# Making Asian fried rice. Review my plan!



## babaliaris (Feb 11, 2021)

I have previously discussed here this recipe but now it's the first time that I have all the ingredients!

The food that I'm trying to do is Fried rice with veggies and eggs.

Ingredients:
1) A half teacup of rice (water in triple the amount of the rice).
2) 1 carrot
3) 1 Potato
4) Half onion (dry)
5) 2 Fresh (green) onions.
6) 1 clove of garlic.
7) 3 eggs.
8) Ginger (powder)
9) Soya sauce.
10) 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.

Execution:
-First I'm cooking the rice, in extremely low heat. It takes about 20 seconds, but it's the best way that I found out if you only have an electrical stove and a pot.

-In parallel, I'm preparing the veggies. Everything is chopped in very small quads.

-Then I'm cooking the eggs (already beaten) without olive oil using the following technique:
1) I heat the pan
2) I remove the pan from the heat
3) I insert the eggs and start whisking.
4) I insert the pan again on the heat.
5) I remove it from the heat (I don't stop whisking).
6) I repeat the steps 4-5 until I have scrumble eggs.
Not the English ones that look like cream (where you use fresh cream), but the ones that look like small pieces of solid eggs.

-Then I'm preheating the first tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan (non-stick) until it's extremely hot (I see steam coming out).

-The chopped potato enters the pan alone. Because one potato is actually too much, I'm cooking it separately from the other veggies because it overwhelms the pan. Also, I season at that point. I stir fry the potatoes until they become golden cooked.

-Then I'm preheating the second tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan (non-stick) until it's extremely hot (I see steam coming out).

-And this is the STEP that I have to change. What I was doing (when I did not have ginger and garlic) was that, after the oil was extremely hot, I was removing it from the heat, then I was inserting the veggies (carrot and dry onion) and stir-frying them (away from the heat) until they way ready. The hot oil was enough, I didn't have to put the pan on the heat again. I also season at this point.

-Then I insert the rice, I fry it a little bit until all the juice from the water is completely gone and then I serve with the potatoes, the eggs, and the fresh onions on top.
I forgot to say that I use some water to clean the rice before I cook it.


My Questions:

So now, when should I insert the Garlic and the Ginger (remember I have powder ginger)? Will the extremely hot oil burn the garlic and the ginger if I insert them too early?

How much ginger powder should I insert. Is one teaspoon enough or too much?

When should I insert the soya sauce and how much should I use, one teaspoon or a tablespoon?

We are talking about a one-person meal.

Any other suggestions about Improving the way that I execute the recipe are also welcome. I will try this tomorrow for breakfast and post the results!

Also, take a look at the soya sauce and the ginger powder, it's the first time I'm using these ingredients. We rarely use them in Greece.

I might also use green pepper for extra veggies 

*Edited:*
By the way, I probably must season the rice too. Because the last time that I made this dish, even that I seasoned the potatoes and the veggies when I was eating it as a whole, it felt like the rice was not seasoned at all!!!


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## CharlieD (Feb 11, 2021)

Final result picture?

Are you asking to discuss this recipe, or are you asking how to change/improve the recipe, or are you simply sharing the recipe?

In any case, this is what I do. Not exactly sure what you are trying to cook. Never had fried rice with potato, or actually never even heard of it. Then the good (not sure if it is necessary the right) method to make fried rice is to prepare rice in advance. Maybe even day ahead and leave in the refrigerator to dry, so to speak. Maybe even slightly undercook the rice, that is what I do, because the rice will continue cooking when you fry. when you are cooking, have all your vegetables precook, I cook everything separately, make sure not to overcook anything. Fry rice with added soy sauce. When it's ready add all your veggies to the pan, mix together, cook for no longer than another minute.
Serve.


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## babaliaris (Feb 11, 2021)

I'll try it tomorrow. I don't have a picture currently, but I can show you my last attempt (I didn't have the soya sauce, garlic, and ginger though).






