Skip to content

Top Navigation

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Recipes
  • Cooking 101
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
SUBSCRIBE
Pin FB

Explore Cooking Light

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 31-Day Healthy Meal Plan

      Our 31-day calendar of meals and tips shows you how to cook more and love it with fun, family-friendly meals that come together quickly and deliciously. Read More
    • Dinner Tonight: Quick and Healthy Menus in 45 Minutes (or Less)

      Hundreds of delicious recipes, paired with simple sides, that can be on your table in 45 minutes or less. Read More
    • Our Favorite Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

      Who ever said that chicken wings, doughnuts, and pizza couldn't be healthy? Read More
  • Recipes

    Recipes

    See All Recipes
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Recipe Makeovers
    • Quick & Healthy
    • Diabetic
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegetarian
    • Cooking Light Live
  • Cooking 101

    Cooking 101

    See All Cooking 101
    • Essential Ingredients
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Meet the Chef
    • Cooking Resources
    • Budget Friendly
    • Smart Choices
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living

    Healthy Living

    See All Healthy Living
    • Weight-Loss
    • Health
    • Fitness
    • Home
    • Travel
    • Nutrition 101
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Cooking 101
  3. How to Make Fried Rice

How to Make Fried Rice

By Keith Schroeder October 01, 2014
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Credit: Illustration: Heather Diane Hardison
Follow these six steps for no-fail fried rice. By: Keith Schroeder
Start Slideshow

1 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Six Steps to the Best Fried Rice

Credit: Photo: Oxmoor House

Fried rice is a comfort-food classic that needn't be reserved for weeknight take-out. It turns out that making fried rice from short-grain, sushi-style rice is fantastic, as it stands up to agitation quite well and lends an almost meaty quality to the final dish. Daydreaming yielded this spicy crab version—a hybrid between fried rice and a sushi-joint hand roll. Read on for a step-by-step guide to the perfect fried rice. 

Buy the Book: Mad Delicious: The Science of Making Healthy Food Taste Amazing!

1 of 7

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

1. Rinse the Rice

Credit: Illustration: Heather Diane Hardison

Rinse the rice. Why? There is starch on the surface of the rice. If you don't remove that by rinsing, it will hydrate before the starches in the rice grains hydrate, and you'll end up with gluey, pasty rice. 

2 of 7

3 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

2. Use High Heat

Credit: Illustration: Heather Diane Hardison

Use commandingly high heat. Keep the rice moving. 

3 of 7

Advertisement

4 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

3. Make a Well

Credit: Illustration: Heather Diane Hardison

Make a well in the center of the rice. Move fast. Coat rice grains with egg.

4 of 7

5 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

4. Spread and Cool

Credit: Illustration: Heather Diane Hardison

Spread out the rice and cool it quickly.

5 of 7

6 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

5. Add Ginger and Garlic

Credit: Illustration: Heather Diane Hardison

Introduce ginger and garlic, lifting and folding constantly. Now's a good time to add dry seasoning and other flavorful bits. 

6 of 7

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

6. Season

Credit: Illustration: Heather Diane Hardison

Season with soy, vinegar, fresh lime and sugar. Finish with green onion. 

7 of 7

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Keith Schroeder

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 7 Six Steps to the Best Fried Rice
    2 of 7 1. Rinse the Rice
    3 of 7 2. Use High Heat
    4 of 7 3. Make a Well
    5 of 7 4. Spread and Cool
    6 of 7 5. Add Ginger and Garlic
    7 of 7 6. Season

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Cooking Light

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    MeredithCooking Light is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Cooking Light may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Cooking Light. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.cookinglight.com

    View image

    How to Make Fried Rice
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.