Chahan: Easy Japanese Fried Rice Recipe To Make At Home

Chahan is a Japanese fried rice dish with meat and chopped vegetables that we think fondly of.

It's reminiscent of what we used to eat while living with our parents. We also used to eat this as comfort food in Japanese izakayas or the Chuukaya neighbourhoods in Tokyo. This fried dish has stayed with us throughout our lives, from when we were children to now working adults. The delicious scents of wok-fried rice were so enticing that we would have happily scooped spoonfuls into our mouths.

So, here's our take on this ubiquitous Japanese dish. Learn how to make our chahan recipe with easy ingredient substitutes and cooking tips to get fluffy individual rice grains.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Chahan (Japanese Egg Fried Rice)
• How To Make Chahan
• Cooking Tips
• Different Variations
• Chahan vs Yakimeshi
• Calories

Ingredients

To make chahan, you'll need the following ingredients.

• Rice
• Eggs
• Onions
• Garlic
• Pork (char siu) or other meat of choice
• Chopped vegetables like shiitake mushrooms, carrots
• Pickled ginger (optional) to serve

These are the main ingredients, but add other types of meats or veggies you want to stir-fry and still create a mouthwatering chahan. To make gomoku chahan, you will only use 5 toppings which are onions, carrots, peas, eggs, and ham.

Rice

Using overnight rice is the best way to make this dish since the grains are dry and will not stick to the wok when cooking. The exterior of the grains becomes dry, but each grain retains its original chewy texture, which provides a mouthwatering experience. 

Still, if you want fresh rice, ensure the wok is hot before you throw it in. Keeping it warm will prevent burnt rice from sticking to the wok.

If you have time, flat spread the freshly cooked rice on a plate and let it air dry for 30 minutes before cooking.

Meat

Char siu is the traditional type of meat used in chahan. For meat lovers, you can also replace this with thick sliced bacon.

To make chicken chahan, we recommend replacing the char siu with chicken breast or using chicken thighs as these are juicier. For our recipe, we are using chicken sausages, which we always have in our pantry. They have a fattiness similar to char siu. You can also add chicken stock for a more robust meat flavour in your chicken chahan. 

Other typical meat ingredients include shrimp, salmon, pork belly, crab meat, and octopus. 

Usually, chahan is not served with a lot of vegetables. Some are added to add flavour to the dish, but the highlight is still mainly the fried rice. Chahan is also usually served with other side dishes, too. But feel free to add more vegetables if you wish. It's a no-frills dish to make at home.

For vegetarians and vegans, a vegetable version would include peas, mushrooms and tofu alongside chopped carrots, garlic, and onion for a chewy texture. Vegans can avoid the usual scrambled eggs mixed in the dish.

How To Make Chahan

1. First, we must prepare all the ingredients we will stir fry. As the frying process happens quickly, we want to have all our ingredients prepped and ready to be chucked into the pan when needed.

2. Chop the green onions to separate the white and green parts. We want to dice them into small pieces.

3. Dice the meat (and carrots) into small pieces. Strain the sweetcorn if you're using it from the can. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat them using chopsticks until well combined. 

4. Next, turn on the stove and set it up to medium-high heat. Add half of the vegetable oil to the pan. Let both the pan and oil heat up. You want them to be hot before you start frying. Once the oil begins swirling quickly around the pan, and it feels hot when you put your hand over the pan, you're ready to cook. However, avoid heating the oil until it starts smoking. This will be too hot and burn most of the ingredients you put in the pan.

5. Add the chopped green onions (white part only) and diced meat and fry until charred. You can fry optional veggies like carrots and sweetcorn together at this stage. They should take about 1 to 2 minutes to char under medium heat. Once done, remove them from the pan and set them on a separate plate on the side. 

6. Next, add the remaining oil and let it heat up. Once it's hot, pour the beaten egg into the pan and fry them for about 1 minute. You want the eggs to be mostly cooked but not dry. 

7. Then, add in the leftover rice and start mixing with the eggs. Stir fry for about 2 minutes. You want the rice and eggs to be well combined, and the grains should start to char slightly. 

8. Then, add the cooked green onions and meat (optional veggies too) to the pan and mix with the rice and eggs. Pour the soy sauce and mirin over the fried rice and mix well. Stir fry for another minute.

9. Add salt and pepper to taste and continue frying for a few more minutes. Mix well with ½ teaspoon of sesame oil over the chahan. This will add a nutty fragrance and make the fried dish shine. Continue stir-frying until the ingredients have a bit of a char and the rice is fluffy. 

10. You can serve the chahan in a bowl or plate. Scoop your fried rice to fill a small bowl to serve it as a nice round dome. Use the spatula to press down on the fried rice to ensure all the chahan is packed. Flip the bowl onto a plate and gently lift the bowl. 

11. Finally, garnish your fried rice with green onions (the green part), sesame seeds, or seaweed to your liking. Enjoy while it's still hot.

Cooking Tips

If you have a small wok or frying pan, cook the ingredients on medium-high heat. It is essential to cook the wok or pan hot when stir-frying as it helps add wok-hey to the dish. 

Wok-hey is the smoky fragrance and charred flavour that help enhance your fried dish. Additionally, frying the grains on medium-high heat will allow them to expand to a nice, fluffy texture. Lastly, serve piping hot in the pan to preserve that authentic taste.

In Japan, they garnish their fried rice with all types of furikake. They are mainly made of nori seaweed strips and sesame seeds. So, if you have any seaweed flakes or sesame seeds, sprinkle them over the fried dish. This enhances the flavour of the entire dish.

Different Variations

The dish is said to have originated from Chinese immigrants who arrived at the port of Kobe, Japan, in the 1860s. While Chahan may have originated in China, there are subtle differences. Chefs use dry long-grain to cook Chinese fried rice, and ingredients include savoury meats such as diced pork. In contrast, short-grain sticky Japanese rice is the main staple of this dish.

This fried rice dish has gradually become the staple food for many Japanese households. We read that it became popular because it is a convenient method of cooking leftover rice and using up leftover ingredients.

That's why you will see recipes online with many different ingredient combinations. There are many ways of making this dish, but there is no single right method.

Gomoku chahan is a popular version of this dish. It is a great way to make a dish with only five key ingredients: onions, carrots, peas, eggs, and ham. We also like serving this dish with some kimchi as a palate refresher. Or for a heavier meal, we will have this with chicken curry with chahan.

Another popular variation is Takana Chahan. Takana is Japanese for pickled mustard, and this variant is essentially cooked grained stir-fried with pickled mustard. This gives the fried dish a slightly salty tang.

Chahan vs Yakimeshi

Another type of fried rice dish commonly seen in Japan is yakimeshi. 

In Japanese restaurants, chefs cook the latter dish, yakimeshi, on a griddle. After cooking the rice, other ingredients like eggs, cabbage, and fishcake are added. For the former dish, eggs are stir-fried with the rice in a wok. 

Calories

The calories are mainly from the short-grain rice and oil used. Usually, chahan contains less meat and vegetables. They are supplementary ingredients but not the highlight. 

This fried dish is a staple lunch in many Japanese households. In restaurants, it is served with gyoza and alcohol.

So the next time you have company coming over, try our chahan recipe above and pair the dish with some sake or ice-cold beer. It makes for an easy yet delicious dinner. 

Looking for more Japanese recipes to try? Make our easy hibachi fried rice recipe next.