And the following was my first attempt :p





What bothers me now is how much ginger powder should I use and how much and when should I insert the soya sauce. I literally have no clue!!!


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## pepperhead212 (Feb 11, 2021)

Be sure to cook the rice, and refrigerate it - freshly cooked rice does not do as well in this recipe.  And just break it apart - don't rinse it, as you don't want the wetness in there.    I assume you are using  the powder because fresh ginger is not available where you are located?  The soy should be good, since it says "naturally fermented".  I usually add that (or fish sauce, when cooking Thai) toward the end, and taste test for salt.  That's good cooking the eggs first, by themselves, and adding back later - when they are added uncooked, later, like a lot of older recipes tell us to do,  it does not come out well!  But add the rice first - right after the garlic (fresh ginger with garlic, but I'd hold off on the powder, as it could burn) when the pan is very hot.  This is what gives it that so called _Wok Hei_ - that almost smoky flavor you get in a good fried rice, and other dishes.   Even with high heat burners I've found that doubling fried rice recipes does not get the same flavor, as it cools the pan off too quickly (unless I'm doing it outside on my Big Kahuna burner, which is more like what they use in Chinese restaurants). Maybe add the ginger halfway through the cooking.  Some things, like carrots, are probably better pre-cooked slightly, and added later, since they take too long to cook.    

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!


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## jennyema (Feb 11, 2021)

Alway, always keep the rice refrigerated 

You can get nasty food poisoning from rice held at room temp


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## taxlady (Feb 11, 2021)

jennyema said:


> Alway, always keep the rice refrigerated
> 
> You can get nasty food poisoning from rice held at room temp



I just want to clarify. Always keep *cooked* rice refrigerated.


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## taxlady (Feb 11, 2021)

I'm not an expert at Asian cooking. But, the only times I have seen potato in Chinese food, it was cut into thin strips, like match sticks, about 2 mm in cross section.


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## pepperhead212 (Feb 11, 2021)

I always thought that was strange that China produces more potatoes than any other country, yet I see very few recipes in any lof the Chinese cookbooks I have, or any, more recent (most of those books are fairly old) magazine articles, and the like. Last I saw totals, China produces more than double what India does, yet there are countless classic Indian recipes with potatoes.  I know there are some  potato by-products, but nothing like corn.  Maybe it's all those prepared foods they export to this country, and others?


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## babaliaris (Feb 11, 2021)

About the potatoes, I just saw them in an omelet recipe and thought of using them in this recipe too.

I mean, what can go wrong? Potatoes are also a vegetable, and I really like the taste when they are fried!!!


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## babaliaris (Feb 11, 2021)

By the way, can anyone tell me how much Soya sauce should I use? Is one tablespoon enough?

Also how much ginger (powder)? 1 teaspoon?

If I can I will also try to record the process (then fast forward it by processing the video) to show you better how I execute the recipe.

I really want some good feedback. Learning how to cook by seeing videos it's quite hard, especially when you don't know how a proper dish should actually taste like.


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## GotGarlic (Feb 11, 2021)

I think it would be more useful for you to understand the basics of stir-fry technique and then make your plan. Once you know the method, you can substitute ingredients as you like.

Take a look at these (for what it's worth, I stir-fry in a skillet and I'm not concerned about "wok hei").

Technique
https://www.seriouseats.com/2010/06/wok-skills-101-stir-frying-basics.html

Vegetable Fried Rice 
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/02/easy-vegetable-fried-rice-recipe.html

More stir-fry recipes 
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/topics/method/stir-fry


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## babaliaris (Feb 12, 2021)

These are my results. I couldn't actually record the whole process but at least I recorded my stir-frying skills and my sister helped me record while I was making the eggs.

*The video:*
https://youtu.be/cvyL7iXjzBc

*The ingredients:*





*The Rice:*





*The Potatoes:*





*The Rest Of The Veggies (after stir-fry). It seems like they weren't cooked*:





*The Rice with the veggies and the soya sauce (1 tablespoon)*:
I also added some bukovo to make it spicy.





