Quick Chinese Egg Fried Rice
This incredibly quick, economical version of a Chinese classic, using store cupboard ingredients and vegetables from the freezer, is a wonderful way to use up left over rice and whip up a quick, meal bursting with flavour, in no time at all.
Ingredients
For the rice: *See Recipe Notes
- 1 cup cooked long grain rice (any rice will work – white or brown)
- 2 tablespoons frozen sweetcorn
- 2 tablespoons frozen peas or petit pois
- 2 tablespoons chopped red pepper
- 1 spring onion, trimmed and finely sliced
- 1 medium or large egg
For the sauce: *See Recipe Notes
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce (or sub with extra soy sauce)
- ½ teaspoon roasted sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon sugar
- pinch fine salt
- ⅛ teaspoon Chinese five spice (optional)
- pinch chilli flakes (optional)
Instructions
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Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
How to make Quick Chinese Egg Fried Rice in a pan:
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Mix the sauce ingredients, apart from the sesame oil, together.
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Heat the sesame oil on a small-medium size frying pan or wok over a moderate heat and add the rice, sweetcorn, peas, pepper/capsicum and spring onion.
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Cook for 2 -3 minutes, until hot, stirring from time to time.
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When everything is hot, push to one side of the pan, and add the egg. (If you are not using a good non-stick pan, add a little extra oil first.)
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Mix the egg thoroughly and cook using a spatula to move the egg around, slowly. Do not stir and scramble the egg as you want to have some noticeable sized pieces in the rice.
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When the egg is just cooked, stir it into the rice.
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Add the sauce and mix well ensuring the rice is all covered in the delicious sauce. Quickly heat to ensure everything is piping hot.
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Serve in a heated bowl topped with a sprinkling of sesame seeds, chopped spring onion and/or chopped coriander and some extra soy sauce on the side.
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NB If you want to add any chopped cooked chicken, fish or prawns, add them with the sauce and not before.
How to make Quick Chinese Egg Fried Rice in a microwave:
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Put the rice and vegetables in a bowl and cover with cling film. Prick holes in the top of the cling film and microwave on high for 2 minutes.
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As you wait for the microwave, beat the egg in a small bowl.
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Take the rice out of the microwave, stir well then pour the egg over the rice and replace the cling film over the top. Return to the microwave and cook on high for another minute.
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Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients thoroughly. When the rice comes out of the microwave add the sauce mix and stir well. Return to the microwave, covered with the cling film, for a further 30 seconds.
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Allow to stand for 1 minute to continue cooking.
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Remove the cling film and stir the rice with a fork.
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Serve garnished with spring onion and/or chopped coriander and sesame seeds and with some soy sauce on the side.
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NB If you want to add any chopped cooked chicken, fish or prawns, add them with the sauce and not before.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
To cook in a pan -
- measuring spoons and cups
- small frying pan or wok
- serving dish
To cook in a microwave -
- measuring spoons and cups
- 1 x microwave safe bowl
- 1 x small mixing bowl
The rice – this is useful as a very quick meal using store cupboard ingredients. It is only quick though if your rice is already cooked. Use any vegetables you have to hand although the peas, corn and pepper work particularly well. You could add some finely chopped onion, garlic, mushrooms or cabbage for example. If you want to add beansprouts, add these with the sauce before the third blast in the microwave.
The egg and sauce – the necessary ingredients here are the egg and soy and oyster sauces. I like to add the sugar but the Chinese Five Spice and chilli flakes are optional - it is all down to personal taste.
Cooking times in a microwave – cooking times will vary depending on the power of your microwave and the temperature of the food when you start. You may need a little more cooking time or indeed a little less.