汤. Alternatively, if you have plants, rice boiling water is *fantastic* to water plants with (let it cool down first of course!). I just wanted to keep this video as tight as possible, and we ended up cutting out a small aside on the topic. The next video - an intense primer on seitan making, including a couple different recipes - is still in the works (cutting it tomorrow). Just sort of wanted to get this one off our chests first :)

[@Ghi102]

My 100% western family (no trace of Asia anywhere) also uses rice water as a drink when someone is sick (like chicken noodle soup, say)

[@johnnychang4233]

Is there such a thing as a metric cup?🤔

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

@@johnnychang4233250mL and not 236mL :)

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

@@Ghi102 Interesting! Where's your family from?

[@vilhelmwereen1406]

Yet another fantastic video. Doesn’t matter if it was the nth one on fried rice. This one just makes sense for us that don’t always have leftover rice at home. I keep getting amazed by your videos. You keep them together, sticking to the topic and the theme (easiness to cook, deed dives into history, longer recipes) and there is just so much love for food. Extra plus for mentioning options for vegetarian and vegan options. It makes it so much more including for us who don’t eat meat. You are an amazing source for anyone looking to start to cook chinese cuisine. I know what I’m frying up tonight!

[@milotheviewer]

It’s really funny how I went to my local supermarket to find msg, only to get frustrated walking up and down the aisle until I saw a white powder in a shaker labeled “accent: flavor enhancer.” I thought “hmm, MSG was demonized for a while in the US, so maybe it’s marketing” and lo and behold, the ingredients listed one thing: monosodium glutamate. I was both bewildered and pleasantly surprised at my discovery.

[@pretendtobenormal8064]

MSG is King of flavor. Fuiyoh!!!

[@CastleDoctrineJr]

I buy a "chicken bullion powder" that lists salt and msg before anything even remotely related to chicken and it works wonders

[@billzigrang7005]

Ajinomoto is another (Japanese) brand of MSG widely available in the US. Fuiyoh!

[@mfaizsyahmi]

One of these days somebody should've come up with a label that unabashedly say, in big letters, "Make Shit Good"

[@samsowden]

There so many other sources of msg in any case...

[@haileybalmer9722]

Okay. I just tried this. I have thoughts. 1) It works really well 2) It's delicious 3) Clean up was easy Yep, I'm gonna keep doing this.

[@ochiai3]

also cleans most of the leftover ingredients in the fridge

[@haohuajiang526]

@@ochiai3 yeah, Chinese grandmas basically throw every refrigerator leftover into fried rice, and it is still delicious. It can be cucumber, carrot, and egg and it will be beef/shrimp ham and egg tomorrow.

[@Rengokutm]

Second this. Holy moly, this was a game changer

[@fajarsetiawan8665]

What I truly love about this channel is the attention on the mindset of a home cook and simple things that may not be a problem in commercial cookery but present in homecookery. And this video is one of the great example. Thank you. p.s. that egg basket is SUPER FREAKING CUTE!!!!!

[@lonestarr1490]

If you like that basket, you'll LOVE the FOYO Egg Separator ;)

[@ninnusridhar]

I completely agree with this philosophy for cooking. A lot of internet chefs and "critics" get too into the restaurant side of food and ignore that 99.6% of people cooking that dish are not going to be using restaurant grade equipment. We dont have a jet engine wok burner or a tandoor in our homes. We cook with what we have, and it's freaking delicious. Don't overcomplicate simple food lol

[@casperd2100]

Nah, there's a reason why those chefs make recipes that require commercial grade equipment. It's because the recipes are made for other chefs, not home cooks. Food made by chefs using commercial grade equipment tastes infinitely better than food made by a home cook using a non-stick fry pan and a baby burner. There are tons of home cook youtubers like Adam Ragusea, Babish, Joshua Weissman, and this channel that make recipes for home cooks, but a fried rice made by a chef using a jetfuel burner and wok takes the "Fried" out of the rice that Chris made in this video.

[@ninnusridhar]

@@casperd2100 i sincerely doubt most KZbin chefs cook as instruction for commerical chefs. Most of them are intended for home cooks or purely for entertainment more than anything else. It's fun watching a professional do their job with skill. It's not something that's logical to try and replicate. And the point of commercial equipment is to produce a specific product. Yes, Sichuan food cooked on a 150k BTU burner provides a complex flavour. Yes, North Indian food cooked in a real coal tandoor has a char flavour that's impossible to really replicate. But it's also important to realise that we don't have those things in our homes. We cook on a normal stove, we use carbon steel frying pans for our rotis, and we use non stick to cook with. With the advent of food "critics" who extol "Authenticity" this problem gets even worse. Most of these reviews ignore the philosophy of the dish and look purely at the recipe. Which is a travesty for cuisine.

