Fried Rice seasoning help

[Deleted]

I made fried rice last night, and used an envelope of seasoning.  BLECCH! 

The recipe called for
3c rice
3 green onions
2 eggs
1/2 c cooked diced meat
2 tsp soy sauce
and the envelope...

What do you use to season your fried rice with? 

[aftermidnite]

I have resorted to using Sazon Goya seasonings as well as a few I found at Kroger's (cant remember the name of them right now )
I had to stop trying to add my own seasonings because it always came out tasting like I think chicken poo would taste ..
this way I can adjust the amount of the envelopes or packages or cubes I use ...
So far so good and even my picky daughter has enjoyed my fried rice dishes over the last few months ..

[Cabin Fever]

We just use soy sauce to taste. 2t of soy sauce seems to be too little for 3c of rice. Plus, we add some bean sprouts and  - tis is gonna sound crazy - chopped peanuts or cashews.

[Deleted]

Mmmm. Lori, fried rice is a favorite. Here' s my basic recipe: cold rice, 2 T. minced onion, 1/2 teasp. garlic powder, 3 stalks green onion, diced; 2 scrambled eggs, 1 cup of cooked, diced chicken or pork or beef or shrimp...your choice; 2 T. Soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sugar ( yes, sugar), 1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce, pinch of black or white pepper, 2 T. Canola oil.
Saute the minced onion in the canola oil till soft but not brown, add the scrambled eggs, cook and stir until set. Remove onion and eggs from pan. Add your protein and stir-fry to desired doneness. Add the cold rice, the soy sauce, sugar, oyster sauce, pepper and green onion. Stir fry over medium heat until everything is nicely heated through. Taste for seasoning. Add the cooked scrambled eggs and onion to the mixture and stir to combine. Can add 1/2 cup frozen peas, if desired. Cook and stir until peas are hot. Homemade fried rice is usually better the next day.

[tenbusybees]

Garlic, ginger, onion, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

[Deleted]

I find if I salt the rice to taste when I make it, the fried rice has more flavor. Don't over salt, just enough to taste it in the rice. I also add 2 TBS of butter or better yet bacon grease to the water I cook the rice in. I add soy sauce right at the end, after taking off the heat, add and stir good. I let the other things added, flavor the dish. Well seasoned egg and meat, onion and peas....James

[bergere]

Tried a recipe and even with my Low salt everything, it was quite good.
Will see if I can dig it up.


I do use a Toasted Sesame oil, gives it a nice bright flavor. Use China town Soy sauce.

Ah... here we go...


FRIED RICE



3 cups cooked white rice

3 tbs sesame oil

1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)

1 small onion, chopped

1tsp minced garlic

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup soy sauce



On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok.

Add the peas carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender.

Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled.

Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well.

Stir fry until thoroughly heated.

Add some green onion.
 Once the rest is cooked.


Add chicken or pork to make a complete meal.

[Deleted]

Slivered green beans and almonds are good too, lots of flavor....James

[Deleted]

I had never tried toasted sesame oil until a few weeks ago.  I initially balked at the price tag but bought it anyway.  It is now on my top five go-to seasonings.  Great on rice and to die for over drained wheat noodles with green onions and diced ginger   It only takes a little bit but it is big in flavor.

[Deleted]

Thank you, everyone! I did add some crysallized ginger, perhaps a bit over a tsp. I didn't salt the rice, nor add salt when stir-frying, so that was a definite need...I assumed the "envelope" had some. Garlic, salt, ginger, soy, sesame oil (have to see what type I have), sprouts and nuts. I can do this!

What type of rice do you prefer? I used a brown jasmine, tho' I find it bland compared to the white jasmine. Regular brown is much better. I try to use the whole grain, but with just DH & I, (and he is not a rice fan)...well, the last package went buggy on me.

[Deleted]

Apr 6, 2015 20:18:48 GMT bergere said:

Tried a recipe and even with my Low salt everything, it was quite good.
Will see if I can dig it up.


I do use a Toasted Sesame oil, gives it a nice bright flavor. Use China town Soy sauce.

Ah... here we go...


FRIED RICE



3 cups cooked white rice

3 tbs sesame oil

1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)

1 small onion, chopped

1tsp minced garlic

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup soy sauce



On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok.

Add the peas carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender.

Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled.

Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well.

Stir fry until thoroughly heated.

