Fried rice is a comfort food for everyone. The combination of reheated steamed rice with beaten egg, yummy veggies, and some meat or seafood creates a truly delicious dish. With numerous easy fried rice recipes featuring different flavor combinations, it can be challenging to determine which one is the tastiest. In this guide, we will share simple yet effective tips to help you recreate the flavors of restaurant-style fried rice in the comfort of your own home.
What is The Secret to Good Fried Rice?
Even though fried rice may appear simple, its seasoning incorporates a diverse range of ingredients that can be combined to achieve a unique and signature taste. The deliciousness of fried rice greatly relies on the choice of ingredients and the cooking techniques employed.
The key ingredient in fried rice is steamed rice or leftover rice. The texture of such rice is perfect for creating fried rice dishes. For additional tips and tricks on making fried rice, you can check this out!
Top 6 Easy Fried Rice Tips For It To Taste Like Restaurant
Wondering how to cook delicious restaurant-style fried rice? It includes selecting the right ingredients to achieve the perfect harmony between the ingredients and seasoning. For further explanation, check the tips below!
1. Use Leftover Rice
The deliciousness of fried rice largely depends on the texture of the rice. Ideally, slightly dry or cold cooked rice is perfect for making fried rice. If the rice has a mushy texture, it can be challenging to turn it into fried rice and may affect the flavor negatively.
Using leftover rice is highly recommended. However, if you’re using freshly cooked rice, it’s best to let it cool down in the refrigerator. Ensure that the rice is not sticky before using it for fried rice.
2. Separate the Clumps of Rice
Instead of putting leftover rice from the fridge directly into the wok pan, you should separate it first. This means that you need to break up the clumps and separate the grains of rice. By doing this, you will improve the texture of the rice. Take a scoop and press down on the cold rice to ensure the separation.
3. Use a Large Pan and a Nonstick Pan
Another tip for making fried rice is to use a black steel wok pan. Cooking fried rice in a wok pan allows quicker and even cooking, as the rice gets stir-fried along the sides of the seasoned pan. If you don’t have a wok pan at home, you can simply use a large, concave skillet with a size of 12 inches, which will make it easy to cook the fried rice.
In addition, it is recommended to choose a non-stick pan to make it easier to stir the fried rice. Using a sticky pan can cause trouble and leave rice residue behind. You wouldn’t want that to happen, right?
4. High Heat is a Must
While cooking fried rice, it is recommended to use a stove with a high heat setting to ensure that the ingredients are cooked evenly and in a timely manner. However, when sautéing the spices, it is better to use medium heat. Then, when mixing the rice with other proteins such as meat or seafood, you can turn the heat back up to high.
To prevent burning, it’s helpful to have all the ingredients nearby. This way, you can easily add them to the pan and achieve a great texture for your fried rice. Once you hear a small ticking sound around the pan area, it’s a sign that your fried rice is perfectly cooked.
5. Prepare a Complete Seasoning
The key to achieving the powerful taste of fried rice lies in the seasoning. It is important to create the perfect fried rice seasoning by preparing a blend of spices including onion, chili, salt, black pepper, and other condiments. For additional flavor and aroma, you can also add sesame oil and soy sauce.
6. Use Butter
Certain fried rice tips use a variety of oils but try to use butter instead. Fried rice with butter tastes much better. The rice will achieve a perfectly browned color and the aroma produced will be more flavorful and tantalizing. In fact, some restaurants use butter as one of their tips for making aromatic egg-fried rice.
Which Rice Is The Perfect One for Fried Rice?
Choose a long-grain rice variety like basmati rice. Cook the rice until it is tender but not fluffy, as this will result in a drier and firmer texture that is not soggy. To help you with that, here are tips for cooking perfect fried rice.
1. Rinse Your Rice Before Cooking
The first step you have to do is rinse the rice three times using water. Ensure that you rinse the rice thoroughly until the color of the rinsing water becomes clear.
2. Add Water 1:1
After that, add water to the rice at a 1:1 ratio. This measurement will help you achieve the ideal texture of the rice for fried rice. Place the rice into a rice cooker and let it cook.
3. Leave for 10-20 Minutes After Cooking
If the rice is cooked, don’t open the lid of the rice cooker immediately. Leave it for 10-20 minutes to prevent the rice from getting sticky when you open it. Then, stir the rice and put it in a container to let it cool.
Ready To Apply Those Fried Rice Tips?
Restaurant-style fried rice is not that hard, right? Prepare the ingredients and start creating your own fried rice. To achieve an authentic taste, enhance your dish with Nyahtewel’s instant nasi goreng seasoning. Grab it now and savor the flavors of this delightful dish!
FAQ
- What is the perfect fried rice texture?
Ideally, slightly dry or cold cooked rice is perfect for making fried rice. If the rice has a mushy texture, it can be challenging to turn it into fried rice and may affect the flavor negatively. - How do I make sure my fried rice is not soggy?
To get fried rice that is not mushy, use leftover rice that has been cooked and cooled. Even better, use the rice that has been left in the refrigerator, it will reduce the texture of the fried rice to soggy. - What makes restaurant fried rice so good?
You need to use a high temperature while cooking the fried rice. Fried rice will stir well and crisp more quickly if cooked over high heat. - How do you fry rice without it sticking?
Simply add a little oil to the pan and gently move it around so that the oil is evenly distributed throughout.