# Chinese fried rice... missing something



## OU8thisSN (Nov 6, 2004)

Hi everyone. I just googled "cooking forum" and found this place. I hope you guys can help. I am very novice at cooking, and only know how to make a few things, but i'm willing to learn. Anyway, I really like chinese fried rice, and googled a few reciepes, but none taste as authentic or smell like the "real" stuff you get at any chinese restaurants. Please tell me what i'm missing or doing wrong?

here's what i've tried:

i take some olive oil and sautee onions, bok choy, and bean sprouts in it. Then i scramble 1 or two eggs in it. 

I add 1 cup of cooked rice to it, and then i add a liberal amount of Kikkoman Soy Sauce. I stir that around for 7 or so minutes and eat it. 

It tastes a lot like the stuff at restaurants, but itsnt totally authentic. what am i missing?


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## Chopstix (Nov 6, 2004)

Hi OU8! I think know what you mean by that missing taste.  I've wondered about it myself too.  

Somehow homecooked Chinese fried rice doesn't taste the same as in the Chinese resto.  I'm thinking it might be that slightly toasted taste that's very pleasant.  

I've asked an acquaintance who owns an authentic Chinese resto here and she was very quick to say (without me mentioning the toasted taste) that the difference is caused by the intense fire that they cook with.  Have you ever peered into their kitchens?  They put their woks on industrial stoves that spew 6-in high flames. 

Anyway, I've never confirmed this as I can't recreate that scenario at home for fear of losing my eyebrows (which might end up to be the least of my problems). LOL!


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## spryte (Nov 6, 2004)

That's mostly how I make it.  I also add garlic and shrimp or pork, some times a bit of oyster sauce.  But I've had a few people tell me tastes like the Chinese restaurant.  Try a smidge of oyster.


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## masteraznchefjr (Nov 6, 2004)

here's fried rice real chinese style and not as oily as resturants. 

So you first steam some rice. In a pan you first put vegetable oil and cook your slices of meat like chicken sausage etc. until done, then you add in a little bit of oil and throw in the rice and vegetables. Toss the rice on high heat and add in oyster sauce i think thats wut its called. its like soy sauce paste. don't over add it. High heat high heat and quickly toss the rice around for like 2 minute or 1 1/2 minute. turn to low or even off Add in egg and stir around until the egg is done. Well i have a stove that shoots up 6 in flames on high, but this method works on home stoves.


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## spryte (Nov 6, 2004)

Yes Oyster sauce... NOT hoison sauce.. that's too sweet.... Oyster sauce!
Yum


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## scott123 (Nov 6, 2004)

This was recently discussed in a forum I frequent.  Here are the highlights:

Char siu pork (red cooked pork)
Soybean or peanut oil (definitely not olive)
Day old refrigerated rice (very important that it be chilled overnight)
A small amount fresh garlic/ginger (maybe)
MSG (definitely)
A tiny amount of toasted sesame oil (drop or two)
scallions
Dark soy sauce
Very high heat

Here is the entire discussion (it's quite lengthy):

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=54668

The other tip I'd give you is to buy some fried from your favorite restaurant and analyze the ingredients.  Bok choy might be delicious in fried rice, but I doubt many restaurants add it. A lot of ingredients like this could be easily discerned by a visual inspection.


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## OU8thisSN (Nov 6, 2004)

so are you guys saying chinese restaurants dont even use soy sauce? just Hoisin or oyster sauce? I have a gas stove, I should keep it at max high? i didnt think anyone cooked anything on high.. .how do i keep it from burning?

edit: also, isnt MSG bad for you? i thought it was a carsinogen. I know a lot of restaurants in nashville have a sticker that says they dont use it. 
anyway, i dont have a wok, is that absolutely necessary? can i just use a big non stick pot?


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## masteraznchefjr (Nov 6, 2004)

i don't use wok i use big non stick pot msg is bad for you yes it is eats away your stomach lining somehow so i never use it. i use max high and sometimes i just take the pan off the stove after i put it on max high for like 5 seconds. its all coordination. I put it on max high (like 8 in flame) and stir den i remove it and stir then i put it to medium heat and start stiring. Fried rice is just plain  rice with some type of sauce and briefly stired in a pan with a little oil. 

I sometimes use chinese vegeterian mushroom sauce another paste like sauce.


