The Simplest Egg Fried Rice
【一碗蛋炒饭】最最最简单的炒饭！！！ · pan chinese cuisine
This recipe is deliberately minimalist — its soul is pure, unadorned flavor. Day-old rice fries up dry, fragrant, and loose. The author notes four keys: season (wipe) the pan thoroughly with oil so nothing sticks, crack the eggs in whole without beating them, keep the heat on high and stir constantly, and add the scallions only at the very end. Add-ins of your choice turn this into a mixed fried rice.
Ben OkaforCollege senior with a tiny dorm kitchen and big ambitions. Ramen, jollof rice experiments, and everything with too much garlic. Learning as I go, mostly burning toast.Nutrition & allergens
Contains:Egg
Some ingredients are not yet allergen-surveyed; this label is not exhaustive.
Per serving (2 servings)
- Energy (kcal)
- Unknown
- Protein (g)
- Unknown
- Fat (g)
- Unknown
- Carbs (g)
- Unknown
- Sodium (mg)
- Unknown
Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.
Day-old cooked rice (leftover white rice, 2 servings)隔夜米饭两人份
4.0 serving — preferably refrigerated overnight
egg鸡蛋
8.0 piece
salt盐
to taste
scallion葱花
3.53 oz — washed, drained, and finely chopped
Techniques you'll use
- Fried egg ribbon ↗
Set eggs into soft ribbons before combining with other ingredients.
- Day-old rice pan-frying ↗
Toss chilled rice over high heat so every grain fries separately.
- Stir-frying ↗
Cook small pieces in stages, then bring them together while their textures are distinct.
Steps
- 1
Step 1
Day-old rice is the best choice for egg fried rice — it fries up dry, fragrant, and loose. If using freshly cooked rice, rinse the rice a few extra times before cooking and use slightly less water than usual.
✅ Done when: You should have loose, day-old (or drier-than-usual) cooked rice ready before starting.
- 2
Step 2
Prepare a generous amount of scallions: wash, drain well, and finely chop them; set aside.
✅ Done when: The scallions are washed, drained, and chopped into even pieces.
- 3
Step 3
High heat
Heat a wok or iron pan until it just begins to smoke. Add a small amount of vegetable oil and swirl to coat the pan thoroughly; once that oil is also just smoking, add a little cool oil to bring the temperature down (this is the hot wok, cool oil technique).
✅ Done when: The oil shimmers and just begins to smoke in a well-coated pan.
- 4
Step 4
Crack 4 eggs into a bowl. Do not beat them.
✅ Done when: Four whole eggs sit unbroken in the bowl, yolks intact.
Pour the eggs directly into the pan.
✅ Done when: The eggs are in the pan, whole and unmixed.
Once the eggs are roughly set and holding their shape, break them up with a spatula. Frying them unbeaten keeps the whites and yolks in distinct layers and gives a better texture.
✅ Done when: The eggs are mostly set with distinct white and yellow layers, then broken into pieces.
Add the rice. Use the bottom of the spatula to press gently on the rice so clumps break apart. Keep the heat on high the whole time and stir constantly so the bottom does not scorch.
✅ Done when: The rice is broken up into individual grains with no clumps remaining.
- 8
Step 8
When the grains are distinct and the rice at the edges of the pan starts to dance, it is ready to be seasoned.
✅ Done when: Each grain of rice is separate and loose, jumping at the edge of the pan.
Add salt to taste and stir-fry evenly. Do not use much — a light saltiness tastes better.
✅ Done when: The salt is evenly distributed through the rice with no visible grains left.
Just before taking the pan off the heat, add the chopped scallions and stir-fry evenly. From the moment the scallions go in, the rice must come out of the pan within 30 seconds. When you smell the scallion aroma, plate it.
✅ Done when: You can smell the scallion aroma, within 30 seconds of adding the scallions.
- 11
Step 11
Followed this way, the rice will not stick to the pan at all, and the amount of oil is just right — not greasy.
✅ Done when: The pan is clean with no stuck rice, and the finished fried rice is not oily.
- 12
Step 12
There it is — a bowl of the simplest egg fried rice.
✅ Done when: The finished fried rice is plated and ready to serve.
- 13
Step 13
From this base, you can add whatever ingredients you like to create Chinese- or Western-style variations of fried rice.
✅ Done when: Any extra ingredients you choose are cooked and folded evenly into the rice.
Variation: add diced ham, season with a spoonful of salt plus five-spice powder or cumin powder, then stir-fry in some chopped green pepper and garlic scapes until fragrant just before serving.
✅ Done when: The added aromatics are fragrant after a quick stir-fry at the end.
- 15
Step 15
Variation: the author used the last of her mother's home-pickled sour vegetables for a tangy, appetizing fried rice.
✅ Done when: The pickled vegetables are evenly mixed in and their tangy aroma is noticeable.
- 16
Step 16
Variation: an egg fried rice made with zha la jiao (fermented chili-crush).
✅ Done when: The chili-crush is stirred through evenly and the rice takes on its color.
- 17
Step 17
Add some mix-ins to the simple egg fried rice and it becomes a wonderfully tasty mixed fried rice.
✅ Done when: All added ingredients are heated through and evenly distributed in the rice.