[@ruedelta]

@@ninnusridhar Well no, that's not the point. The authenticity conversation is held in the cultural context where there is a very vibrant restaurant culture and availability of cheap eats from a chef is common (and thus this is where the cuisine is best represented). This is not the case in much of the Anglosphere wherein home cooking dominates, and that is why authenticity seems stifling. The reality is, they're just having a conversation that doesn't matter to the culture that you are used to/adapting to. The reality is that fried rice has two separate contexts - one for restaurants, the other for home cooks. In places where the restaurant context should impact the home cook context, the authenticity argument is not only valid but welcome. In places where these two are kept separate, it is inappropriate. For most Chinese, the first case is the valid one, but understandably when living in a country without a strong restaurant culture it is liable that the second case becomes the valid one. Or in other words, not all Chinese are equal, and the fight between diaspora wanting recognition/admission and those "back home" wanting to be recognized as having a different context from the diaspora is always going to be an ongoing fight that is largely invisible to outsiders. (And the same holds true for Indians, at least from personal observation.)

[@jrmint2]

@@ninnusridharfood is a hobby. Both eating and cooking it. Even if one is just an armchair cook. Pursuing the ultimate, is fun and educational. It spreads the knowledge around and raises our skillsets in the kitchen. Most of us are aware that pursing restaurant quality dishes at home might be in vain, but it’s still fun to try and push the boundaries. There’s nothing wrong w that. And the content creators know this and provide both information and entertainment.

[@MilwaukeeWoman]

@@jrmint2 Yep. I'm going to watch it done the hard way, learn what I can, and then adapt to what I can an am willing to do. But I want to see the chef's way.

[@TF_NowWithExtraCharacters]

If you're struggling with what other ingredients to put in, just remember: this is home cooking and there are many regional styles. Don't stress about the authenticity (unless you're specifically trying to mimic a style) but instead focus on what would go well in terms of flavours and textures. - You'll want them all roughly the same small size so the cooking time will be predictable, you can avoid overcooking that way. And small because you'd prob eat fried rice with chopsticks or a spoon and you want the ingredients to fit. - You'd want a variety of textures. Something crunchy, something solid to sink into, maybe something chewy, things like that. Mixed peas and diced carrots are common for that reason. I've had the stems of kai lan (something like a brocolini) sliced into thick rings as one of the ingredients, it works well too. - Usually you'd want a protein as the "highlight" of the dish. Diced shrimp has a nice pop, that works well. Diced up spam has that intense burst of salty umami, you can basically try swapping that for any cured meat (smoked duck breast, anyone?) You can also just go with diced chicken, or any other meat sliced small enough, I just personally like the cured meat route. If you're looking for a meat-free option, substitutes work, or you can explore mushrooms. I'd say the only thing that probably won't work well is something soft/mushy. - Another optional ingredient: some sort of crispy topping. Pork floss? Good. Dried fried anchovies? Good. Fried shallots/garlic chips? Yeah that'll work too. Chili crisp? Go for it! Plain ol' chopped nuts will also work. As long as the flavour combo works with the rest of the dish, it's worth a try. Worst case scenario, file that under "I'm not going to try that again" and you'd still have a perfectly edible meal.

[@ConfusedGeriatric]

God damn your comment made me so hungry, great info too! Thank you 🙏

[@mikieswart]

my mother in law uses super firm tofu fried really well, makes for a great veggie alternative to a protein, can barely tell it isn’t diced up chicken

[@fjiordor]

Fried Rice has for me become a tool that is mostly used to never waste food. I will make an involved recipe on day 1 and have people over to eat it and by just tossing everything together into a fried rice on day 2 I can simple not worry about portion size and cook plentiful portions. As long as you have a protein source, the easiest being egg, fried rice is in my opinion extremely forgiving, because anything that tastes good with rice will taste good mixed into fried rice and with egg and scallions(or peas, corn, leftover sprouts, carrot, etc,) you always have a good base to add if you are missing something. I think it is a mistake defining fried rice to rigidly when in essence it is just flavorful fried up rice with "stuff" in it and that "stuff" can take incredibly diverse forms.