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## spryte (Nov 6, 2004)

I use my big cast iron skillet.


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## wasabi woman (Nov 7, 2004)

This comes from the man who developed Yoshida's Teryaki Sauce.

Fried Rice

Refrigerate the rice overnight. 

I then mix in the soy sauce and oyster sauce into the cold rice. 
It separates the rice and evenly coats each grain. 

I then saute chopped up ham, roast pork, or even left over steak. 
Add in peas, carrots, etc. Frozen veggies are real handy.
Saute until veggies are just barely cooked. 
Add in chopped garlic and saute for a few seconds. 

Toss in the rice and fry until rice is heated through. 
Make a hole in the middle and crack a couple of eggs in the hole. 
Mix the eggs to partially scramble and finally, mix into the fried rice. 

Good Luck!


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## Psiguyy (Nov 7, 2004)

Wasabi, that's how I've made mine since my college days.  My cousin taught me to do it that way.  

I'm lazy, though.  I use frozen vegetables.  Peas & Carrots, Green Beans, etc.  I also use a massive dose of garlic.


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## marmalady (Nov 7, 2004)

A little fresh ginger is nice, too - and I'm definitely in the 'not olive oil' category -too heavy!  Soy or peanut oil is fine.


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## chez suz (Nov 7, 2004)

Dark Soy Sauce...aka Double Black Sauce is a totally different product than the normal thin lite soy sauce that you buy in most markets.  The product I'm referring to is sold in Asian Markets.  I'm fortunate to have China Town a subway or car ride away..it is there that I shop for my authentic Asian ingred.
It is this product that I use in Fried Rice.


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## scott123 (Nov 7, 2004)

MSG is not a carcinogen, nor is it bad for you. Soy sauce contains naturally occuring MSG. Billions of Asians consume MSG laden foods every day with absolutely no ill consequences to their health.  The main driving force behind the 'MSG is bad for you' myth isn't based on science, it's based on fear of foreigners, aka, xenophia. If you tell an Asian MSG is bad for them, they'll laugh in your face.  And rightfully so. 

If MSG concerns you, you shouldn't be making fried rice with soy sauce, nor should you eat tomatoes or parmesan cheese, as they contain naturally occuring MSG as well.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=54668

OU8thisSN, click the link.  The high heat, the type of soy sauce, regional Chinese approaches to the dish, the science behind refrigerating the rice - all there. I don't normally go out of my way to direct people to other discussion forums, but in this case, all your answers, and more, are there.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Nov 8, 2004)

Mushrooms too, have a naturally occuring MSG in them.  That's part of what makes them so good with so many things.  

Fried rice is definitely one of those foods that requires a careful ballance of flavors, something savory, like mushrooms, salt, soy sauce, etc, with the sweetness or the rice, a touch of Chinese 5-spice powder, snow peas, etc.  Color comes in the form of carrot, celery, snow peas, etc.  The meat should be light as well.  Pork or poultry are naturals for stir fry, as is shrimp or crab meat.  Scallops are good, as long as they are minced, and not to great in quantity.  And peanut, or a neutral flavored oil such as sunflower oil is preffered to moisten the mixture.

Hope this helps.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Lifter (Nov 8, 2004)

Sorry Scott123, but I'll disagree with you on soya sauce, if not MSG...

Soya sauce will skyrocket your bloodpressure and do evil things to your heart...

I'm not sure what the crab is on MSG, aside to know there is one, but you CANNOT eat a North American diet and compare yourself with an Asian in what will have positive/negative effects...

Re-read or contact Audeo on her several posts and give your head a shake!

Or skin an ounce of chicken off a cooked carcass and mix it in with your rice and noodles, as is the case in Asia (in case you've never been there and seen the real life thing!) just to "flavour" it...because that's about how much "meat" it in the diet there, as compared with 1 pound steaks per person here....

And donate a bunch to Heart Disease Research...it'll be investing in yourself, the way you're going at it!

Lifter


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Nov 8, 2004)

Lifter;  I use the Lite, or low sodium soy sauce.  I find the other too salty for my tastes.  And I use just a little.  I like the flavor much better.  In fact, I don't really care for regular soy sauce.  I never used it until the lighter versions came out.  And I agree with you.  Too much sodium, whether caused by MSG, or salt, is hard on the heart, can cause strokes, angina, water retention, and other things not good for our bodies.