Add some green onion.
 Once the rest is cooked.


Add chicken or pork to make a complete meal.bergere...I like your recipe, but do you really use 3 tablespoons of sesame oil? I use it when I make homemade won tons and just a few drops go a long way. for myself, I think 3 tablespoons would blow me out of the water. not criticizing...just asking. (:

[Deleted]

my husband was raised in asia. he uses cooking oil, ginger, garlic, soy sauce (he gets the asian kinds which have lower sodium), a little bit of sesame oil... on rare occasions he will add rice wine vinegar. The rice is day old or so, which dries it out and makes it absorb more of the seasonings. Fried rice is just asian leftovers, whatever odds and ends of veggies or pre-cooked simple meats you have on hand sauteed and thrown in. He usually uses some sort of onion, green or white or... He doesn't always use eggs.

FWIW...

[bergere]

Yes, used 3 TBP of Toasted Sesame oil... heating it up will mellow it out a bit, make it smoother in taste. If I used it raw,,, ya, it would be a bit much!

Rice I use is either an Organic Jasmine Rice or a good organic Basmati. Though the later is impossible to find over here.

[Cabin Fever]

We use leftover brown rice. Maybe everyone knows this, but whatever rice you use it should be cooked then cooled in the refrigerator (overnight) before using it for fried rice. If one uses hot, cooked rice for fried rice it will turn to mush. Don't aks me how I know this.

[calliemoonbeam]

I never measure anything, but I make the sauce first and set it aside.  I saute garlic and ginger in some sesame oil, then add soy sauce and just a smidge of brown sugar.  I add a little rice wine vinegar if I have it, but I'm usually out, have to go to a specialty store to get it here.

I saute green onions in a little oil, then scramble in the beaten eggs, then add the rice and meat and cook until it's almost done, add the sauce and cook a few more minutes and then serve.  

I use leftover Basmati rice, as CF said, it needs to be leftover to turn out the best.  Depending on my mood, I might add bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, carrots, or pea pods.  

[Deleted]

Cabin Fever has it down, but it's got to have lots of green onion, for 3 cups of rice I would use at least one whole bunch, or about a dozen chopped with the greens. My favorite is with bacon - fry up the slivers, toss in the green onion & let it soften a bit, dump in the cold rice, stir like mad, when it's all hot and the rice grains are mostly separate, stir in an ungodly amount of ground black pepper - as much as you think you can stand, (I pound the peppercorns in a mortar), then Kikoman Soy sauce sprinkled over while you are still madly stirring until it comes to a proper brown color, maybe a tablespoon, then:  Beaten egg (1 for that 3 cups of rice) that you pour over at the last minute & nicely stir and bring the dish to a whole. It's just not the same with the separately cooked egg slivers, we have to have the egg at the end or the dish tastes harsh.

Bay shrimp (the little ones, cooked) are very nice, I put those in after the soy sauce.   The only other vegetable allowed is peas added at the last minute just to heat through.  Pork slivers cooked in the pan is the next goto, but never precooked meat.  (Well, unless you have Chinese roasted duck, that's the ticket to Heaven)

Too much oil makes it gross - you just want enough to glaze the pan.  If there's no bacon grease I use butter.  Toasted sesame oil is tasty over most anything, but I don't care for it when I'm craving fried rice. 
 

[Skandi]

Apr 6, 2015 15:21:49 GMT @stef said:

Mmmm. Lori, fried rice is a favorite. Here' s my basic recipe: cold rice, 2 T. minced onion, 1/2 teasp. garlic powder, 3 stalks green onion, diced; 2 scrambled eggs, 1 cup of cooked, diced chicken or pork or beef or shrimp...your choice; 2 T. Soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sugar ( yes, sugar), 1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce, pinch of black or white pepper, 2 T. Canola oil.
Saute the minced onion in the canola oil till soft but not brown, add the scrambled eggs, cook and stir until set. Remove onion and eggs from pan. Add your protein and stir-fry to desired doneness. Add the cold rice, the soy sauce, sugar, oyster sauce, pepper and green onion. Stir fry over medium heat until everything is nicely heated through. Taste for seasoning. Add the cooked scrambled eggs and onion to the mixture and stir to combine. Can add 1/2 cup frozen peas, if desired. Cook and stir until peas are hot. Homemade fried rice is usually better the next day.