*Final result without the eggs*:





*Final Result With The Eggs*:





Overall I think I did alright. By the way, I forgot the green onions but anyway. Also, I didn't have garlic...


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## babaliaris (Feb 12, 2021)

Well, it seems stir-frying in an electric stove is not that easy. Maybe I should have stir-fry each vegetable separately? It's like the heat is not enough to cook all of them together, and I pre-heated the oil (one tablespoon) for about 10 minutes in the maximum heat possible.


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## taxlady (Feb 12, 2021)

babaliaris said:


> Well, it seems stir-frying in an electric stove is not that easy. Maybe I should have stir-fry each vegetable separately? It's like the heat is not enough to cook all of them together, and I pre-heated the oil (one tablespoon) for about 10 minutes in the maximum heat possible.



No, the heat won't be enough on an electric stove. It won't even be enough on a regular, household gas stove. Yes, cook each of the vegis separately, letting the pan get hot again before frying the next one.

That information was mentioned in the link that GotGarlic posted. Really, you should have a look at that link. It gives excellent information.


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## babaliaris (Feb 12, 2021)

taxlady said:


> That information was mentioned in the link that GotGarlic posted. Really, you should have a look at that link. It gives excellent information.



I looked at the link but I'm quite stubborn until I see the mistake myself


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## taxlady (Feb 12, 2021)

babaliaris said:


> I looked at the link but I'm quite stubborn until I see the mistake myself



Well then, just read what it says and use the parts that make sense to you.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Feb 12, 2021)

Fried rice, and stir-fry are two different, bu similar cooking techniques.  Stir frying is normally done using a wok.  You can successfully stir- fry in a carbon steel, SS, or cast iron pan as well.  For an electric stove top, a flat bottomed wok works best,  The seasoned wok is virtually non-stick, and is heated dry .  The veggies are prepped before heating the wok.  When the wok is hot, a couple tbs. of high temp oil, such as peanut, or sunflower oil is added.  Veggies are then added one at a time, so as not to overcrowd the pan bottom.  It is moved continuously while additions such as hoisin, olumb, or soy sauce, and seasonings such as onion, garlic, ginger  are added.  When the veggies are partly cooked through, (typically in a stir fried dish, the veggies should still be slightly crispy), they are moved up the sides of the wok, where they will stay hot, but not cook further.  The next veggie/ ingredient is added, and stir-fried in a like manner.  

Veggies such as carrot, and celery are cut at an angle (bias sliced) for both presentation, and to increase the surface area that will come into contact with the pan.

It is often easier to remove the cooked veggies into a large bowl where additional seasonings can be added without burning them.

Any meats should be marinated, brined, or seasoned for at least 20 minutes before stir frying,  Meates should be cut into thin strips, or 1/2 inch cubes so that they are cooked through by the time they are lightly browned.  I find that a technique called velveting gives the most flavorful, and best textured meat.

Eggs can either be cracked into the wok bottom, and stirred, or mixed with milk in a bowl, then added to the wok.  The wok will need a bit more oil to keep the eggs from sticking.

Finally, all of the ingredients in the stir-fry are put into the wok, often with a bit of cornstarch slurry to form a sauce.

For fried rice, already cooked, then chilled rice is put into the wok, often with roasted sesame seed oil added for flavor.  Already stir-fried items are added after the rice is hot.

Typical additions to fried rice include:
1. Seasonings - soy sauce, Hoisin Sauce, chopped peppers, ginger, fish sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, Chinese 5-spice, etc.
2. proteins - shrimp, scallops, beef, pork, chicken,, firm tofu, scrambled eggs, cashews, peanuts
3. veggies - bamboo shoots, sliced onion, celery, water chestnuts, snow peas, baby sweet peas. canned baby corn, sliced mushrooms, bok choy, chopped green onion, scallions, lemon grass

Stir fries can be served straight up, or as lo mein, over soft noodles such as soba noodles, ramen noodles,  or more commonly, udon noodles, which are a thick egg noodle.  They can also be served over crispy udon noodles.  This is called chow mein.