I'm fortunate in that our family has a history of strong hearts and no one with high blood pressure.  Unfourtunately, we have other problems.  I think all of us on this planet have some inherited genetic weakness of some kind.

After all, if we outsmart the fast-moving objects trying to run us down, and choose only the aircraft that arrive safely to their destinations, and avoid slipping on ice and cracking our heads wide open, well, there has to be something to propell us past this limited mortality  

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## scott123 (Nov 8, 2004)

Lifter, telling someone they are going to develop heart disease is in extremely poor taste. There are certain lines you shouldn't cross in polite conversation, regardless of the depth of commitment to an ideal.

So, you're anti-salt, good for you. If you want to live your life terrified of food, go for it, but please don't project your fears on me. My intake of sodium is a fraction of the norm.

Some sodium intake is necessary for our bodies to function. An excess of sodium is where you get into problems.  Am I advocating excess sodium intake? Of course not! I avoid processed high sodium foods and I use only minimal amounts of salt in my cooking.  If anything my use of MSG lowers the sodium in my food since much less salt is needed when the two are combined.


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## jpinmaryland (Nov 8, 2004)

>>  If MSG concerns you, you shouldn't be making fried rice with soy sauce, nor should you eat tomatoes or parmesan cheese, as they contain naturally occuring MSG as well. 

You know I guess some people dont understand the concept of MODERATION. 

salt occurs in many things naturally too. I dont advocate dousing my food with it though. 

The other logical fallacy is that you admit some foods contain MSG naturally and then you advocate adding more of it. Huh?


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## jpinmaryland (Nov 8, 2004)

Also, you should not be stir frying w/ olive oil (the original poster on this thread).

Hot temps and olive oil is thought to produce carcinogens, at least some sources claim this. How much, how bad, I dunno, but the taste will be off.


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## scott123 (Nov 8, 2004)

jpinmaryland said:
			
		

> >>salt occurs in many things naturally too. I dont advocate dousing my food with it though.



I went back and reread my post and I can't seem to find where I advocated 'dousing' my food with MSG.  Could you please direct me to where I said that?



			
				jpinmaryland said:
			
		

> The other logical fallacy is that you admit some foods contain MSG naturally and then you advocate adding more of it. Huh?



My indication that MSG occurs naturally in foods was to prove it's safety.  Safe to combine with these foods or use on it's own.  Salt occurs naturally in foods, and yet you add more of it when you cook, do you not?


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## jennyema (Nov 8, 2004)

Glutimates very much help create a savory taste in food.

Savory is actually considered a fifth taste sense, after sweet, salty , sour and bitter.  It is sometimes referred to as "umami."

Naturally occuring free glutimates can be found in mushrooms, peas, milk meat, cheese, tomatoes and other things.  And of course in fermented foods, such as soy sauce and miso.  Free glutimates can also be found in browned or grilled meat -- "fond" that we make pan sauces out of contains it -- which is why it is so yummy.

Glutimates make food taste good.

MSG, the flavor enhancer, is produced by fermenting starch, sugar beets, sugar cane, or molasses.

It does bother some people -- some more that others.  

IMO, adding soy sauce to food usually accomplishes the same thing as MSG.  But I am also known to add a tiny pinch of Goya sazon to foods.  It has MSG.


Chinese restaurants do NOT use hoisin sauce in fried rice.  Just soy sauce and a bit of oyster sauce (unless it's veggie fried rice).

Dark Soy sauce or thick soy sauce usually has molasses added.

Never use olive oil -- use peanut oil.   olive oil tastes like olives and ahs a low smoke point.  You need to fry rice at high heat.


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## OU8thisSN (Nov 9, 2004)

hi guys, so can we try and get back on topic...

so basically, we have established:

Do not use olive oil. 
Use penut or ... oil?

beat 1 egg into it, with shallots/onions/etc. 

add refridgerated rice, and stir fry

at this point add in oyster sauce? are there different types of this?

then add seseme oil?

then add another beaten egg to the fried rice and lightly coat... like a sauce (how long) 

and serve?


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## jpinmaryland (Nov 9, 2004)

Hello Scott: I agree that there is really no health dangers associated w/ MSG, Posters above who suggest it will eat your stomach or whatever or just absurd.

