Fried Rice

Hot Joy chef Quealy Watson, who’s from Louisiana, grew up on his mom’s dirty rice; that dish helped inspire this bastardized fried version. The chicken-liver base tastes very concentrated and intense on its own, but becomes nicely balanced in the finished dish. Watch the step-by-step video here.

This easy fried rice recipe—which comes together in just about 30 minutes—is my go-to method for cleaning out the fridge and using up leftover rice.

This is the street food fried rice of my childhood.

Editor’s Note: To make this kimchi fried rice recipe vegan- or vegetarian-friendly, use a brand of kimchi made without seafood, such as Mother In Law’s or Sinto Gourmet. Like any fried rice this recipe is adaptable—you can use any vegetables you have on hand.

To make this dish extra crispy, sauté the ingredients separately and use cold, cooked rice. As you're stir-frying, toss the rice, pausing frequently to allow it to interact with the heat at the bottom of the pan—this will give it a nice toast.

My fried rice axiom is this: always use a little more ginger than seems appropriate. This is especially true with this fried rice version, enriched with smoky pork and rich bites of sautéed mushrooms.

The simple addition of turmeric (or curry powder) instantly transforms plain old rice into a completely different dish.

Fried rice is one of the fastest, easiest meals you can make, and a great way to use up leftovers. 

Cauliflower rice with peas, carrots, green onion, and cilantro.

There is no better use for leftover rice than chahan. A brief trip in a pan resurrects the grains and a few pantry ingredients—little more than eggs, oil, and salt—transform tired rice into a super-satisfying meal. To give the humble dish a little flair, I whip up a saucy broth filled with vegetables and shrimp and pour it on at the last minute. Of course, you can add any ingredients you like—peas or asparagus, kimchi or Japanese pickles, pork, or even, as I do at Morimoto Napa, duck confit.

Toss leftover stuffing into a big pan with sautéed rice, eggs, mushrooms, and kale for a glorious carb-on-carb send-off to the rest of your post-Thanksgiving stash.

This is the kind of healthy, satisfying food that we all wish would simply materialize at home for dinner. But making it in parts is easier than you might think!

If your local Chinese restaurant made fried rice like this, you'd want to eat there every day! This recipe brings you the flavors of water chestnuts, La Choy® Soy Sauce, and eggs. Dig in!

Warm and nourishing, this panfried rice is a brown-bag favorite. The dish starts with a couple of scrambled eggs to which rice, edamame, and seasonings are added. If you happen to be making eggs for breakfast, it’s just a few extra steps to make this savory lunch dish. Naturally, brown rice is more nutritious than white. Leftover farro or barley make tasty substitutions.

SUPERFOODS: Broccoli, Edamame, Eggs, Kale, Mushrooms, Olive Oil Step away from the take-out menu! This dish delivers weight loss by calling on supersatiating soy protein, nutritious veggies, and whole-grain brown rice, which all help keep your blood sugar and insulin levels steady—and your body burning calories.

You can easily adapt this recipe to vegetables you already have to make a quick, healthy dinner.

This recipe is a good way to use any leftover rice you might have; it can easily be doubled.

This dish is an excellent accompaniment to almost any Asian entrée, such as Chicken with Ginger and Snow Peas (page 157) or Pacific Rim Flank Steak (page 180). Add some chicken, shrimp, beef, or pork cooked without salt to transform this into a main dish.

Colorful and luscious, this Thai restaurant classic can easily be made at home.