Cantonese stir fries are generally combined with a sweet sauce, where Schezwan stir-fries are spicy-hot.

Thai stir-fries usually include peanuts, peanut butter, or both.  cashews are found in Chinese stir fries.

I hope this tutorial of fried rice, and stir fries helps you gat the dish you want, and the quality you desire.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## babaliaris (Feb 12, 2021)

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> I hope this tutorial of fried rice, and stir fries helps you gat the dish you want, and the quality you desire.
> 
> Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North



This is actually pretty helpful! Though it seems like it will take some years to completely make something exactly like what you describe! It is straightforward, but in order to do all of this correctly, even If I execute the steps one by one by reading and doing, still it's not that easy...


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## GotGarlic (Feb 13, 2021)

The Chief has a tendency to do things a little more elaborately than is strictly necessary  I don't think it will take long for you to get the hang of it. 

Here's my procedure:
- Cut vegetables into same-size pieces. Set aside, with onions in a separate bowl. 
- Cut garlic and ginger into four pieces each and set aside. 
- Cut meat into strips. 
- Whisk sauce ingredients in a small bowl. This generally includes soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and cornstarch. I like to add chile garlic sauce and oyster sauce. I'll post my recipe if anyone is interested. 

I don't use egg because my husband doesn't like them and I don't marinate the meat because then it won't brown. 

Have a plate available for the meat. 
- Heat pan and add peanut oil (I think this gives it the most authentic flavor). Swirl the pan to coat the bottom and sides with oil. 
- Add two pieces each of ginger and garlic to the pan. Stir them around to flavor the oil. Remove them from the pan and discard. 
- Add meat in a single layer and let it fry for a couple of minutes. Don't crowd the pan. Stir fry the meat till partially cooked. Remove to the plate and set aside.
- Add the rest of the ginger and garlic to the pan and swirl it around. Remove from the pan and discard.
- Add onions to the pan and stir until softened. Add vegetables and stir fry until tender-crisp.
- Make a well in the center of the pan by pushing the vegetables to sides and up (if using a wok). Re-whisk the sauce and add to the center of the pan. Stir well until it thickens. Mix with the vegetables, then add the meat and any accumulated juices to the pan. Stir until everything is well-coated with sauce. 
- Taste for seasoning, add more soy sauce or vinegar, if needed, and serve with rice.


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## pepperhead212 (Feb 13, 2021)

*babaliaris* I used to cook on electric ranges, when I first got into Chinese cooking, and, though I had never actually cooked on a high heat range at the time, I learned quickly that a wok - the flat bottomed type - did not work on electric.  But I eventually found 2 types that worked - some  old Calphalon sauté pans, and cast iron skillets, which are more like sauté pans, with their high sides.  Cast iron is not good on a glass top range, but the Calphalon is smooth, and if you have an old, coil electric range, that would be best, and good with either!  

Either of these types are heavy pans, and can be pre-heated, before adding the oil - maybe a little more, due to the broad bottoms, but not a lot more.  I used to heat them at least a minute on high (even more time on the later glass top), add the oil, and when it had just a whisp of smoke, I'd tilt the pan, and cook the ginger and garlic in the pool of oil, and after 30 sec or so, add the chili paste (I'm almost always cooking Szechwan!), stir a bit, then put the pan on the high heat again, and start adding other ingredients.  The heavy metal in these heats up well in the beginning and holds a lot for the cooking  - takes some practice to get it right, but it works better than the thin metal pans; those can heat up, of course, but as soon as the larger amounts of food are added, they quickly cool off.  With a high heat gas  burner, they  re-heat fast, but otherwise, it's like the heat gets turned off, especially on a glass top electric.  Induction works better, according to a friend who switched to that.


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## GotGarlic (Feb 13, 2021)

Pepper, I use my Calphalon sauté pan for stir-frying, too. Works great.


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