Same as the above, with a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil. oh and add about 3x the amount of oil you think it needs. it's amazing how much oil goes into an "authentic" fried rice!

[Deleted]

Gee, pardon me please, I have to butt in again. Of course one doesn't have to bow to tradition, but really, all that oil isn't needed. "Fried rice" just means not steamed over again, but done with surface heat. It's not really "fried" in oil. The rice needs to cook again before wet ingredients are added, or it will absorb them.


Reminds me of the American Test Kitchen demo on Granola - "just add a cup of cooking oil and 3/4 cup of brown sugar".... Gaghh... instead of 1/2 a cup of maple or rice syrup. (never mind they hadn't a clue about combinations for complete protein) Food product -vs- real food.

[bergere]

In all honesty, with the amount of Toasted Sesame oil I use, you just taste a hint of the flavor, it isn't over powering and it isn't oily at all.

[Deleted]

Adding a little sugar is the key to make it like carryout fried rice.

+1 for the left over rice, but don't keep it in an air tight container, it needs to dry out a bit.

[manygoatsnmore]

Apr 7, 2015 13:29:28 GMT Cabin Fever said:

We use leftover brown rice. Maybe everyone knows this, but whatever rice you use it should be cooked then cooled in the refrigerator (overnight) before using it for fried rice. If one uses hot, cooked rice for fried rice it will turn to mush. Don't ask me how I know this.

Lol, I know how....I did the same thing the first time I tried to make fried rice.  What a gloopy (yes, that's a word), pasty mess!

[Bear Foot Farm]

Garlic, ginger, onion, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

In addition to all those I'd also add Lemon Grass, sugar, rice wine or Sushi vinegar, and Sriracha sauce

I cook my eggs first in a THIN omelet, then roll it up and cut it into strips that are added back at the end

[Awnry Abe]

Apr 7, 2015 13:29:28 GMT Cabin Fever said:

We use leftover brown rice. Maybe everyone knows this, but whatever rice you use it should be cooked then cooled in the refrigerator (overnight) before using it for fried rice. If one uses hot, cooked rice for fried rice it will turn to mush. Don't aks me how I know this.

You are my hero. (Maybe). I love homemade fried rice, but don't like the consistency. I am gonna give this a whirl. My guess is, you are my hero.

For those that use soy sauce, I recommend Tamari. Much more goodness. And +1 on the sesame oil, ginger, and nuts. Try some orange zest, too.

[aftermidnite]

We are going to Saraga again this month and you all have given me ideas on some things to look for ..

[here to stay]

With the fried rice I make, I add chicken stock and use a lot less soy sauce. I keep mean to try cooking rice in stock in the first place but I keep forgetting.

[motdaugrnds]

My favorite rice dish is not fried but is boiled in juices left over from baking chicken. Since I season the chicken with crushed dried seaweed (or sea salt), the only other season I add to the rice/chicken is a little "Old Bay".

[hermitjohn]

Ok, unless thats all you have, not quite understanding just stir frying left over rice all by itself and trying to season it only with proprietary seasoning??? Kinda like raman noodles with the msg flavor pak....

If I am going to do stir fry, I want some diced and minced fresh veggies in it. And I never cook just rice by itself, thats for solitary confinement prisoner in some Asian prison, equivalent of bread and water diet here. I always cook it with lentils and I found I like millet mixed in it too. Who knew brown rice and millet go so very well together... Usual suspects, onion, celery, carrot in stir fry. If you like parsnips, they are nice change, though I would limit other ingredients so the flavors dont fight, parsnip likes to be a dominant flavor and doesnt go with everything. Ginger and garlic of course. Some raisins or other bits dried fruit are nice. Dice up a fresh jalopeno pepper in the mix, that will get your taste buds active. They are only mildly hot if you remove the guts before dicing. Dice it whole and it can have some serious fire. Which ever way you like it. Some diced fennel bulb is nice. If you dont have fresh fennel, some crushed/ground fennel seed adds some interesting flavor. Your favorite nuts, chopped, are nice addition. Yes sesame oil is one option. Try walnut oil, it has nice flavor. Other nut oils too if you can find them.

And yes uncooked rice does go stale, can get buggy in cupboard. If you cant use up pound rice before it goes stale, perhaps you need to buy one of those teeny tiny boxes of instant perverted brown rice?? That should be about couple servings for one person.