Weeknight Recipe: Quick and Easy Fried Rice

Fried rice meets all our requirements for a fast weeknight meal: minimal prep work required, quick to pull together, and deeply satisfying. We like ours with plenty of savory soy sauce and a kick of hot red pepper! Our version is vegetarian, but you could certainly add some shrimp or stir-fried beef if you like. Take a look!

Fried rice is almost more of a method than it is a real recipe. The key steps are cooking the eggs and vegetables (and meat, if using) first, setting them aside, frying the rice in a little oil, and then combining everything together again with the seasonings. Within these parameters, you have a lot of room to get creative!

Easy Fried Rice
Makes 2-4 servings

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 block tofu, cubed
1-2 cups cooked rice, white or brown
2 handfuls bok choy, stems and leaves sliced thinly
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
4-5 spring onions, sliced into thin rounds
2-3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1-2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Optional extras: 1/2-inch freshly grated ginger, 2-3 cloves minced garlic, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, splash of sesame oil

Place a skillet over medium heat and add a teaspoon of oil or butter. Scramble the eggs, breaking them into small curds. When the eggs are just barely cooked, scrape them into a clean dish and set them aside.

Increase heat to medium-high and add another teaspoon of oil to the pan. Sear the tofu on all sides, stirring only occasionally and cooking until the tofu is golden-brown on all sides. Remove the tofu from the heat and set it aside in a clean dish.

Add another teaspoon of oil to the pan and stir in the rice. Make sure all the grains of rice are coated with a little oil, then spread the rice into a thin layer across the bottom of the pan. Let it cook for a few minutes, then gather it together and spread it out thin again. Continue until the rice is toasted and beginning to brown.

Add two tablespoons of soy sauce and one tablespoon of rice wine vinegar (and ginger and garlic, if using), and stir. Add the bok choy and cook until the green parts of the leaves are wilted. Add the peas and carrots, cooking until they are warmed through. Stir in the eggs, tofu, and spring onions.

Taste and add more soy sauce and rice wine vinegar if needed. Hot sauce and sesame oil can be added here, or sprinkled in each individual bowl instead.

What else do you like in your fried rice?

(Image: Emma Christensen)

Comments (12)

Thanks for this. Looks terrific. I've always meant to do something like this with leftover rice, but figured I would mess it up somehow. The clear and specific instructions are helpful.

Oh, good timing. I have a package of tofu in the fridge and a plan to use only about half of it for lunch tomorrow. So maybe I'll make this with the other half for lunch on Friday...

Fried rice! Yumm.... my version:

chop bacon, fry in skillet/wok (love the bacon fat)
add chopped ham (optional but why not... you've already got the bacon in there)
then add:
peas, grated carrots (lovely color), green onions
salt, white pepper, soy sauce

finish off with some egg ribbons:
thin omelets, rolled and cut into strips

It's so pretty. You have the brown rice, pink ham, green peas and onions, orange carrots, and topped with lovely yellow eggs.

Another standby version I like is just rice, hot chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, and white pepper. Top it with a fried egg, semi soft yolk. A meal in 10 minutes!

There was often left over rice when growing up in my house so fried rice was common. Almost any kind of leftover protein could be chopped up and used to make fried rice (ham, leftover soya/poached chicken, bbq pork were common), add some bite sized vegetables (frozen peas that are par boiled, shredded lettuce with beef, edamame, carrot), aromatics (green onions mostly, but ginger or garlic sometimes).

The rice is best if it was cooked the night before, otherwise freshly cooked rice is too wet to make good fried rice. I also prefer to add the beaten eggs on top of the rice after you have stir fried the rice in the oil and warmed it completely through. This allows the egg to coat the rice and make it fluffier, and have fewer pieces of scrambled egg.

My parents liked to add a little oyster sauce for a deeper color, but I tend to stick with only light soy.

Funny, I just tweeted the other day about how much better homemade is than any kind you can get from takeout.
Plus everyone in the family loves it for dinner (even the 1.5 yr old) and it's vegetarian.
I agree that the rice should be premade the day before and chilled before frying for best results. I am so disappointed when I have to use "fresh" rice.

I have a tip to share for vegans. To make vegan fried rice with an "eggy" flavor, just sprinkle some black salt onto the cooked rice. It's delicious.

This is my favorite pantry-clearing dish; most frequently used when I have some leftover roast pork or chicken and sundry vegetables. I often make the rice just for the dish (love my rice cooker). I like to add little oyster sauce (Lee Kum Kee) in addition to the soy & hot sauce.

I often cook double rice when I need plain white rice for a meal so that I can have fried rice the next day. Rice is much better when the rice cooker is full.

Agreed, do NOT use fresh rice.

I made this exactly as described (always do when making a recipe for the first time) - wow. Delicious. Really satisfying, great flavor and something I will make again and again. Thank you!

I use FRESH rice or MICROWAVED leftover rice. It's much easier to handle than cold rice, and requires less manipulation so the grains don't get smashed and sticky. If using fresh rice, just make sure you use quality basmati rice (preferably soaked for 24 hours, before cooking in well-salted water). Once the rice is cooked, let it rest for 15 mins with a tea towel under the lid. The grains of rice will be extremely long and fragrant, with no lumps or stickiness.