Special fried rice is Chinese egg fried rice made with a few meats such as pork, chicken, prawn and sometimes crab meat. It's usually loaded with different ingredients, which makes it extremely easy to customise.
You can exclude the egg and meat to make it vegetarian or change the type of meat inside.
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Special Fried Rice Ingredients
For our special fried rice recipe, you'll need the following ingredients.
- vegetable oil
- Leftover long-grain rice
- garlic, finely chopped
- Yellow or red onion, diced
- Garlic, grated
- Egg, beaten
- 100g meat
- 100g vegeatables
- Light soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Salt or to taste
- Ground black pepper or to taste
- Spring onion, green part only (for garnishing)
Most traditional fried rice recipes include eggs, meat, vegetables, carrots, and peas. Many cooks also include onions and garlic. The most straightforward recipe calls for only eggs, oil, and rice.
However, special fried rice is the opposite. It is stuffed with delicious ingredients so that every bite is different. As a kid, we ate this with a side of fried egg or even fried chicken. My mum would serve it with some fresh lettuce and sliced tomatoes. It was a simple dish we would have for dinner. This fried rice is one of the easiest dishes to make at home and is well-suited to a home kitchen.
Meat
Meats like ham, spam, shrimp, chicken, and beef can all be added to our special fried rice in any combination. Leftover meat that you have already cooked is also ideally suited for this dish.
We use about 100g of meat in total to maintain a balanced bite between the meat, rice, and added vegetables. Our favourite combination is chicken and shrimp.
Vegetables
For our recipe, we're using carrots and peas. Corn is also a common addition that you can add to add sweetness and crunch. We recommend only adding 2 to 3 types of vegetables to not overcomplicate the texture in this dish.
You can also add chopped bell pepper, green beans, and broccoli. However, we would avoid adding any leafy greens, as they'll make the grains soft.
Like the meat, you should add only 100g of vegetables. This will give you a good bite and prevent your rice from getting too soggy from the moisture the vegetables release.
Other Ingredients
Other ingredients include rice, oil, and flavourings such as soy sauce and sesame oil.
MSG is a common addition that takeaways love to add. We don't use MSG in our recipe because, most of the time, it's not an ingredient we usually buy during our grocery haul. But we can't deny that it elevates the dish even further.
However, by rendering the fat from the meat and extracting flavours from aromatics like spring onions and garlic, we think there's already enough umami. Not to mention, you can also char the ingredients with a wok for wok-hey and season the fried rice well for further taste.
Special Fried Rice Recipe | Simple Chinese Takeaway
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 200 g white rice cooked, long grain
- ½ onion diced, yellow or red onion
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- ½ inch ginger grated
- 1 egg medium sized, beaten
- 100 g meat see notes
- 100 g vegetables see notes
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 1 pc spring onion green part only, for garnish
Instructions
- Chop the vegetables and the spring onion. Next, chop the garlic and onion finely and grate the ginger. Finally, chop all the meat.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil to a deep pan or wok on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot enough, add the beaten egg to the wok and fry. Once the egg is slightly set, scramble it by beating it with a spatula. Then, remove it from the pan or wok and put aside.
- Then, add another tablespoon of vegetable oil, and once the oil is hot, add the meat. Allow the underside of the meat to cook until it is golden brown before tossing it around. Fry until the meat is golden brown on most sides. Remove from pan or wok and put aside for later.
- Add the rest of the oil to the pan or wok. Once the oil is hot, add the grated ginger, diced onion and chopped garlic. Fry for about 1 minute or until fragrant, and the onion has wilted. Then, add the rice. Separate it with the spatula to ensure that each grain is evenly fried. Fry the rice for about 2 minutes while constantly tossing it around.
- Push the rice to the side and the vegetables to the centre of the pan or wok. Allow it to cook for about 1 minute before tossing it with the remaining ingredients.
- Then, add the scrambled eggs and meat to the pan and stir. At this stage, add the light soy sauce, salt, and pepper and toss until well mixed. Continue to stir fry for about 2 minutes or until the fried rice starts to char.
- Turn off the heat, drizzle the sesame oil, and stir until well mixed into the rice. Finally, garnish with the spring onions. Enjoy your special fried rice while it's still hot.
Notes
- The 1 serving measurement above is for if you are eating special fried rice with no sides as your meal. If you want to pair it with other dishes, the measurement above may be enough to serve 2 people.
- You can use any three types of vegetables. We usually like using peas, carrots, and corn. However, you can choose any vegetables as long as the combined weight is approximately 100 g per serving. Use whatever you have on hand or in your leftovers.
- You can use any meat as long as the total weight is 100 g per serving. Our favourite combination is chicken and shrimp.
- Moreover, you can substitute meat with tofu. Alternatively, you can sub in 150 g more vegetables for a vegetarian, rich special fried rice.
- If you prefer not to have eggs, you can omit those too.
Nutrition
Calories have been calculated using an online calculator. Nutritional information offered on Honest Food Talks is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimate.
Cooking Tips
Here are some tips to ensure that you have the perfect special fried rice.
Seasoning your chicken
For added flavour, you can season the meat with salt and pepper beforehand to add more kick to its taste.
Use a wok or deep pan
Using a wok will add a unique smokiness to your dish. However, a wide, deep saute pan will do if you don't have one. As you want to toss the ingredients around, you want to avoid shallow pans as you risk spilling them out of the cooking area. Don't be tempted to use nonstick. It will ruin the texture of the rice.
