RecipeFix original

Weeknight Vegetable Fried Rice

25 minutes · serves 4 ·

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Finished adaptations: Vegan Vegetable Fried Rice · Gluten-Free Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients

• 4 cups cold cooked long-grain rice
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil, divided
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 medium carrot, cut into small dice
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Method

Get the rice and sauce ready

1. Break the cold rice apart with your fingers or a fork so there are no hard clumps. Stir the soy sauce, sesame oil and black pepper together in a small bowl.
2. Set the rice, beaten eggs, carrot, peas, scallion whites, scallion greens, garlic and sauce beside the stove. Fried rice moves quickly once the pan is hot.

Cook the eggs and vegetables

1. Heat a large wok or wide skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon neutral oil, pour in the eggs and stir for 30 to 60 seconds, until softly set. Transfer the eggs to a plate.
2. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the carrot and scallion whites and stir-fry for 2 minutes, until the carrot is bright and beginning to soften. Add the peas and garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Fry the rice

1. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, then the cold rice. Spread the rice across the hot pan and leave it undisturbed for about 30 seconds before tossing. Continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes, tossing and pressing out clumps, until the rice is hot and some grains are lightly toasted.
2. Pour the sauce around the edge of the pan rather than into one spot in the rice, then toss for 1 minute so it coats the grains evenly.
3. Return the eggs to the pan and break them into bite-size pieces with the spatula. Toss in the scallion greens and cook for 30 seconds more.
4. Taste and add another small splash of soy sauce only if it needs it. Serve immediately while the rice is hot and the vegetables still have texture.

Cook's notes

• Cold rice is important because chilled grains are firmer and drier than freshly cooked rice. Fresh hot rice can turn soft and clumpy in the pan.
• If you do not have leftover rice, spread freshly cooked rice in a thin layer on a sheet pan and chill it uncovered until cold before frying.
• Do not crowd a small skillet with the full batch. Use the widest pan you have, or fry the rice in two batches so it toasts instead of steaming.
• Refrigerate cooked rice promptly and use properly chilled leftovers. Reheat the fried rice until steaming hot throughout.

RecipeFix originals are written as practical home recipes and editorially reviewed for internal consistency. They are not described as kitchen-tested. Nutrition is not shown unless it is calculated from the final recipe.