idk what msg actually is, ive heard it was just salt. could this really be the thing im missing? ive heard it mentioned many times.
MSG is monosodium glutamate and if you’re already using things like fish and soy sauce, you’re probably adding more than enough MSG. You can get just the powdered MSG by itself either in giant bags at the asian supermarket or in little jars in the cooking aisle at the grocery store. It makes things taste meatier.
One little detail I discovered recently: don’t use day-old rice straight out of the fridge. Let it warm up to room temperature first. Makes a big difference.
I usually use Japanese chicken stock powder in my Chinese-ish dishes. (It’s made by the Ajinomoto company but it’s not pure MSG.)
I am not entirely reassured that the “related products you may be interested in” part of the page is toilets.
My friend told me that mushroom soy sauce is the secret ingredient that makes take-out restaurant fried rice. My friend now runs a very popular Chinese restaurant and so this recipe is well-tested.
First, cook any meat you intend to include (you can use pork, chicken or Chinese sausage as you prefer). Then, mix about 60% dark soy sauce, 40% mushroom soy sauce, and water. I do this by eye but I think it’s probably about 1 tbs total of the soy sauces and 1 tbs of water per cup of rice. You can adjust this based on how strong you want the resulting rice. It’s best to make relatively small batches, so no more than 1-2 cups of rice.
Heat oil in a wok (I use peanut oil but you can use any plain oil or, if you like, a mix of plain oil and sesame oil). Stir fry the rice with the soy sauce until it caramelizes a little. It’s easier if you have either used day-old rice or rice that was cooked with slightly less water than you would ordinarily make plain rice with. Optionally, you can add an egg after you’ve cooked the rice a bit. Then, I add my chopped veggies (usually carrots and peas, sometimes bok choy, rarely corn, but you do you). Add black pepper to taste. Finally, stir the meat back in. You’re just rewarming it, not cooking it so it doesn’t need long.
MSG, fish sauce, anchovies, Marmite, and even plain powdered gelatin are all umami bombs, a flavor that is essential to most dishes. I would give one or two a try and see how it works for what you’re looking for.
Second that you want to use day old rice. It dries out, doesn’t stick nearly as much, much easier to stir, etc.
I’ll have to test out the tip for letting it warm up to room temperature first.
This is my recipe:
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 1/2 tablespoons oil
1 egg, lightly beaten (or more eggs if you like)
3 dropssoy sauce
3 drops sesame oil
8 ounces cooked lean boneless pork or 8 ounceschicken, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot (very small)
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
4 cups cold cooked rice, grains separated (preferably medium grain)
4 green onions, chopped
2 cupsbean sprouts
2 tablespoonslight soy sauce (add more if you like)
Directions:
-
Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok; add chopped onions and stir-fry until onions turn a nice brown color, about 8-10 minutes; remove from wok. -
Allow wok to cool slightly. -
Mix egg with 3 drops of soy and 3 drops of sesame oil; set aside. -
Add 1/2 tbsp oil to wok, swirling to coat surfaces; add egg mixture; working quickly, swirl egg until egg sets against wok; when egg puffs, flip egg and cook other side briefly; remove from wok, and chop into small pieces. -
Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok; add selected meat to wok, along with carrots, peas, and cooked onion; stir-fry for 2 minutes. -
Add rice, green onions, and bean sprouts, tossing to mix well; stir-fry for 3 minutes. -
Add 2 tbsp of light soy sauce and chopped egg to rice mixture and fold in; stir-fry for 1 minute more; serve. -
Set out additional soy sauce on the table, if desired
Thirded. “Nasi Goreng” (fried rice) is to Indonesia as hamburger or pizza is to America. In my various discussions about making it, every Indonesian has admonished me to start with day-old rice. They say it won’t come out right otherwise, and who am I to argue?
I don’t know what other benefits there might be, but cold rice in the fridge sticks together noticeably more than room-temperature rice.
Another thing I thought of that may or may not be relevant:
Restaurant cooks are there to watch over the food every moment - it’s their job. Sometimes I turn down the heat on my stove, thinking “If I have it at the maximum possible heat, I’ll have to stand over it every bloody second and stir it all the time”.
I suspect that to get takeout-style rice at home, you need to turn the heat to the maximum possible, stand over it every bloody second, and stir it all the time. 
Why wok? What does a wok do that a frypan doesn’t?
What does a frying pan do that a sauce pan doesn’t?
Nothing. The difference is the size. A wok is a different shape, and presumably the sides are cooler than the center, so how does that affect the taste of the food?
When it’s over a wide flame rather than a flat heating element, the temperature gradient would be a lot less noticeable. The rounded shape constantly pushes everything toward the hottest point, and also forces you to stir more and move more.
Well, no doubt this is totally inauthentic, but I asked the guy at Shogun what he puts on the rice when he cooks it (other than the obvious eggs, oil, soy sauce). He told me. The two secret ingredients are: garlic powder, and sugar. I’ve tried it at home, and he’s right, that’s all it is.
Before you steam the rice, take half of it out and fry it in oil. Just a bit until it turns golden and smells nutty. Drain it well, then mix it back in with the raw rice and steam as usual.
If that oil smells good keep using it. Otherwise, get a good bit of fresh oil in the pan and fry up some onions and garlic in it. Don’t let anything burn. Strain out the now-overcooked veg,but use that oil to do your stir fry. Add fresh leeks or scallions and whatever other veggies as usual.
In the last minute of cooking, give the pot a dose of soy sauce and a few shaves of fresh ginger and stir it around over the heat.
Forgot to say: Oil matters. Peanut is good, safflower is neutral/flavorless, olive clashes with asian flavors, soy bean oil will make things taste grassy and weak.
Some folks like to make fried rice using ketchup as an ingredient. I used to do this before we quit buying ketchup. Not as weird as it sounds as ketchup has sugar and vinegar and other stuff in there.
FWIW, my Chinese relatives in Shanghai kinda liked it. I mean, they never made fried rice that way themselves, but if I whipped up a batch and they were hanging out, they would help themselves…
Well, ketchup did originate in China some 400 years ago, though their original version was a little different than what Heinz makes today. 