I was arguing against the use of it as a given. Personally I do not like it, I get extrememly sleepy when it is added. I am pretty sure, since I never experience the sleepy feeling if I eat at a place w/ no MSG. My friend will actually start to perspire and turn red if it's in his food.

So I am against the notion that is has to be used in cooking. 

If you want to argue that it is safe, I agree I have no reason to think it is a health hazard.


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## WayneT (Nov 9, 2004)

jpinmaryland said:
			
		

> Also, you should not be stir frying w/ olive oil (the original poster on this thread).
> 
> Hot temps and olive oil is thought to produce carcinogens, at least some sources claim this. How much, how bad, I dunno, but the taste will be off.




From the Olive Oil Source



> Olive oil is a great oil for cooking.  Strong flavored olive oils can be used for frying fish or other strong flavored ingredients.  A mellow late harvest mission oil could be used in baking a cake.  Olive oil has a high smoke point, 410 degrees F,  and doesn't degrade as quickly as many other oils do with repeated high heating.  Use a variety of healthy vegetable oils when preparing food and incorporate a good extra virgin olive oil when you want its health benefits and wonderful Mediterranean flavor.
> 
> *Leslie asks: * I was told that olive oil, which I use almost exclusively, loses its benefits when heated. I understand that it becomes like any other fat when used other than in a cold state and is as "bad" as is butter or margarine. Does olive oil turn into a trans-fatty acid or saturated fat when heated. Is this fact or urban myth?
> *
> ...


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## WayneT (Nov 9, 2004)

OU8thisSN said:
			
		

> It tastes a lot like the stuff at restaurants, but itsnt totally authentic. what am i missing?



Sesame seed oil. stir fry your your flavor ingredients like your bacon, shitake mushrooms, peas or whatever takes your fancy. remove from the wok and stir fry the rice on high heat in a teaspoon or two (depending on quantity of rice) of Sesame seed oil. Add other ingredients back into wok and mix through and add a small amount of Sweet Soy Sauce to just color the riice. 

Peanut oil is best for Chinese stir frying but I use Olive oil most of the time with excellent results. A pinch or two of five spice also gives it a lift.

At the risk of being branded a cooking knowitall, I will say categorically that unless you use the Sesame Seed oil you will _never_ get the taste you said you are after.


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## marmalady (Nov 9, 2004)

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1750,148183-230199,00.html

The above link is the best 'recipe' I have found for 'traditional' fried rice.  There are many versions, and spinoffs, as you can see above, but the link is the 'basic'. 

I would also argue that soy sauce is the ingredient used, not either hoisin or oyster sauce.  To sum up, the basics are 

  - leftover rice (preferrably a short grain, oriental type rice)
  - use of vegetable oil - peanut or soy, or even - gasp! - Crisco oil!
  - 'Scrambled egg cooked out flat, then cut into strips or julienne
  -  Whatever leftover veg/meat combo you like
  - Soy sauce

Yes, you can add other flavorings, or ingredients, but this is pretty much what you will get in the restaurants; and that will even vary depending on the restaurant and region.  In Jersey the fried rice always had soy in it; down here in the South, we're finding that it's the 'norm' for the rice not to have any soy or other sauce in it at all.


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## lyndalou (Nov 9, 2004)

I'm with marmalady on this one. I add some chopped green onions at the end for a little crunch.


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## marmalady (Nov 9, 2004)

Clinton's campaign slogan so applies to cooking - 'Keep it simple, stupid!"


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## jennyema (Nov 9, 2004)

The issue with oilve oil is really more about taste.  Chinese restaurants use peanut or canola oil -- or likely a mixture.


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## jpinmaryland (Nov 9, 2004)

Be careful if you are going to  use crisco for stir frying (see above post), this could turn into flames. A long time ago something like this happened to me, I cant remember if it was stir frying or some other type...Anyone else have a problem w/ crisco?


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## marmalady (Nov 9, 2004)

jpinmaryland said:
			
		

> Be careful if you are going to  use crisco for stir frying (see above post), this could turn into flames. A long time ago something like this happened to me, I cant remember if it was stir frying or some other type...Anyone else have a problem w/ crisco?



JP - If you're referring to my post, I said 'Crisco oil'; in any case, I fry chicken in melted solid Crisco, and have never had a flame problem.