[@nicholaslau3194]

I have to disagree on that. Yes, there are "fried" rice dishes where it is more like mixed rice, but at best it tastes just like mixed rice. On the other hand, there are non-fried rice dishes that taste immensely better by using a basic fried rice base, example being HK-style baked pork chop rice. The difference in night and day using fried rice base instead of plain rice. It is possible to replicate using electric burners and non-stick pans, though you still need high heat and a lot of oil. There is just a distintive fried flavor that mixed rice doesn't have.

[@lilpeanutish]

@@nicholaslau3194 Are you seriously gatekeeping what fried rice should be? rofl If its cooked rice that's been stir fried, then its by definition fried rice. "Mixed rice" is just... plain rice that's been mixed with other ingredients, not necessarily cooked together. Over here, that'd be cai fan or economy rice, which is a completely different thing. Fried rice is also a basic home staple for countless families to use up excess ingredients/leftovers stirfried with rice, and there's no further requirement beyond that. My family literally just made some with extra turkey ham the other week from Xmas. You don't even need wok hei for it, although it'd definitely be a plus if you had it. Stop making it more complicated than it really is.

[@RCTricking]

Amen.thinking of leftovers + random pantry items as a fun challenge to assemble vs a pain has helped me with budget meals recently 🎉

[@iclicklike3397]

It's not only about fried rice. Leftovers of lots of dishes can be fried up as it is the next day, it often tastes even better than it did originally.

[@ramelchilds7416]

I love that this doesn't NEED leftover rice because I rarely have it left over so great recipe!

[@slipperynickels]

it was liberating when i finally internalized that "fried rice" is just rice that's fried and everything else you add is entirely just whatever you want. my favorite fried rice is 0% traditional and it's delicious, just made it up on the fly one day. i still mostly use rice from the day before, but it's entirely out of convenience.

[@KinLee919]

Yes, u can put anything in your fried rice, we have freid rice stall here in china, u choose what u want from like 2 dozens different ingredients, and the seller will make a freid rice with what ever ingredients u choose. Chicken beef squid tofu anything.

[@888SpinR]

Exactly! I'm tired of seeing what is meant to be a dead simple dish be blown up into a culture war by people who don't even know the culture to begin with. It's in the name. Add anything you like, it's no less authentic because of it (but if the dish turns out bad that's on you).

[@DawnAfternoon]

The only wrong way to cook a fried rice is if you deep fry rice. Now that is just making every asian's ancestors cry.

[@lunascomments3024]

if you can't cook fried rice, don't try to shortcut it by saying "make anything you want"

[@amalgamidol]

@@lunascomments3024 the entire point of the video is that fried rice is an easy, quick and flexible dish 😭 If you have rice and egg and you fry it in a pan with oil it's fried rice. Adding untraditional ingredients doesn't change that, especially in a home cooking setting

[@lemonmelon8095]

I love the approach this channel takes towards not just Chinese cuisine, but cooking in general. It has given me a lot more confidence in the kitchen, and I've whipped up more than a few tasty dishes for my family! Keep it up guys, love your content!

[@Sickdudenomnomnom]

I love this channel and the almost educational approach it takes to explain what really are the key points to get a dish right. A lot of times FoodTubers don‘t realise they have an explanatory gap, where they know something, because they‘ve done it a million times, but for the viewer it might be the first video they watch. Never had anything like that here and I really enjoy the chill tone of your videos!

[@blackironslayer7228]

This channel is gold in general, but this video may be one of your most important yet. It's going to save people so much headaches.

[@bryan8356]

I rarely comment on KZbin videos, but I have to say: I followed your directions exactly on how to cook and steam the rice and it came out perfect. It was, and I am happy to say, one of the best meals I have ever made, and I owe you the credit. Thanks!

[@mikifert]

I’d absolutely love to see more content like this on your channel - basically the kind of simple recipes that don’t require a wok / any other specialized equipment.

[@robypeng]

The steam rice cooking method reminds me of my younger days where my parents used to run a restaurant. They used literally the same method to have the rice in the restaurant. They cooked it in a big wok, then put an iron support in the center, filled it with water, and wait till it reached just before a boiling point. Then they used a big pan (like a round bake pan) and put the washed rice there. Next they put the water on the rice till one part above of your finger and adjust the rice evenly. They closed the big wok with a big lid and put towels/clothes to seal, just like in the video. To me, this method make the rice feels more enjoyable to bite and feels perfect, compare to using a rice cooker.

[@diegomediavilla9016]

Fun tip: Aromatic rice cultivars like basmati or jasmine are usually a little bit too delicate to be used alone in a fried rice dish, so restaurants (at least where I live) usually cook up a mix of equal parts jasmine rice (for the aroma) and common long grain rice (for the structural mesh) specifically intended to be used as fried rice.

