Chinese
Twenty-Minute Fried Rice
Day-old rice fried with egg, peas, carrots, garlic, and soy sauce. Cold rice is the reason it stays in grains instead of turning into porridge.
- Prep
- 8 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- It is a real 20-minute dinner if the rice is already cooked.
- Frozen peas and carrots mean almost no chopping.
- The egg is scrambled into the rice, so every spoon has some.
- It uses what is usually already in the freezer and the rice cooker.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Break up the cold rice so there are no hard clumps.
- 2
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high. Pour in the eggs and scramble them until just set. Move them to a plate.
- 3
Add the remaining oil and the frozen vegetables. Stir-fry 2 minutes.
- 4
Add the garlic, then the rice. Press and toss for 4 to 5 minutes, until the rice is hot and some grains pick up color.
- 5
Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, eggs, and most of the green onions. Toss 1 minute.
- 6
Taste. Add a splash more soy if it is bland. Serve with the rest of the green onions.
Pro tips
- Freshly cooked rice is too wet. Spread it on a tray and chill it if you do not have leftovers.
- High heat. Medium heat steams the rice.
- A wok is nice. A wide skillet is enough.
Easy substitutions
- Peas and carrots
- A cup of leftover vegetables, chopped small.
- Soy sauce
- Tamari.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 days.
Reheating
Fry again in a hot skillet with a teaspoon of oil until hot. The microwave works, but the texture is softer.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 380
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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