Fried rice made properly at home is genuinely better than most takeout versions — because you can control the heat, the fat, and what goes in it. The most important rule is day-old rice: freshly cooked rice is too moist and steams instead of frying. Day-old rice has dried out enough to separate into individual grains that fry crisply. Everything else is technique.
Ingredients
400g cooked porkleftover roast, char siu, or ground pork
600g day-old jasmine ricecold, broken up
3 eggsbeaten
1 cup frozen peas
3 garlic clovesminced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
3 spring onionssliced
Neutral oil
The Fry
Heat wok or large skillet until smoking. Add oil, swirl. Add eggs and scramble very quickly — 30 seconds, still soft — push to the side.
- Add more oil, add rice in a single layer, press slightly
- Let sit without stirring 90 seconds — you want some crispy bits
- Toss, add garlic and pork, toss again
- Add peas, soy sauce, and oyster sauce
- Toss everything together over maximum heat 2 minutes
- Finish with sesame oil off the heat, top with spring onions
"The 90-second rest after the rice goes in creates the slightly crispy, slightly chewy rice texture that makes good fried rice. Don't stir it immediately. Let it toast against the hot wok first."
The Rice Rule
If you do not have day-old rice, spread freshly cooked rice on a baking sheet and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes minimum — it dries out enough to fry properly. Moist rice in a wok turns into one large clump of starch.