EASY 20-Minute Fried Rice Recipe - I Heart Naptime (2024)

FAQs

How to make fried rice without it being a day-old? ›

To get that perfect day-old rice without waiting 24 hours, the process is actually fairly simple. Just rinse and drain fresh, raw rice and sauté in oil. Add a little less water than you normally would to the pan, and bring to the boil before covering and simmering.

Let cool: Spread cooked rice onto a rimmed baking sheet and let it cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. (Spreading the rice on a baking sheet helps it cool more rapidly to room temperature.) Transfer the sheet to the refrigerator and let the rice chill for 20 minutes.

Use equal amounts of rice and water. BOIL water. ADD rice, stir, cover & remove from heat. WAIT 5 minutes, or until the water is absorbed, then fluff.

Precook the rice at least 30 minutes, but preferably one day, before making fried rice and keep it uncovered in the fridge. Place the rice into a fine sieve and wash with water to remove excess starch. Drain the water and place the rice into a saucepan.

A key element of fried rice is the texture — each grain is meant to be lightly toasted as it cooks, adding a delicious flavor and preventing it from clumping up. Since freshly-cooked rice is still soft and tacky to the touch — especially high-starch white rice varieties — it's more likely to become mushy.

The rice hack method consists of adding coconut oil while boiling rice. It converts some of the carbohydrates into undigestible starch.

Why It Works. Starting with freshly cooked or well-chilled rice guarantees it won't clump up as you stir-fry it.

If you're unsure about using your hands and fingers, Cho suggests using a rice to water ratio of 1 to 1.2. Finally, Cho uses the “10-5-5 rule.” That means bringing the rice to medium-high heat for 10 minutes, followed by low heat for 5 minutes, then he turns the heat off to let the rice steam for 5 minutes.

ADD water and rice. Add oil if desired. BOIL water, reduce heat to medium and cover. SIMMER for 10 minutes or until water is absorbed, then fluff.

After about 15 minutes, check on your rice: It should almost taste al-dente. What I mean by this is that it should be fully cooked through, but should taste drier than normal steamed rice.

How do you store rice for fried rice next day? ›

So the key is to cool and refrigerate leftover rice as quickly as possible. Spread it out in a thin layer on a baking sheet or tray so it cools rapidly. Then, when cold, put into a container, cover and chill in the fridge. Keep the rice for no more than a day before reheating it – and then only reheat it once.

Yes, Easy Fried Rice can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge completely overnight before use. Reheat in the microwave.

You could make fried rice from freshly cooked rice, but it's not likely going to have the right texture because it will be too moist. Leftover rice is ideal because it's drier and therefore, cooks great right in your skillet along with the other ingredients.