[@jrmint2]

lol, in our family we cook a steamed rice up 50/50 jasmine and japonica, bc we like a bit softer chewier rice w the aroma and firmness of jasmine. but if i had to choose one rice, it's jasmine :D

[@michelhv]

This is the gift that keeps on giving. I had never tried the parboil-steam method, and it's amazing how cleanly the grains separate and retain their chewiness. I just made this, and it was a case of "wow" at every bite, mainly because the texture was so well balanced. It was like chewing a pillow, in a good way. I followed the same seasoning as the recipe, and it was also a revelation. Most cheap restaurant fried rices tend to be heavy soy sauce affairs, but this is so much more delicate. Like other very simple dishes (omelette, pasta, etc), it's amazing when a few simple ingredients come together and work perfectly.

[@whiskeythree1622]

I've found that many restaurant dishes ( even Chinese ) can have a much better result when cooked at home 🤙🏽 who knew!

[@Jaggedknife11]

after watching I attempted this recipe with Basmati rice and a not-quite-fine mesh strainer and it came out great. light and fluffy but just firm enough rice. added onion, garlic, white pepper, Chile powder, soy and oyster sauce, sriracha, salt, eggs and some kale i had lying around. delicious. thanks guys!

[@lewismaddock1654]

I love this video, and not just because it's an effective way of making fried rice from scratch under 30 minutes, and it's straightforward without trying to mask it up with elaborate crap, but it shows that there's no need for rice cookers, or without internet prejudice based on one youtuber. It's actually experience based. I always have left over rice because the diet is rice based where I live, but this truly demystified for a lot of folk.

[@lunascomments3024]

this is crap. and full of copium. and not the asian way. stop following this guide. it's wet and not fried enough. no steam, no color, no flavor except that MSG flavor.

[@ZombiZohm]

But what that KZbinr says is, if you're going to be cooking rice all the time, why not just invest in a good rice cooker and get perfect rice in just a few minutes every single time they go on to say if you don't eat rice all the time then you don't need a rice cooker

[@95fabiswa]

I just made my first fried rice using the steaming method and some rawit peppers and i loved it! Thank you so much for these tips!

[@MatthijsvandenHoven]

Just tried this, and it’s awesome. I can really feel the separate rice grains when eating.

[@crazzymrbcgaming]

Great video, I follow the steaming method but also lay it on a cookie sheet as flat as I can to promote more drying. If done with traditional cooking method I add a little oil when doing to help break it up. Appreciate the video.

[@fwizzybee42]

Interesting stuff! We pretty much exclusively use frying rice to use up leftover rice so we’re usually starting from rice that’s already dry. Souped Up recipes has a great fast version where you mix the rice into liquid so that helps break up the clumps.

[@MilwaukeeWoman]

I just reach my hand into the cold pot of rice and break it up. If I'm making fried rice I'm just trying to get it done and have it taste good.

[@robertt.5463]

Every time I introduce my cooking friends to your channel, I highlight the depth of knowledge; logical cooking methodology, and demonstration about how Chinese cooking can be done with western kitchen tools. This video embodies all of those qualities very nicely. I think it overtook your tiger egg video for the first video I'll show people!

[@ChewyGDRP]

Just tried this way of cooking Jasmine rice. It came out perfect. Probably the best I've ever managed to cook jasmine rice as I usually struggle with that type of rice. Im converted to cooking jasmine rice this way! Thanks for the top tip!

[@onocoffee]

Love to see this simplified method. I think it's important to show people that many dishes can be made without the "Must Use" gear and ingredients. It's really about understand the method and technique. Just the other day, I made up a personal paella in an 8" carbon pan with Sekka medium grain as opposed to the traditional bomba rice - still got the ideal texture and socarrat, and this despite having a commercial kitchen and proper paella pans at my disposal. Looking forward to the Seitan video!

[@JamieMaguire_]

Just tried this par boil and steam technique - flawless. absolutely flawless. thank you!

[@brandon3872]

I like this simplified video. It's always nice to see the basic recipe, and we can add what we want to it. I always like to use leftover rice :)

[@MintGreenCoffee]

I gotta say, this is the video that did it. My fried rice has always ended in heart break but I am so happy with how it came out after watching this. Thank you!

[@stampolaoc]

steaming the rice is a gamechanger ! i can make actually good fried rice for once !

[@drunkhas]

Just found this channel cuz I was looking up how to make my own 5 spice mix, definitively subscribing and can't wait to dig in more and recreate some of this recipes!

