Fried rice is a delightful and easy side dish that goes well with a variety of entrees. It is incredibly adaptable and is present in nearly every cuisine like Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Korean. It is simple and can be extremely delicious even on its own.
Fried rice is essentially made of just four ingredients: rice, cooking oil, soy sauce, and egg. Still, any fried rice recipe can become more flavourful by adding a variety of other ingredients.
Although making fried rice at home is quite simple, it never quite tastes as good as ordering it from a restaurant. However, this is going to change. Whether making fried rice as a side dish or the main course, these delectable ingredients will make it taste even better. Learn how to quickly turn boring, bland fried rice into a dish that will make people drool.
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1. Start With A Day-Old Rice
Use the rice that has been made previously- a day old. It might seem too simple, but this has a huge impact on uniformity and frying potential. Starting with rice that is a day old helps each grain to dry out, preventing clumping and preserving the ideal texture for fried rice. It's also advised to use long-grain rice, especially jasmine rice—as long as it's not less than a day old.
Making the rice before saves a lot of time when it comes to cooking the fried rice. Naturally, even though this upgrading trick is easy to use, some preparation is needed. For a sudden craving for fried rice for dinner, one can still use fresh rice. But for fried rice, leftover rice is always preferable.
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2. Chilli Sauce
A common Asian condiment, chilli sauce can be added to or used alone in a variety of meals. Despite the wide range of varieties, two types of chilli sauce are frequently found: sweet chilli sauce and chilli crisp. While both sauces are hot and contain garlic, sweet chilli is the sweeter side, while chilli crisp has more garlic and crunchy particles. Add the chilli sauce while the rice is cooking, or save it for the end and use it as a garnish.
When cooking fried rice for guests, it might be better to add it at the very end. Each person can then use the chilli sauce as much or as little as they choose. To avoid unintentionally making an overly spicy dish, ensure to add the sauce slowly and check the heat level.
Both the sweet chilli and the chilli crisp sauces are great with fried rice and can be easily found at most grocery stores.
3. Sugar
Most people have prepared fried rice at home before, but sugar is a crucial component that might get overlooked. Maybe this is one of the reasons why homemade fried rice does not taste exactly like the ones available at restaurants. Use a small amount of this secret ingredient to make the next batch of fried rice taste better than ever. But don't make it too sweet.
Fried rice's umami, spicy, and salty flavours can all be balanced and distributed throughout the dish by adding sugar. Moreover, sugar will nicely caramalise the rice and vegetables in a frying pan, giving them a richer, deeper flavour. Use any type of sugar but don't use too much. For example, for two cups of long-grain rice and just use one tablespoon of sugar.
4. Sesame Oil
Sesame oil is a robust and aromatic option that is highly recommended to elevate the taste of fried rice. Its creamy, buttery, nutty flavour pairs well with a variety of rice and other ingredients. Furthermore, soy sauce and sesame oil are a classic combination that is used in a wide variety of Asian dishes. Sesame oil allows both flavours to come through while counterbalancing the saltiness of soy sauce.
However, it is not necessary to use sesame oil for cooking the whole fried rice. In addition to having a greater smoke point than sesame oil, vegetable or olive oils may be easier to find than sesame oil in some areas. With vegetable oil it is not necessary to cook the rice over low heat the entire time. Drizzle some sesame oil, or even sesame paste, over the fried rice just after cooking when it is still steamy and hot. Sesame seeds can also be a nice garnish, although they don't taste exactly the same or contribute nearly as much flavour as the oil.
5. Crispy Fried Onions
Fried rice and onions go together flawlessly, and the dish frequently calls for both chopped green onions and grilled white onions. But fried onions are extremely rich in umami and can improve the taste of fried rice.
Crunchy fried onions improve the texture of fried rice and offer a delicious flavour and hint of salt. They are among the easiest ingredients available to enhance the flavour of fried rice because they don't need to be cooked or diced. It might be easier to put crispy fried onions along with other ingredients while frying, but that would soften them considerably and negate the whole point of using them. Always use them as a garnish.
6. Thai Basil
Another popular ingredient in Asian cooking is Thai basil, which tastes great when added to homemade fried rice. Thai basil, which is native to Southeast Asia, has a unique flavour that is somewhat comparable to Italian basil but also very different. Like regular basil, Thai basil is aromatic, but it tastes peppery, savoury, and has a lingering anise flavour. This complexity can give fried rice more depth while keeping it bright and light.
It might be ideal to add fresh Thai basil as a finishing garnish. After all, the flavours remain herbaceous and fresh when used as a finishing touch. Add a few sprigs at a time to begin with. Thai basil can also be fried with the fried rice and it will still taste great. It will not give the same feel as when used fresh, but it might be a little more savoury.
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7. Chopped Nuts
Adding chopped or crushed peanuts to fried rice is a guaranteed way to make it better. They greatly enhance the flavour. Just before serving, simply sprinkle over the fried rice. Nuts can be sauteed, but it is not necessary.
Peanuts are easily available at convenience stores and grocery stores alike. Purchase them whole and crush them at home, or chop them. Pine nuts and cashews are also excellent in fried rice. Both of them pair nicely with soy sauce and sesame oil due to their buttery flavour and consistency.
8. Kimchi
Delicious Korean invention kimchi is frequently served as a side dish. However, it also tastes fantastic when added to a variety of meat and veggie dishes, such as fried rice. Kimchi may be used in a variety of inventive ways.
Although some people might not consider kimchi fried rice to be particularly creative, it is nevertheless a useful addition that can enhance any fried rice recipe. Fried rice and kimchi bring together a variety of flavour qualities in one dish: umami, acidic, spicy, and sweet.
Making fried rice at home is actually very easy! It's also among the greatest ways to use up leftover rice and a variety of other leftover items, such as veggies, leftover chicken, or any other meat, along with those packets or bottles of soy sauce in the refrigerator.
It's no surprise that this savoury meal has a place in everyone's kitchen and heart with all of its umami flavours and variations. However, from sugar to nuts here are some more items that will help to increase the flavours of fried rice.