Egg fried rice is one of those easy recipes we should all have in our repertoire. Quick to prepare, and using basic ingredients, this simple dish delivers lots of flavour with very little effort, perfect for mid week or relaxed weekend dining.
This version combines crisp celery with tender leek and fragrant ginger to create a fresh savoury base. The sweet garden peas and sliced spring onion bring colour and texture as well as flavour. Light soy sauce and oyster sauce bring depth and season the dish, without overpowering the vegetables.
Delicious served as a side dish with Asian inspired mains, it can also be easily transformed into the main event. With a few extra ingredients, you have a hearty, satisfying meal, and I'll share some of my ideas for doing just that later in the post.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Use day old rice if possible as chilled rice has had time to dry out, helping the grains stay separate while frying, rather than becoming soft or sticky.
- Get the wok nice and hot and cook the rice, vegetables and egg over a high heat, this keeps the vegetables crisp, the egg tender and the rice light and slightly smoky.
- Add the sauces sparingly and at the right time, the soy sauce and oyster sauce should coat the rice, rather than soak right into it, so add it towards the end of the cook.
Recipe ingredients
Find the full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.
- Rice - I cook the rice fresh as I am rarely organised to prepare the rice in advance! However, if cooking fresh rice, ensure you allow it to steam dry in a sieve and cool completely as this allows the grains to separate. If you have day old leftover cooked white rice, this is a great way to use it up.
- Oil - I stir fry the rice and vegetables in a little sunflower oil.
- Vegetables - I add a leek and celery for base flavours, and add frozen garden peas (green peas) and spring onions (green onions) for flavour at the end of the cook.
- Eggs - I use 3 medium beaten eggs in this recipe.
- Ginger - I like to flavour the rice with some freshly grated ginger which has the best flavour. You could also use frozen ginger if you don't have fresh.
- Seasoning - I season the rice with light soy sauce and oyster sauce.
How to make egg fried rice
- Cook the rice in a large saucepan of salted water for approximately 12-15 minutes, until just cooked. Then drain through a sieve and set aside to steam dry and cool completely. [Note: If using leftover cooked rice skip this step].
- Heat the sunflower oil in a large wok over a medium-high heat and add the celery and leek. Stir fry for 3-5 minutes then remove from the wok into a bowl and set aside.
- Add the beaten egg to the wok and scramble the eggs until they are golden brown in colour. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the egg into smaller pieces as it cooks.
LESLEY'S TOP TIP: Take care not to overcook the rice, as you don't want the rice to be too soft before stir frying it. Also, allow it to steam dry and cool completely which helps the grains separate, stopping the rice from clumping.
- Add the cooked rice to the wok and stir fry for 1 minute. Now add the leeks and celery back into the wok, give it a good stir to combine, then add the peas and grated ginger. Stir fry for a further minute.
- Now add the oyster sauce to the wok along with the soy sauce. Stir thoroughly through the rice to ensure it is all coated.
- Finally stir through the spring onions and serve immediately.
Recipe variations
- Vegetables - This recipe is really adaptable, try adding in more vegetables for example baby corn, broccoli, asparagus, sugar snap peas, mange tout or green beans can be added along with the peas.
- Prawns - are a great addition to egg fried rice. Add 150g of uncooked, de-veined prawns to the wok and cook along with the celery and leek for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan and add back in with the vegetables just before serving.
- Leftover roast meat - from the weekend's roast dinner work great in this dish. I frequently stir leftover shredded roast ham, pork, beef or chicken into this dish. As the leftover meat has already been cooked just stir it through with the rice to heat the meat up. You don't need a huge amount of meat either 150-200g of leftover meat will quite easily feed a family of 4 for a main meal.
- Tofu - is a great option and I often like to add in extra vegetables when making this recipe with tofu.
- Chilli - can be added to spice up the dish. However, don't be too heavy handed as you don't want to overpower the rest of the ingredients in the wok. You can either add the chilli with the leek and celery at the beginning of the cook. Or towards the end with the spring onion. It depends on how raw you want the chilli.
Serving suggestions
Chinese egg fried rice is a delicious addition to any Chinese main dish. It is great served alongside meat, fish, seafood, tofu, or vegetable based dishes. Try serving this easy rice dish alongside my Stir Fried Beef & Black Bean Sauce, Sweet & Sour Prawns, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Stir Fry Chicken & Cashew Nuts, Pork & Peanut Stir Fry, or my Chinese Steamed Seabass.
Egg fried rice is a great side dish, however, with a little extra thought it can make a delicious meal on it's own. See the recipe variation section above for ideas to turn this rice dish into the main event!