[@jzawadzki2000]

I make it very similarly, though I tend to add the rice in first and really let it cook and the grains to brown before making a pool and adding egg. Find this helps the flavour loss from not having wok hei. And I can't stress this enough, you can add just about anything to fried rice and its delicious. Focus on experimenting and using seasonal and quality ingredients. My favorite is egg, garlic, scallion, whole cherry tomatos, peas and kransky cut into quartered rounds. So good.

[@susanjaworowski7178]

We love fried rice, but don’t always have enough pre-cooked rice from the day before, so finding this recipe was so helpful! We were amazed at how well it came together. Yes, it took 40 minutes, rather than 30, but that’s just a trifle longer. I would say that the white pepper was an addition I had not used before and added a wonderful new flavor. We also put in some sesame oil to add that hint of smokiness. Two thumbs up!

[@Majk__]

This is one of my favourite cooking channels because the doggy is really cute

[@jamesormsby9064]

i like the technique where you mix eggs into the rice then fry comes out so light and fluffy

[@CubensisEnjoyer]

Fried rice is one of my favorite foods of all time, yet I never make it at home because every time I've done it at home has been stressful. Not to mention, every time I start craving it I never have day old rice. I can't understate how excited I am to try this out, I'm about to be living my best life eating fried rice 3-4x a week. 🤩

[@McMitty]

This has been the basis of my chicken fried rice lunch for the last few months and it's been wonderful. While I do shuffle three pans between the chicken, broccoli and rice, doing so gives me a lot of time to chop my garlic clean as I go, and since I use my electric kettle to heat water simultaneously, I've gotten this routine down to a 25 minute lunch. Honestly this video has really helped me out a lot!

[@fantasticfedoraman6537]

This is almost exactly how I have always made fried rice aside from the parboil, I’ll be sure to start doing that!

[@NujuBS]

This technique is amazing! Just tried it for lunch. I’m amazed that I didn’t know this until now, absolute game changer.

[@wyfyj]

I have not been struggling thanks to your videos. And Alex's. Thanks for another one

[@random40s]

Nice, and simple! 👍 👍 This is very close to how I make it. I prefer to use bacon grease for a touch of extra flavor, but essentially same deal. Warm, fluffy, and tasty! Awesome video. 👍👍

[@kingvincent6439]

This is the best fried rice recipe for weeknights and maybe even in General. Its so easy ! I Just tried ist and this was one of my best fried rices so far. And i have a real Wok, Gas Stove and even a rice cooker. Thank you for this amazing recipe!

[@JoeAuerbach]

Love this process. Does this have wok hei? No. It's it still great looking and delicious fried rice? Absolutely. People get too precious about this stuff, so it's nice to see you calming things down

[@Ronin11111111]

Finally! A level of simplicity I can pull off :D! My prefered breakfast before morning workouts is a bowl of rice with soy sauce and a tin of tuna and I couldn't figure out from other recepie videos how to turn it into fried rice, but now I finally know.

[@DirtySouthSOHK]

I usually set my Zoji to firm, then spread the rice on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least 30min before cooking. I could make the rice in the morning and leave it in the fridge until dinner time for a longer drying/firming period, but I've found 30min to 1hr is usually good enough in my experience. I'll have to try this steaming method sometime though!

[@jrmint2]

I love the bits of historical or cultural tidbits incorporated into your explanations ❤❤❤❤❤A well crafted fried rice by a top notch restaurant chef is many levels above what we eat at home and well worth seeking out. Trying to replicate that at home will be a vain effort, fried rice in my family was just a way to move leftover rice as it is w all chinese families...but still delicious nonetheless.

[@personontheinternet2164]

Cooking fried rice in a skillet was a big flex! I love this channel!

[@webbberman]

I just finished making this and it was delicious. It is like restaurant quality fries rice. Glad stumbled upon this KZbin page. Thank you!

[@aumoccbei3197]

Just tried this and it was beautiful when the rice went in and the individual grains separated and sizzled and didn't get any of it sticking to the pan as the individual grains separated and sizzled and didn't get any of it sticking to the pan as I often do, even with overnight rice! This recipe is also delicious as a kimchi fried rice.

[@nikoisland6731]

I commented 10 months ago, and im commenting again. I cook fried rice like this all the time, and even workshopped my own recipe blends. Im so thankful for this channel and its recipes

[@sswatson]

i am glad to see you cook rice that way. i par boil mine as well. but instead of steam the par boiled rice in the strainer, i finished the cooking process by adding a tablespoon of butter in medium heat to coat the bottom of the clean pot that i used to par boil the rice. once the butter is melted and spread evenly at the bottom of the pan, i pour in the par boiled rice. make several holes to the rice for better steaming. cover and turn heat to lowest setting. 15 to 20 minutes later, rice is done. each rice grain is nicely separated and fluffy.

