Fried Rice

This homemade version of the Chinese standby is a great way to use up leftover rice. Or, to save time, cook the rice up to three days in advance, then let cool and refrigerate, covered tightly. Bring to room temperature before adding to stir-fry.

Leftover rice is not only acceptable here but practically mandatory: fresh or warm rice does not fry well, but clumps together and sticks to the wok. You need cold, stale rice, which separates during cooking. If you have neither roast pork (even the Cuban Lechon Asado, page 375, will work) nor Chinese sausage, ham is a fine substitute. No meat at all is fine, too, of course; see the variations.

This dish is delicious served alongside a nice fresh fish or stuffed inside a fish fillet.

Fried rice is super easy, yummy, and, shockingly, not necessarily too bad for you. Although our version has the word fried in the name, we use cooking spray instead of oil to reduce the calories, and you can also add a little fiber by using brown rice instead of white. See? Actually good for you! Rice is really cheap, and the vegetables in this recipe aren’t too expensive either, so this a staple of my diet.

Anyone who has tried to cook Chinese fried rice knows how challenging it can be to do it well. While the Vietnamese repertoire has a number of fried rice dishes, it also includes an easier alternative called com tron, freshly cooked rice tossed with a handful of ingredients. In this recipe, you can use whatever meats or seafood you have on hand, such as Char Siu Pork (page 142), any Vietnamese sausage (see chapter 6), roast chicken, grilled pork, or shrimp, along with bell pepper, egg strips, and scallion to create a beautiful mixture of colors, shapes, and textures.

I’m a longtime fan of Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, cookbook authors who produce glorious books with a journalistic approach to food writing. Their stories and stunning photographs illuminate the culture behind the food of such places as Southeast Asia and lesser-known parts of China. They’re also great fun to talk to, and when I interviewed them about their ways with fried rice (which they often make for themselves at home when one or the other is traveling), they insisted that for my own eating pleasure I make sure to always have nam pla prik in my refrigerator. This Thai condiment is simply fish sauce and chiles, which sounds like an almost lethally pungent combination, but when you make it, something magical happens. Each ingredient tames the other one, an effect that increases the longer the sauce sits in the refrigerator. This recipe is designed to use leftover rice, such as the stuff that comes in spades with Chinese takeout orders. Fresh rice doesn’t work as well because it sticks. If you don’t have a wok, you can use a nonstick skillet for this recipe, but it will take longer and won’t be as much fun.

Fried rice was a breakfast staple at my friend Phi Nguyen’s house, one that I gladly devoured every chance I had. His mom is an amazing cook, and it was in her kitchen that I first discovered the joy of Sriracha. Though cleverly disguised as nothing more than a simple serving of fried rice with a few red dots flecking the surface, this dish is a feat of culinary mastery that opened my eyes to a bold new world of flavor.

Any rice is fine for this dish, but Lemongrass Rice (page 181) makes it particularly flavorful. We especially like this technique for cooking eggs for fried rice.

This is a sweet fried rice with a pleasing bite of ginger. Before you begin to stir-fry, cook rice if you don’t have any left over, and have everything prepped and close at hand.

Although this dish calls for leftover Orange Sesame Pork (page 208), it’s so versatile that you can use almost any leftover lean meat—from baked chicken to Taco-Rubbed Flank Steak (page 184). No frozen peas and fresh carrots on hand? No problem. Use what you have—bell pepper, broccoli florets, asparagus, or whatever vegetables you prefer. You’ll need about 2 1/2 cups in addition to the onion.

Years ago, I started making batches of short-grain brown rice over the weekend to use during the week. I always had it on hand to add to or accompany whatever I was cooking. This dish emerged as one of my regulars. It’s easy and filling and an all-round great way to start any day. If you don’t want to make the rice in advance, don’t worry. Fortunately, it’s now easy to buy prepared brown rice either in the freezer section (you reheat it in the microwave) or even in the rice aisle. Just be sure to read the label—you don’t want to buy a variety that contains added fats.

A simple reproduction of a Chinese restaurant favorite, this is excellent served with tofu dishes.

Feel free to use leftover rice from last night's takeout. The secret to good fried rice is starting with cold cooked grains.

A hot skillet and an egg will quickly enliven any leftover rice parked in your refrigerator. Add meaty pieces of broiled chicken and bacon for a satisfying, inexpensive meal.

Versions of this casual dish are found throughout Peru, often crowned with a steak and a fried egg. Cooks flip the mixture of beans and rice frequently while it fries so that the exterior develops a crisp, browned crust. We've simplified the technique, but have no fear— you will still end up with lots of delectable crunchy bits. Although it is served here as a side dish, tacu tacu also makes a satisfying vegetarian supper alongside a green salad.

This simple, delicious dish hails from China's Shanghai region. It's a great way to use up leftover rice—if your rice is already cooked, you'll need 3 cups of it.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Simple Chinese Cooking by Kylie Kwong. Because pork is rather rich, I like to add a touch of hoisin sauce—the pork can stand up to it. The malt vinegar balances out the flavors, cutting through the richness and sweetness.

This riff on traditional fried rice plays the sharp, spicy flavor of ginger off the sweetness of fresh pineapple to delicious effect.

The egg in this fried rice is cooked by a super easy method. Rather than being made like the classic egg "crêpe," the egg is cooked right in the well of the rice, which creates a much more delicate texture.