The Secret To Making Fried Rice With Freshly Cooked Grains

Chinese food enthusiasts will probably tell you that you should only make easy fried rice with leftovers. In fact, that is one of our 15 tips to follow to make restaurant-quality fried rice at home. However, we understand not everyone has access to this day-old meal at all times. This is why we've uncovered a secret to making fried rice with freshly cooked grains for you — the key is to dry out the freshly cooked version. 

To do this, first wash rice as you normally would. Then, coat the washed grains with some cooking oil to keep them sticking together. You can do this by rubbing the grains of rice with oiled-coated hands or quickly tossing and sautéing it with some hot oil in a wok or pan. Then cook it over the stovetop or use a rice cooker, but use less water than you normally would. We usually use a 1:1 ratio when using a rice cooker — so 1 cup of water to 1 cup of rice. Over the stovetop, we use 1.5 cups of water to one cup of rice. 

In both scenarios, decrease the amount of water by about 1/4 cup to get the best results. This way, you'll end up with drier, harder grains. The final step is to lay the rice out on an even layer on a baking sheet to cool and dry. Speed up the process using the refrigerator or freezer. 

Once completely cooled and nicely chilled, the fried rice is ready to be transformed. If there are large, lumpy clumps be sure to break them up first. Our goal here is to achieve perfect individual grains of rice and a desirable mouthfeel. Hence, there is no place for lumps when making this homemade fried rice. If you had skipped the step of oiling the grains before cooking them, at this point, you can oil up the cooked version by rubbing it with cooking oil. 

Next, heat up a wok or skillet and once the cookware is hot, add cooking oil, like canola or vegetable oil. Then just make your meal as you normally would. If you're looking for a new recipe to make this week, try our classic chicken fried rice recipe or our fun pineapple shrimp fried rice recipe. For more inspiration, go through your pantry to see if you have any one of our favorite 15 unique ingredients that you should add to fried rice like miso that adds a pop of umami flavor or cashews which impart the perfect crunch.