[@hb5777]

I purchased a clip-on fan that I attach to the side of a large bowl to help cool and dry the rice after steaming. I know it sounds like an extra complication, but it only takes a few seconds to get it out of the cupboard and set up. I swear the benefit is worth it (drier cooked rice = less temperature drop in the wok).

[@hikari_no_yume]

I'm lazy and not particularly skilled at cooking, so I've not done most of your recipes, but this recipe was easy, relatively quick, and worked perfectly first time, I almost can't believe it. I've never made fried rice myself before. Thank you!

[@scottmcintire8634]

I will definitely try this method, as my jasmine rice is cooked in a rice cooker using the (California transplanted SE Asian) method of the height of the water over the rice being from index finger tip to only half way up to the first knuckle joint for fried rice (all the way to the first joint for steamed white rice, half way between the 1st and 2nd index finger knuckle joints for brown & basmati rice) and most of the time comes out too hards or soft and clumped (and that’s with the Taiwanese commercial grade outdoor propane wok burner that produces excellent wok hei).

[@hellotinashe]

Yum! I really want to try this rice cooking method.

[@polosandoval]

I just watched this 30 minutes ago and I’m here eating my delicious bowl of fried rice! Worked perfectly if you follow the step by step directions. Thanks!

[@beziik2357]

I love this channel. Getting normal ppl ideas and methods to do all the boiling and frying without having to send on extra utensils.

[@mattmcfarland5563]

Tried making fried rice for the first time tonight using this video, and it was absolutely perfect. Thanks so much!!!

[@s.m.s.m.630]

Awesome video! Will try it out. Simple, pragmatic, fast - exactly how I like it. No extra equipment needed - like a wok burner? Nonono - no fancy ingredients as well. Awesome 👏

[@WW-gx5kk]

Thanks for sharing the steam method to cook rice. I can’t wait to try this since whenever I make Jasmin rice, it is always mushy.

[@cinemaocd1752]

YES! This makes me so happy. I do my fried rice, often for breakfast with leftovers and I use a cast iron pan or a carbon steel pan on induction. I use my jar of bacon grease as the fat. One tip I saw, and it's not traditional, was to melt a pat of butter over the rice at the end. It makes it very creamy and breakfasty. Never thought of doing my eggs like that. It goes against all of the things I've been taught about scrambled eggs, but I'm going to try it. I think Parboiling is the key to baked rice dishes as well. They always turn out gummy/mushy if I don't parboil...

[@garchomowner]

My mom used to make rice with this method even though we have rice cooker because it generally taste better. I still mostly use rice cooker now because it save time and dishes but i admit the classic method does taste better

[@Angie-kd5ti]

thank you - pineapple is DELICIOUS in fried rice! never would have thought of that!

[@jammy008]

this is exactly what I do to make fried rice, ive always thought more people should know this method because its almost fool-proof, and here someone is sharing it! Its really difficult to oversteam the rice (as long as you dont boil it for over 3 mins). I dont time anything, I usually set this up and leave the kitchen and do something else. there has been times ive forgotten the steaming rice for over 20mins and all the water has dried up, still great rice for frying. Even if somehow your rice feels too wet after steaming. It should still dry up pretty firm because its difficult for the rice to absorb as much water as traditional submerged in liquid rice. The grain overall has less water inside it. You can even boil the rice for 1 minute and steam it for 40mins and get the same result. The point is, id do this and forget about it, come back and itd be fine. (i was a chef, i dont reccomend literally forgetting your rice) The most important thing is to not boil the rice for more than 3 mins like he said.

[@insertname9554]

I've been making fried rice at home for a few years since I worked initially at a place where I saw how it's made. Unfortunately even with the best methods, the jet engine just makes things different. The extremely high temperature literally does caramelize what you have in the wok or pan differently and nothing can imitate it, just like how almost no average oven with a pizza steel can truly result in proper neapolitan pizza from a 400-450C oven. You still should make fried rice and this is probably a very good method, but I'm still here being reluctant based on my experience.

[@JonMW]

You can also use rice from the rice cooker immediately, it just has to easily separate into individual grains. This usually means that you need to avoid using too much water particularly, and you need to use it FAST after the cooking is done, or it'll start to glue together.