How to fry rice
Day-old rice is best for our recipe as it's easier to fry with and not clump together. If you do not have leftover rice, make a fresh batch and dry it in the open air for at least 30 minutes in the oven. This will help dry it out and make it less clumpy when you stir fry.
When frying the rice, do not mash the grains with the spatula. You will end up with a lot of broken rice this way. Instead, scoop the rice with your spatula, and toss it around to stir fry.
High heat
Restaurant cooks will usually fry the rice using very high heat, mainly for efficiency and also to get wok-hey. If you are a beginner, we recommend stir-frying with medium-high heat. It will take slightly more time, but you can still induce wok-hey and infuse the smoky flavour and aroma into your fried rice. Besides, it also reduces the risk of burning your fried rice.
Special Fried Rice Variations
Fried rice originates from China, specifically dating back to the Sui Dynasty. Many different variations of this dish have cropped up throughout Asia, some even further. These include the Indonesia and Singapore fried rice recipe, Thai Kao phat, and even Cuban Arroz Frito.
Here are some popular variations of special fried rice around the world.
Indo-Chinese Special Fried Rice
Generally speaking, you can cook many Chinese takeaway dishes in the Indo-Chinese style. There are many exceptions, but this special fried rice is not one of them.
Indo-Chinese cuisine developed when the British colonisers in India imported Chinese products (like tea and silk), bringing Chinese migrants looking for work. This diaspora started cooking their food, and in some places (like Calcutta), they modified their recipes to be more favourable to Indian palates.
Later, this form of cuisine grew into its own, becoming a staple comfort food in the nation. Although most Chinese people would agree that the special fried rice recipe dishes are by no means authentic, they continue to be a valid cuisine in their own right.
Fried rice is also an Indo-Chinese staple dish. There are some differences between the two preparations in ingredients and flavour. You can try both and see which one you like more.
For an Indo-Chinese preparation, add cumin, chilli powder, and caraway to taste. Add them in with the oil while it is heating up.
Difference Between Indo-Chinese And Chinese Special Fried Rice
Indo-Chinese versions usually include spices more commonly seen in Indian cuisines, such as cardamom, cloves, cumin, and caraway. On the other hand, Chinese versions include typical Chinese flavourings and ingredients such as soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and white vinegar. MSG is commonly used in Chinese home cooking, while Indo-Chinese versions made at home will usually omit it.
Chinese cooking methods utilise much higher heat and a faster cooking time. In Indian versions, spices are toasted in oil separately and on medium heat, which means the rice's cooking time and texture are drastically different.
In addition to traditional Chinese and Indo-Chinese versions of the special fried rice, others in different countries cater to the palates of and utilise the ingredients of that region.
American Style
American fried rice is usually somewhat sweeter and often has ketchup as a flavouring. Spanish versions usually utilise more chilli, in keeping with traditional dishes that have similar cooking methods.
Fried rice is one of the most beginner-friendly and accessible recipes of all time, mainly due to the simple recipe and how it can incorporate leftovers. In addition, our recipe for special fried rice leaves room for customisation and modification. So you can tailor-make the dish to appeal to you the most. Its versatility and awe-inspiring range is part of what makes it an enduring classic to this day, and we strongly urge you to give it a try.
Calories
One serving of our special fried rice has about 948 calories. However, in restaurants, a special fried rice dish can contain any number of combinations of ingredients. Therefore, the calorie count can vary wildly.
To get the most bang for your (metaphorical) buck, add loads of healthy vegetables and proteins to your special fried rice. Although our recipe calls for white rice, you can swap it for brown grains if you want more fibre.
Sides
Special fried rice is one of those dishes that is an entire meal in itself. It rarely requires a side dish. However, if you are cooking for a crowd, you might need a wider variety of food to satisfy everyone. In that case, here is a list of other dishes to serve with it.
For a traditional Chinese preparation:
- Soup such as egg drop soup (蛋花湯), chicken mushroom soup (冬菇鸡丝汤), and hot and sour soup (酸辣汤).
- Fried or boiled eggs
- Stir-fried or boiled greens, Chinese-style
- Meatballs or jiaozi
- Egg rolls (蛋卷)
- Cooked chicken or pork, such as boiled shredded chicken or a chicken stir-fry (such as 彩虹鸡炒 or rainbow stir fry).
- A traditional salad such as cucumber salad (拍黄瓜)
For an Indo-Chinese preparation:
- Manchurian (roughly chopped deep-fried meat or vegetables coated in a rich sauce)
- Spring rolls
- Sweet and sour soup
- Chop suey
If you don't mind two carb-rich dishes on the table, try any of the thousands of noodle dishes. Our favourite is this shrimp chow mein Cantonese style.
We hope our special fried rice recipe has helped you master a new dish in the kitchen. This Chinese takeaway dish is one of the most beginner-friendly dishes out there. Moreover, it is an excellent quick weeknight meal since you can make it with whatever you have on hand.
Fried rice is also one of the most universally beloved, crowd-pleasing dishes you can make. You can prepare it to be vegan-friendly as well. We hope you try our recipe out for yourself.
Carl
I've always added the egg at the end to the fried rice in the wok and never got the egg to cook nicely (and clumpy) like how they make at Chinese restaurants. Tried this recipe and it turned out just nice - many thanks for the tip!
CV
Love making this at home - such an simple and quick go to dish for the kids
Yui
Thanks for the tip on using overnight/lefotver rice. I always did my fried rice using fresh rice, no wonder it always turned out a bit tad wet