Making homemade fried rice from leftover plain takeout rice - tips?

Cafe Society
21

Probably a bit late to give any advice, but…

You know how when you get a take-out box from one of those quick teriyaki places, and they give you like ten pounds of rice? I take half of the rice and put it into a one-quart plastic (take-out) container and freeze it. I’m nowhere near a teriyaki place since our office moved, but I still had rice from the last time I went at the beginning of July. :stuck_out_tongue: I cooked it tonight.

I coarsely-chopped a bit of onion and some celery, and put it into a hot frying pan with sesame oil. I added some frozen mixed vegetables. I would have preferred peas and carrots, but I used what the store had (peas, carrots, corn, green beans). I let that cook a while, then added one chopped-up chicken thigh and freshly-ground pepper. When the chicken was done I added the thawed leftover rice and some soy sauce. While that was warming up, I scrambled a couple of eggs and made an omelette. When the rice was hot I sliced the omelette into strips about two inches long and ½ to ¾ inch wide and stirred it in. I should add more soy sauce, but I don’t want to over-do it in case the SO doesn’t want that much.

I also picked up some frozen pork egg rolls and some of that Chinese BBQ pork, and mixed up some Coleman’s hot mustard.

I hope the SO is hungry when she gets home!

22

That sounds good. Thanks for bumping my thread! :smiley: Did you make the omelette Ina separate pan?

23

Yes, I just scrambled a couple of eggs with a teaspoon or so of water, then fried it in a separate pan with margarine. Flipped it once and turned off the heat.

24

Well, she came home starving and pronounced the rice good. (She liked the mixed veg in it.)

:slight_smile:

25

I make fried rice with left over rice a lot. Left over rice that is a little dry is the best rice to use in a fried rice recipe.

I put a fair bit of oil in and then saute garlic, onion and ginger. I then add the rice and a bag of frozen veggies and whatever protein I am using- frozen baby shrimp or left over rotisserie chicken. I stir it around when needed.

When that has all heated up nicely and looks like it is almost done, I scoop a well in the middle and add a raw egg. When the egg is about 75% done, I stir it all around again and add a healthy dose of soy sauce. All done!

It’s pretty easy, budget friendly, and the teenager army that lives at my house like it a lot, too.

26

I seem to get better results with “old” rice. No, four days isn’t a problem. I’ve used week old rice.

Here’s mine:

Scramble one egg and dice.
Chop about a handful or two whatever leftover protein is in fridge (chicken, beef, hamburger, fish, beans, whatever)
Chop about a handful or two of whatever vegetables are in the crisper that haven’t gone off
Stir-fry with oil, soy sauce, and (optional) any vague oriental sauce/spices on shelf
Serve with condiments like sweet and sour sauce, mustard sauce, etc.

At my house fried rice is kind of like a casserole - it’s what happens to scraps and leftovers.

You can, of course, use a more formal recipe.

27

Since some of us use leftovers, for some of us the meat is already cooked and doing it in your order will overcook the meat.

28

I mix the raw eggs in near the end – I like the way it coats the rice and there aren’t really distinct pieces of egg. It’s also a lot easier.

29

Very timely thread as this is what’s for dinner tonight at my house. And as you can no doubt tell there’s a million ways to make fried rice. And I reckon they’ll all make yummy fried rice, so just do what you feel really.

(I had a Chinese roommate at uni and she was very strict about how it ought to be done. This is how I was taught and how I still do it to this day.)

Oil in the wok, fry up the beaten egg (add a little water), then remove from wok and set aside. (Using two pans in just crazy talk!) Little more oil, fry up the chopped onions. When they are about done, add in whatever meat you’re using, raw or cooked leftovers, doesn’t matter. Stir fry until cooked/heated through. I add a little chili sauce at this point, to coat the meat.

Now add the day old rice, season with a little Chinese five spice, some turmeric and a little ground cumin, soya sauces, a little of both regular and sweet. (Kechap Manis). Now you add the ingredients in order from firmest, frozen peas, celery, cucumbers, snow peas, to the least firm, bean sprouts, chopped green onions. (Carrots? Not in my rice, but hey, there are no rules!) Stir frying after each addition, for a minute or so, before adding the next ingredient.

When all ingredients are added and done, add back in the eggs, breaking them up a bit. The yellow adds a lovely colour to the rice!

Serve into bowls and garnish with fresh chopped coriander. Offer chili sauce, soya sauce, and lime juice for seasoning to taste.

We have this for dinner at least once a week at my house. We eat a lot of rice and there are always leftovers in the fridge, so it’s great for using up all the bits and bobs of things in the fridge!

30

Yeah, this in the end is all that matters. The fried rice I’m used to having and seeing does not have the egg coating the rice. The way I do it is egg cooked separately, put aside, then added back in later. If the meat is raw, I also precook it before adding it at the end, after the veggies are cooked up. This basic sequence, though I adapt it for a cast iron pan at home or a wok, is basically how I do it and look for in the end result.