Useful hints and tips
- Break up any lumps in the rice before cooking so that it cooks evenly and mixes through the other ingredients.
- Prep everything first, this is a quick cook and its best to have everything set out.
- Use a wok or large frying pan as you want plenty space to allow the ingredients to fry rather than steam.
- Use frozen peas straight from the freezer as they will thaw in the hot pan and retain their sweetness.
- Serve immediately, when the rice is hot, fluffy and full of fresh flavour.
- For vegetarian diners ensure that you omit the oyster sauce!
- For gluten free diners, ensure that the soy sauce and oyster sauce that you use is a gluten free variety.
- Allergy advice: gluten free, dairy free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.
FAQs
Yes, this recipe gives instructions for using both freshly cooked and cooled, and day old cold rice. If cooking it fresh, ensure you allow it to steam dry and completely cool in a sieve first to avoid the rice clumping together and becoming sticky.
Rice becomes sticky when it's not cool enough and there's too much moisture left in the pan. It's important to allow it to steam dry if using fresh cooked rice.
You can use any long-grain rice, I like using basmati or jasmine rice in this recipe.
Egg fried rice is a dish best served warm, straight from the wok. However, you can make in advance, cool it quickly and store it the fridge for 1-2 days. When ready to enjoy, reheat to piping hot in the wok or microwave.
Yes. Once cooked allow it to cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge then reheat until piping hot.
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Additional recipe suggestions
If you like this recipe then try some of my other Chinese inspired side dish recipes:
Easy Egg Fried Rice
Equipment
- Large saucepan
- sieve
- chopping board
- Kitchen knife
- Non-stick wok or frying pan
- wooden spatulas or wooden spoons
- weighing scales
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 300 g uncooked white long grain or white basmati rice (cooked and cooled, or use 700-800g of leftover cooked rice)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 medium leek (trimmed, and finely chopped)
- 2 sticks celery (finely chopped)
- 3 medium eggs (beaten)
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 150 g frozen peas
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 4 spring onions (green onions) (finely sliced)
Instructions
- Cook the rice in a large saucepan of salted water for approximately 12-15 minutes, until just cooked. Then drain through a sieve and set aside to steam dry and cool completely. [Note: If using leftover cooked rice skip this step].
- Once the rice has cooled, heat the sunflower oil in a large wok over a medium-high heat and add the celery and leek. Stir fry for 3-5 minutes then remove from the wok into a bowl and set aside.
- Add the beaten egg to the wok and scramble the eggs until they are golden brown in colour. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the egg into smaller pieces as it cooks.
- Add the cooked rice to the wok and stir fry for 1 minute. Now add the leeks and celery back into the wok, give it a good stir to combine, then add the peas and grated ginger. Stir fry for a further minute.
- Now add the oyster sauce to the wok along with the soy sauce. Stir thoroughly through the rice to ensure it is all coated.
- Finally stir through the spring onions and serve immediately.
Notes
• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •
Russ says
Looks good. The best fried rice I ever had was in a Chinese Restaurant in Vancouver's Chinatown back in the 1980's, it was called the Ming, no longer in business. It was a chicken fried rice with egg and probably green onions. The chicken was shredded into long strings and the egg also was in long strings. I don't think there was any soya or oyster sauce, it seemed to just have a light salty flavor, maybe some chicken stock. The rice was probably a Thai jasmine long grain rice. It's flavour was light and simple so that you tasted the flavours of the foods more than any seasoning, the long stringy eggs was what was different than any other I have tried, probably cooked in the round part of the wok with lots of oil and swirled around to form the strings. That chef had perfected his craft.
Lesley says
I love a good chicken fried rice, the best one I tasted was in Singapore, it was Hainanese Chicken Rice and was a simple dish of poached chicken with the most delicious rice. It wasn't in a fancy restaurant either, but in a hawker stall in a market. Easily the best I've ever tried.
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
It's a classic for a reason! I just LOVE egg fried rice and make it most weeks... the perfect side for stir fries! Eb x
Lesley says
Thank you Eb, it's one of my favourite cooks, like you make almost weekly. Sometimes I have it as a side, at other times I like to bulk up the veg and protein and make it a meal on its own. Lesley x
Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes says
Thanks for sharing, this looks easy and yummy 🙂
Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes
Lesley says
Thank you Nic, it is such a simple dish and so much tastier when you make it fresh yourselves. Lesley x
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
I love egg fried rice and your version sounds absolutely delicious!
Lesley says
Thank you Cat, it's a great quick and simple dish, packed full of flavour. Lesley x