How do you make proper fried rice?

[notsobig]

I'm asking this because there's a quite big difference between fried rice served at my local Chinese restaurants and the one served in soho, tastewise. So what makes this difference do you think, is it ingredient or chef's technique? I want to make proper fried rice and impress my friends, please help. What's the most important ingredient, oil maybe?

[Theo]

Sesame oil, perhaps? It has quite a distinct sort of nutty aroma.

[johnny02004976]

hmmm, im sure they use some sort of rice machine in restaurants

[Mossy]

it all depends on the type of fried rice. it is also dependant on where the chef comes from because in different regions they are tought to do it differently.

Chinese Malaysian
Malaysian and so on.

I used to manage a fine dine restaurant in China town Manchester (-:

[notsobig]

I think it's Mandarin restaurants who serves good fried rice. I can't explain well but there is this rich grilled meat/onion type of flavour in it. I think it's oil or maybe something they put when they start stir-frying? I've tried sesame oil, dried garlic and chopped spring onion etc but something isn't quite right.

[Workaholic]

Have you added Soy Sauce?

[fuddam]

rice: waaaaaaaaaay important what type you use. Steamed is better.
heat of the wok: waaaaaaaaaay important it be uber-hot

and the most important tip: remember to use a dash of WATER when appropriate, to prevent the rice sticking. People always go for tons more oil, and end up with a oily, greasy mishmash. A dash of water not only prevents that happening, but the instant steam adds colour to the vegetables. And keep the stuff moving. Rice always at the end.

otherwise, the usual: fresh garlic, pepper, spring onions, mebbe dash of chinese rice wine at the end. Soy sauce comes in many diff varieties - go for Kikkoman for the bestest

[TheAnimus]

second the kikoman! Seasamee seed oil is also very good, but incredibly powerful, you need only a whisp (i've taken to adding about a 3ml drop into chicken soup, make it 5ml, you taste it too much).

My mum often makes it in an almost indian style, cardomen and cineman been used too, i rather like the cadromen myself.

[fuddam]

sesame at the end, by the way, not earlier. Is a flavour that disappears quickly if used too soon.

AND, for the truly AUTHENTIC TASTE, make sure to invest in that 10kg bag of msg

[herulach]

I find it works a lot better with cold rice too, and make sure its very well washed.

[notsobig]

Thanks for all your advice guys, there are some nice tips I didn't know and I will surely try those techniques next time I make fried rice. Cheers

[atrull]

add the soy sauce at the end once the rice is added to the egg/meat/vege/oil - if you add it to early it discolours the egg and turns the rice brown. make sure the rice is nicely oiled! only add a little sesame oil at the end of the cooking once you are on low heat - adding it early will just burn it (sesame has a very low flash point) - use peanut oil to fry egg/bacon bits/peas and rice. I tend to fry bacon first and cut it up and set it aside, then fry the egg in the bacon oil and cut that up into ickle bits (add it to the separate bacon pile), then fry the steamed/boiled rice in that oil with the peas. then add the egg and bacon back into the rice/pea/oil mix - fry it a little together then as it cools add a tsp of sesame and your soy pepper is good too.

[notsobig]

Thanks for sharing your tip, I'll write that down on my recipe book

[deKoven]

Sorry but Kikkoman is OUT in my book; I get my soy from a grocery store called Uwajimaya (www.uwajimaya.com) which carries some twenty varieties of soy sauce. They're located in Seattle's International district. VERY good store to shop.

[atrull]

iyss

[HyeongSeong]

Here is the proper way of make it 

Ingredients:
Leftover rice,
Spring Onion (finely chopped).
Eggs,
Green Peas,
Garlic Sausages (diced),
Black pepper seeds.

Methods:

1. Put some oil in the wok and left it till the oil start to sizzling.
2. Crack opens the eggs and put the contents into a bowl. Add some salt and pepper into it. Stir them well.
3. Put the contents of the bowl into the now sizzling wok, rote the wok so that the eggs are spread thinly (almost like an omelette). Once there are no liquid left in the wok, break up the eggs and then take them out to cool down.
4. Put some more oil into the wok ( if there aren’t any left) and add the following:
Spring onion,
Black pepper seed,
Stir them well.
5. Put the green peas into the wok.
6. Once the peas are nearly cooked, put rice and the diced sausages into the wok.
Stir the contents in the woks so that all ingredients are spread evenly.
7. Once the rice becomes hot, add the now cool down fried eggs and few drops of sesame oil. Add some salt if desired.
8. Chop some coriander for dressing .


This is how I make it at home together with last nights left overs The whole purpose of egg fried rice is that you can just mix in all the leftover stir fries from the night before. ( This is where the meat flavours come from )