Egg Fried Rice (Printable Version)

Fluffy eggs and vibrant vegetables stir-fried with day-old rice and savory soy sauce for a fast meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Rice

01 - 2 cups cooked leftover rice, preferably day-old and cold

→ Eggs

02 - 2 large eggs

→ Vegetables

03 - ½ cup diced carrots
04 - ½ cup thawed frozen peas
05 - ¼ cup chopped scallions (green onions)
06 - ½ cup diced bell pepper (optional)

→ Sauces & Seasonings

07 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce (low-sodium recommended)
08 - 1 teaspoon sesame oil
09 - ¼ teaspoon ground white or black pepper
10 - Salt to taste (optional)

→ Oils

11 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or other neutral oil

# How-To Steps:

01 - Dice the vegetables, thaw peas, and beat the eggs in a small bowl.
02 - Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Pour in beaten eggs and scramble quickly until just set. Transfer eggs to a plate and set aside.
03 - Add remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan. Sauté carrots and bell pepper for 2 minutes until slightly tender.
04 - Stir in peas and half of the scallions. Cook for 1 minute.
05 - Add cold rice to the pan, breaking up clumps with a spatula. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until heated through.
06 - Drizzle soy sauce and sesame oil over the rice. Toss thoroughly to combine.
07 - Return scrambled eggs to the pan. Stir-fry everything together for another minute, seasoning with pepper and salt if needed.
08 - Remove from heat and garnish with the remaining scallions. Serve hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It transforms sad leftover rice into something craveable in under 20 minutes flat.
  • You'll finally have a use for all those vegetables hanging around in your crisper drawer.
  • The sesame oil and soy sauce work like magic—they make even basic ingredients taste like restaurant-quality food.
02 -
  • Using day-old rice is essential—warm rice will get mushy and won't fried rice properly no matter how much heat you apply.
  • Don't crowd the pan or cook everything all at once; the vegetables and rice need direct heat contact to develop flavor and texture.
  • The high heat is your friend here—it creates slightly caramelized edges on the rice and vegetables, which is where all the delicious flavor lives.
03 -
  • If you don't have day-old rice, spread freshly cooked rice on a plate and refrigerate it for 30 minutes to quickly cool and dry it out.
  • The secret to restaurant-quality color and flavor is not stirring constantly—let the rice sit for 10 seconds at a time so it can make contact with the hot pan and develop golden, slightly crispy edges.
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