[@waynekinney3358]

Thanks SO much for this cooking method. I just made the fried rice and it works PREFECTLY!!!!

[@kingsevil5255]

I use pre-parboiled rice in an Instant Pot and get similar results (steam + pressure). Gonna try this too tho!

[@anglophone412]

Great video. You do a great job at making fried rice accessible. I totally agree that lard is the best base to fry rice in. I personally like to cook bacon and then use the rendered bacon fat for the rice and eggs. I also use more eggs (along with bacon and frozen veggies) than normal to make the dish a more complete meal.

[@daviddestefano279]

Since 2020 and all the fried rice videos, I’ve been making it weekly. I make the rice in the microwave 2 cups rice to 3 cups water and cook on high for 13 mins. I prefer to keep it in the fridge till it’s time to make the fried rice. I also use chopped frozen onions, and frozen peas and carrots. I’ll use at least 4 eggs and cook them separately and add them. Chicken and Shrimp have been the go-to proteins, but it’s whatever you have/like. Make it how you want it to be. Fresh bean sprouts are a good addition,too!

[@jessstuart7495]

I tried your recipe and it works great! Egg, Chicken, garlic, carrots, peas, green onions, sesame oil, and soy sauce.

[@f.ludwig5370]

Totally agree with your approach! :) I eat fried rice weekly, made from leftover rice and veggies on fridays. The whole internet debate is entertaining, but definitely overthinking this easy and great dish :D

[@E-A-Z-Y]

Simpler the better. I use Japanese short grain, 1:1 ratio with a teaspoon of oil in a rice cooker. Eggs, salt, MSG, soy sauce and white pepper. Delicious. You can add anything or nothing. Prawns, peas, carrot, lap cheong, green onion, bacon, char siu/chashu and so much more. It really is what you want it to be. If you want to kick it up a notch, there’s chicken bouillon powder, Chinese soup seasoning (Weipa or Soumi Shantang in Japan), oyster sauce or even xo sauce.

[@gianghuynh9570]

I really like this because in my household we rarely have rice leftovers.

[@nikoisland6731]

Thank you- i love your channel because, i feel like i can actually make this stuff

[@MidoriMushrooms]

I make something like this when I have extra rice, except I use worcestershire sauce in place of soy sauce and an ungodly amount of garlic salt instead of the seasonings, and regular fried onions in place of scallions. I didn't really know this was considered "a dish", it's just easy and tastes pretty good. (although it does mostly taste like worcestershire sauce sometimes...)

[@marzsit9833]

the common long grain rice available in any american supermarket works very well for fried rice, it's not sticky and doesn't need to be washed before cooking. it's also very inexpensive.

[@LimitedWard]

I never thought to do a parboil+steam to get fried rice before! IDK how much I'll use that since I usually make a ton of rice at once with the expectation of using the leftovers, but this seems like a good method if you want it *now*.

[@Koenigg99]

I'm a big fan of dumping in 3-4 egg yolks into the rice, mixing it and then stir frying just the whites and breaking them apart, then separately stir frying the egg covered rice before incorporating the two with some chopped scallions.

[@devondorr8212]

Non-stick pans for Chinese Style cooking is always extremely useful. A lot of Chinese stir-fry dishes can be cooked with low to medium heat in a non-stick if you know how to adjust the method. You also can use way less oil and salt in the process which is ususally beneficial to your own health.

[@Morgannin]

Honestly when it comes to us folk in the west struggling with fried rice... I suspect a lot of it has to do with us being used to overcooked rice to begin with. Or just following the directions on the packet and NOT washing it before boiling. If you try to turn your sticky, starchy leftovers into fried rice, I think you're guaranteed a disaster.

[@xxgn]

Some brands tell you not to rinse is to prevent you from rinsing away the added vitamin powder. I recall some companies working on using rice-shaped vitamin "grains" instead, but not sure if that ever made its way to consumers.

[@amadeus484]

Or using parcooked "minute" or "boil in bag" rice... Though that probably falls under the category of overcooking it.

[@MilwaukeeWoman]

@@xxgn Yes, American white rice is fortified and if you're poor and not getting vitamins from other things you shouldn't wash it or boil it and drain it the way I see some other white people do.

[@yukisnoww]

I love using shortgrain japanese rice in my fried rice (My personal preference, btw i am chinese and self taught) , it's how you cook it. On the other issue, not washing your rice is actually not as bad, i get lazy 5% of the time and dont, i dont exactly notice the difference. To make good fried rice, get comfortable with cooking on high heat.

