Fried Rice: The First Dish I Learned to Make
Learning to Make the Best Fried Rice at Eight Years Old
Fried rice seems deceptively simple. It’s the home cook’s go to dish—a way to clear the fridge’s leftovers and make something quick and satisfying. But making great fried rice? That’s another story, and it took me years of trial and error to get it right.
The Beginning: My Grandma’s Fried Rice
When I was in elementary school, my grandma made me egg fried rice every morning before school. It was simple—just eggs and rice—but it wasn’t the tastiest per se, and I’d drown it in soy sauce to compensate, not realizing I was just making it a saltier, not any better.
Then, when I was 8 years old, my grandma moved back to China. That meant no more fried rice in the morning, so I decided to make it myself. How hard could stirring eggs and rice in a pan be?
My First Attempts (Not Very Pretty)
At first, I thought fried rice was just scrambling eggs and stirring in rice. When I tried that for the first time, I ended up with an abomination—soggy, clumpy, eggy rice that was a sad excuse for breakfast. I knew I could do better.
So, I turned to YouTube since that’s where I spent most of my time as a kid anyways. The first video I watched was some guy who tossed everything in a tiny nonstick pan, drowned it soy sauce, and called it a day (he was obviously white). Even my eight-year-old self knew that was far from what fried rice could be.
Then I found a Chinese chef whose fried rice actually looked like the kind I’d eaten in China. The only problem? He was cooking over a flamethrower of a stove in a massive wok—equipment that no eight year old (or even most adults) should be anywhere near.
I was feeling discouraged but I was also cocky; how hard could it be to just try it myself?
The Breakthrough: Learning the Nuance
Through countless (I mean countless) failed attempts, I started picking up small but crucial lessons. Here’s what I learned:
Use Chilled Rice – Everyone who’s made fried rice knows this, but freshly cooked rice is too wet and clumps together. Day-old rice is drier, separates better, and crisps up nicely.
Don’t Use Too Many Ingredients – It’s tempting to throw in every leftover in your fridge, but too many ingredients overcrowd the pan and turn your fried rice into a soggy mess. More ingredients mean more moisture, which prevent proper browning.
Use a Shitload of Oil – Maybe not a shitload, but more than you think you need. This isn’t a kale salad; it’s called fried rice for a reason. Fat adds flavor, helps with browning, and keeps everything from sticking.
High Heat is Key – If you want that wok hei flavor—that smoky, slightly charred essence that makes great fried rice stand out, use the highest heat you can get (without setting off the fire alarm).
The Bigger the Pan, the Better – More surface area means better browning and less steaming. A small pan traps moisture, making everything soggy.
Cook Ingredients Separately – This is the biggest game-changer I learned. Its intuitive to toss everything in at once so all the flavors meld together, but it crowds the pan and prevents browning. Cooking and seasoning each ingredient separately then adding them all together in the end makes a huge difference.
Soy Sauce is Not Your Only Seasoning – I learned this the hard way. With soy sauce, a little goes a long way, and it should enhance, not overpower your fried rice (sorry 7 year old me). More importantly, you should also add salt, sugar, and MSG for a balanced fried rice.
Let Your Fried Rice Chill in the Pan – This one was counterintuitive at first. I thought I had to keep stirring like they do in restaurants, but home stoves aren’t nearly as hot as professional stoves. If you stir constantly, you don’t give the rice enough time to brown, so let it sit for a little while between tosses—you won’t burn it, but you will get way more flavor.
Fried Rice: More Than Just a Dish
Fried rice isn’t just a meal for me—it’s the first dish I truly learned how to cook. It’s a culmination of trial and error, of figuring things out one mistake at a time. It’s also a reminder of my cultural roots, of my first real experiences in the kitchen, and of the fact that sometimes, figuring it out yourself is the best way to learn.
Now, whenever I make fried rice, I think back to 8 year old me in the kitchen, determined to get it right. And if you want to master it yourself, know that if you follow these tips and tricks I learned through years of work, it’s one of the most rewarding dishes you’ll ever cook.
