Singapore Fried Rice Recipe (Easy Chinese Takeaway)

Singapore fried rice is a delicious Chinese egg fried rice made of prawns, roast pork or chicken and vegetables tossed with fresh ginger, garlic, and curry powder. It's often paired with a Russian sauce made from mayo and ketchup. The combination makes this Chinese takeaway comfort food savoury, spicy and tangy.

In our recipe, we'll show you how to make Singapore fried rice at home using different types of vegetables and meats, such as chicken. We'll also give you measurements so you can customise the level of spiciness depending on your spice tolerance.

Jump to:

• Ingredients 
• Singapore Fried Rice Recipe (Easy Chinese Takeaway)
• Cooking Tips
• Variations
• Is Singapore Fried Rice a National Dish?
• Singapore Fried Rice Vs Special Fried Rice 
• Calories 

Ingredients 

Here are the ingredients you'll need for our Singapore fried rice recipe.

• 200 g (1 cup) leftover cooked long-grain rice
• 100 g meat 
• 100 g vegetables
• 1 pc medium-sized egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 inch ginger, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 pcs dried chilli, medium-size
• 1 tablespoon red chilli paste
• 2 pcs spring onions, separate green and white parts, chopped
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon curry powder
• ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ⅛ teaspoon (or a pinch) white pepper powder

For Russian sauce (optional)

• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• ½ tablespoon red chilli paste
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped or minced

Rice

Use leftover rice as it's drier than freshly cooked grains, so it chars more quickly and provides a great grainy texture to most fried rice dishes. Newly cooked rice has a lot of moisture, so it will turn out mushy if you use it directly to cook fried rice.

If you want to use freshly cooked rice, make sure to dry it out in the open for at least 30 minutes. The longer you dry it out, the better. You can also put it in the fridge after drying to make it slightly harder. 

Meat

For the meat, we're using frozen cooked prawns that have been peeled and cleaned for convenience. If you're using raw prawns, make sure to deshell, devein and clean them first. When you fry them with aromatics, add a bit of frying time to ensure they are thoroughly cooked before you move on to the next step.

Instead of prawns, you can also use chicken to make a chicken Singapore fried rice or a mix of meats. Traditionally, this dish comes with roast pork and prawns. We only use 100g of meat in total to keep a good bite between carbs, vegetables and meat.

Vegetables

In our recipe, we used 50 g carrots and 50 g sweetcorn, but we also like to use peas. In general, we keep the ratio of rice to vegetables 2 to 1. This is our personal preference, but the ratio is great as you don't crowd the dish with too many vegetables. So, for 1 cup (200g) of carbs, we would only add ½ a cup (100 g) of vegetables. 

Dried chilli

You can replace the dried chillies with fresh chillies. As fresh chilli tends to be less hot than dried chilli, for each piece of dried chilli, replace with 2 fresh chillies. However, please note that the taste will be slightly different.

If you don't want it to be too spicy, you can remove the seeds from the chilli peppers. Otherwise, you can also replace it entirely with red bell peppers or simply omit them. 

Red chilli paste

Traditionally Chinese takeaway shops will use Chinese red chilli paste made from fermented beans. However, if you can't find this, you can use Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste). It's a close substitute that we like because of the sweet and earthy flavour on top of the spiciness it provides. If you don't have access to red chilli paste, we recommend using Gochujang and doubling the amount we mention in our recipe.

Seasonings

As you may have noticed, our recipe doesn't use salt or black pepper for its seasoning. These seasoning powders are essential to the flavour of Singapore fried rice. If you want it spicier, you can increase the amount of chilli powder in ½ teaspoon increments. If you want it saltier, you can add more soy sauce.

Russian sauce (optional)

Some Chinese takeaways will serve Singapore fried rice with a side of russian sauce for you to mix in. The sauce’s sweet and tanginess contrasts well with the spicy notes in the egg fried rice. However, this is entirely optional.

Cooking Tips

• Avoid using an excessively hot wok to cook your Singapore fried rice. Instead, focus on tossing the cooked grains frequently to ensure that all of them cook thoroughly to a crisp without clumping.
• Make boiled rice and leave it to cool. Otherwise, use old, cooked, cold white grains. The ones which are cooked and slightly dried out will turn out better when frying.
• Ideally, you should use a wok. If not available, use a deep pan where possible, and don't overcrowd it with ingredients.
• Don't overdo the sauces or seasonings. This is to allow the rest of the ingredients to add flavour to the overall dish.

Variations

The chicken version follows the same recipe. After scrambling the eggs and putting them aside, you proceed with frying the chicken. Heat up oil in the pan or wok, and fry the diced chicken until it is golden brown on all sides. Once they are ready, remove them from the pan and put them aside. Add the chicken to the fried rice while adding the scrambled eggs.

The vegan version of Singapore fried rice takeaway follows the same ingredients and methodology except for eggs, seafood or meat. You can add all the vegetables of your liking and stir-fry them with the rest of the aromatics and seasoning mix. If you want to make Russian sauce, replace the whole milk with plant milk like soy or almond milk.

Is Singapore Fried Rice a National Dish?

Despite its name, it has nothing to do with the city-state of Singapore. Instead, it is a well-celebrated savoury treat featured in Chinese takeaway food in the UK, where the dish is enriched with meat or prawns. However, it may have been inspired by the famous Singapore fried noodles.

All fried rice dishes originated in China way back in the Sui Dynasty that ruled in China (581-618). Ever since the recipe used in the province of Yangzhou (using prawns and veggies), it has inspired the way of preparing Singapore fried rice. 

During the 1900s, several Chinese restaurants started growing steadily in different parts of London. Then, in the late 1990s, Chinese takeaways became an essential component across the country. It was then this spicy cuisine became the limelight of the Chinese takeaway menu.

The scrumptious dish flaunts Asian cuisine and is now a staple takeaway dish across the seven seas. From big Cantonese restaurants to tea houses and stalls, this popular comfort food spread wherever the British tend to frequent, like in the UK and Australia. 

Singapore Fried Rice Vs Special Fried Rice 

What makes the latter dish "special" is its full load of ingredients. These include seafood, chicken, ham, pork, beef, egg, and vegetables, especially corn and peas.

In contrast, the traditional version will contain prawns, shrimp, or meat with a handful of extra spices like curry powder. The perfect blend of chilli paste and Russian sauce adds tanginess and zesty flavour that you don't find in special fried rice.      

Calories 

Our Singapore fried rice contains about 697 calories per serving. Many people consider it the ultimate Chinese takeaway comfort food—a proper hearty one-plate meal.

Now, you can recreate this Chinese takeaway dish at home without a hassle. Share your experience, and don't forget to show us pictures. Tag us on Facebook or Instagram @honestfoodtalks to get your version featured in our stories.