Egg Fried Rice

5 from 4 votes

This spicy egg fried rice comes together in about 15 minutes and has way more heat than takeout. Great on its own or alongside dishes like Spicy Chicken Wings or Salt and Pepper Chicken

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Diet: Halal, Vegetarian

Servings: people

Calories: 442kcal

Author: Ayla Clulee

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups jasmine rice or basmati rice (or 4 cups cooked and cooled rice)
1 tablespoon butter
4 eggs (beaten)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or peanut oil
1 medium carrot (small diced)
1 ½ cups frozen peas
4 spring onions (sliced)
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 red chili (sliced)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or white pepper
2 tablespoon all purpose soy sauce
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
½ tablespoon mirin
chopped chives, sliced spring onion, or red chili for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Wash the rice with running cold water until the water from the rice runs clear.
Put the rice in a pan with plenty of cold water, bring to a boil and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
Drain the rice using a fine sieve, cool it down under running cold water, and let it drain for 5 minutes.
Spread the rice on a tray and leave it in the fridge for one hour or 20 minutes in the freezer until it's thoroughly chilled.
Fluff up the rice and break it apart using a fork or do it with your lightly damped fingertips.
Heat a large wok on high heat and add butter.
When the butter is slightly browned, add the eggs and quickly scramble, set aside on a plate.
Turn the heat down to medium and add vegetable oil or peanut oil to the pan then add the carrots, and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add the frozen peas, garlic, spring onions, and red chili, and stir fry for another minute.
Turn the heat to high again and add half of the rice, stir fry for a minute then add the rest of the rice, and stir fry for two more minutes.
Add sesame oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper or white pepper, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, oyster sauce, and mirin, give it a quick stir before adding the scrambled eggs.
Stir fry for another minute and garnish with some chopped chives and spring onion before serving.

Notes

This dish is vegetarian if you use a vegetarian oyster sauce (regular oyster sauce contains fish). Leave out the butter, or use oil instead, to make it dairy-free. Swap the soy sauce and oyster sauce for tamari or gluten-free versions to make it gluten-free.
No oyster sauce on hand? Swap in an extra tablespoon of soy sauce or a spoonful of hoisin sauce instead. No fresh chili on hand? A pinch of chili flakes or a dash of hot sauce works as a substitute, and you can leave it out entirely for a mild version or add extra for more heat.
Turn this into a full meal by stir-frying in cooked shrimp, diced leftover chicken, or thin strips of pork along with the vegetables.
For the best texture, use cold, day-old rice, or spread freshly cooked rice on a tray and chill it in the fridge for at least an hour (or the freezer for about 20 minutes) before frying. Rinse rice under cold water first if cooking from scratch, to wash off extra starch. Stick to a long-grain rice like jasmine or basmati; short or medium-grain rice is too sticky.
Fry the rice in two or three batches instead of all at once, and use a wok if you have one. Let the rice sit undisturbed in the pan for about 30 seconds at a time to lightly toast it, and scoop from the bottom and sides rather than just the center when tossing, so everything separates instead of sticking together.
Let the rice cool before storing, but don't leave it sitting out at room temperature for more than an hour or so, since cooked rice can grow bacteria quickly if it cools too slowly. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in a hot pan or wok with a splash of oil until warmed through, or microwave in a covered dish, stirring halfway.
Serve immediately while hot for the best texture. Fried rice firms up and loses some of its texture as it cools.

Nutrition