[@emilynelson5985]

Your wisdoms are wise.

[@GadBoDag]

Awesome, this is the video I've been looking for forever

[@Llyander]

I gotta thank you guys for introducing this technique to me in your last video when you showcased it. It's the only way we cook rice for fried rice now. Our rice cooker sits and gathers dust, we don't need it anymore!

[@MilwaukeeWoman]

The rice cooker is still easier and if you have an Asian one that isn't just $20, it keeps the rice so perfect and steamy until you need it.

[@IceBlueLugia]

A rice cooker is still far easier than this method, this crap is a waste of time and energy, even if it only takes 5 extra minutes

[@Llyander]

@@IceBlueLugia In your opinion. In my opinion it creates rice perfect for fried rice, with the added benefit that I don't need to wait overnight for it to dry out.

[@IceBlueLugia]

@@Llyander Who is waiting overnight for fried rice to dry out? That’s just something people do out of convenience if they already have leftover rice. Just undercook it with the rice cooker before you stir fry it, or toss it in the fridge while you cut the vegetables

[@markskibo5159]

You guys are great !!! My Pup loves rice Too !

[@enteoz1694]

Perfect thanks

[@antonnulens6918]

I had seen you guys steaming rice in another fried rice video. I never got around to doing it: on the one hand I didn't realy capture that it is a superior method for fried rice prep than day-old-fridge-rice and I think we mosten often planned our fried rice dishes after some indian or other rice-accompagnied dishes. However, today was the day we needed some good to go rice on the spot! I had tasted some pepper and salt tofu last week at a restaurant and wanted to try something similar flavour wise at home.. We had some beef sirloin in the freezer: marinated, deep fried it with some cornstarch and sprinkled heavily with Jiao Yan, great as is but needed some veggies and rice... so, I decided to use it as an over the top topping for fried rice. long story short: steamed it as in the video and am just in awe of how easy the grains seperated in the wok! Aand the pleasure of frying it up like this! Great video as always. keep it up ;-) - Anton

[@skye.325]

For a nice boost to the taste of your fried rice, cook two or three slices of bacon (chopped) in the skillet first. Don't dump the grease out. Use that as the basis of the grease to fry everything in it makes it all taste so good

[@jerryjones7293]

The way the eggs were cooked looks great.

[@Christian-ql4vw]

I always learn something, thank you!!!

[@cryptocanon5742]

Nice method, will try it thanks

[@eggizgud]

Thank you Made With Lau for introducing a real Chinese cooking expert (no need a certain comedian). Your doggie is so cute.

[@federicopresti]

I love this recipe and arrived to similar conclusions after cutting corners on days that I didn't have much time

[@maimee1]

Steamed rice is great! Fresh rice is also great, but with cold rice there is the benefit(?) of the starch changing structures, "gelling up" and locking in some of it. Totally not a texture thing but a metabolism/digestion thing.

[@carnigob42069]

i love y'alls videos so much. i currently live in a motel and have been for abt a year now, and while i'm very grateful for what i have, my kitchen has been reduced to two burners, a microwave, and a sink with abt 4 inches of counter space. i've been looking to asian food for inspiration as a lot of the time, there's no oven required and usually can be done with one or two burners. i'm hoping to get a toaster oven or a rice cooker soon. fried rice is a staple in my household as its so easy to make. i recently bought something called 'hog head cheese' which melts like a mexican chorizo but has a tangy herby german flavor. i feel like it could work well in a fried rice, maybe with some sauerkraut and jalepenos? who knows? anyways thanks for this video guys

[@travelingtango]

that chicken egg basket is excellent

[@cellokid5104]

This is my favorite cooking channel on youtube

[@strommeisster]

Now I am not sure what is the best part of this video; The seemingly simple friend rice, the cute lady at the end or the goodest doggie ever at the end! :)

[@jerryglasses2229]

Learned so much from you. Going to try this next

[@xxgn]

I tried making this. Having also tried both "baked" fried rice and day-old fried rice, I'll offer my thoughts: 1) The rice came out perfect. It separated with zero clumps, it mixed cleanly, and I could taste every individual grain of rice. The rice was very easy to cook with. Overall, the final dish looked beautiful. 2) The flavor absorption wasn't as good. I tried just adding more flavor afterwards, but I just ended up with more flavor AND rice; it wasn't "holistic." Being able to taste each grain ended up being a negative, since the rice itself was bland. As a recipe for a side of white rice, I think this is a winner (and it even has a nice dome shape!). But as a way to make emergency fried rice, I'll stick with baking.