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## honeybee (Nov 11, 2004)

I think the start of this thread sounded good to me. Having said that, I believe there are as many recipes for Chinese fried rice as there are people who make it. It's a good recipe for using leftovers. So, whatever you have in the fridge (that's still edible and doesn't have mold growing on it) is game for fried rice. Cut up, stir it, put some seasoning you like on it, and voila, you've got Chinese fried rice. Bon appetit!


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## masteraznchefjr (Nov 11, 2004)

yea i agree i always use left over stuff  to make chinese fried rice or when there is so little of each in the fridge.


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## Sue Lau (Nov 27, 2004)

Try cooking onion until it is heavily caramelized, like a fried shallot. Then when you cook your egg, do it in a pancake type omelet (very thin) and shred, instead of dumping the raw egg on the rice.
And something done in Chinese restaurants, but not really advisable to do in the home kitchen is to flame the wok. I have watched them tilt the woks until the oil catches the flame, then the wok flames up and then dies down. I have never tried this of course, because I don't feel like burning my house down.


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## sarah (Dec 6, 2004)

you gotta use some chinese salt in the recipe to get that real chinese restaurant taste.


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## masteraznchefjr (Dec 7, 2004)

sarah said:
			
		

> you gotta use some chinese salt in the recipe to get that real chinese restaurant taste.



Is there even such thing?


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## GB (Dec 7, 2004)

sarah said:
			
		

> you gotta use some chinese salt in the recipe to get that real chinese restaurant taste.



Are you possibly thinking of MSG?


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## jennyema (Dec 8, 2004)

sarah said:
			
		

> you gotta use some chinese salt in the recipe to get that real chinese restaurant taste.




The chinese use salt pretty sparingly.  Soy sauce is used more often than salt to season food.


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## sarah (Dec 12, 2004)

i think they use chinese salt which is not like regular salt,its called ajino motto.


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## GB (Dec 12, 2004)

sarah said:
			
		

> i think they use chinese salt which is not like regular salt,its called ajino motto.



I am pretty sure that (Aji-No-Motto) is the Japanese name for MSG.


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## marmalady (Dec 12, 2004)

Almost - it's agi-no-moto.  And yes, it is the Japanese name for MSG.


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## jennyema (Dec 13, 2004)

sarah said:
			
		

> i think they use chinese salt which is not like regular salt,its called ajino motto.




*Ajinomoto* is a *company *which makes all kinds of food chemicals and food products.  You can find them in asian markets.

What I think you are referring to is their brand name of MSG.  It's not real salt or "chinese salt," it's plain old MSG -- which some people like and others abhor.


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## Chopstix (Dec 13, 2004)

Aji-no-moto in Japanese literally means "essence of tase" or "at the origin of flavor".  The term refers to MSG isolated from kombu seaweed by a Japanese chemist in 1908.  It's also the MSG-manufacturing company's name and the brand name for their various products. 

It might interest people to know that MSG is sold to consumers as Ac'cent and Zest.


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## marmalady (Dec 13, 2004)

Most Japanese just use the word 'aji' when referring to ajinomoto.


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## WayneT (Dec 14, 2004)

_
I think I mentioned this on DC somewhere before but can't find it._

*For those who wish to use MSG, I heard this from the mouth of a prominent Professor of Chinese 
Traditional Medicine some years ago.
MSG in itself is not dangerous to the health.
MSG is a protein from wheat. Like all proteins they oxidise with high heat.
The safe way to use MSG is to add it just before the dish is finished cooking. 
This guy was in Australia, promoting healthy Chinese cooking techniques to some Chinese chefs here.*


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## Paint (Jan 11, 2005)

Try stir-frying the UNCOOKED rice until it's starting to brown, then add it to boiling water with 2 or 3 chicken stock cubes added (be careful, the hot rice will make the water boil up, so add it gradually!)  Scramble the eggs until they are flaking and add to the cooked rice along with soy sauce (light), to taste and any fried veggies you want to add.

This is the most authentic tasting fried rice technique I've tried - even though it's not cooked in an authentic way LOL!

Paint.


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## masteraznchefjr (Jan 18, 2005)

wow that is so odd and unusual


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## Paint (Jan 24, 2005)

Yep, it is unusual, but it works   I use jasmine rice or basmati rice.  Use enough stock so you have to drain the rice afterwards, that stops it getting sticky.

Paint.


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