Simple Fried Rice With Scallions
Simple Fried Rice With Scallions – Fried Rice
Simple Fried Rice With Scallions – Stir-frying day-old rice with simple seasonings and a balance of mix-ins makes for a frugal and incredibly satisfying meal.
Day-old jasmine rice worked best; the varietal is loaded with a popcorn-y aromatic compound that perfumed the fried rice with gorgeous fragrance, and when stir-fried, the hard, dry clumps relaxed into tender-firm, distinct grains.
Simple Fried Rice With Scallions – Toasting sliced scallion whites in neutral oil infused it with oniony savoriness that was subtle yet pervasive when it coated the rice. The simplicity of salt and pepper shined here.
To make fluffy, tender pockets of scrambled eggs, we poured the raw beaten eggs into oil that was just smoking (not merely shimmering); the eggs puffed as their water rapidly turned to steam and their proteins set.
Simple Fried Rice With Scallions – -A ratio of 2½ parts rice to 1 part mix-ins made for a rice-focused stir-fry, and we made sure to time the additions of the mix-ins so that the proteins were succulent and the vegetables were tender.
Simple Fried Rice With Scallions – The Nicest Rice for Frying
It’s fine to use conventional white rice when you’re seasoning the dish with assertive aromatics and sauces. But in simple fried rice, it’s worth seeking out a fragrant variety such as jasmine.
Native to Thailand and a staple of many East and Southeast Asian cuisines, jasmine rice has a highly prized aroma, due in part to its high concentration of a delicately popcorn-like, floral‑smelling compound called 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP).
The gold standard strain of jasmine, known as Hom Mali (“good smelling”), receives special government certification, and packages of jasmine rice that are tested to be purebred descendents of that strain, including our favorite, from Dynasty, are stamped with a green seal from Thailand’s Department of Foreign Trade.
Making fried rice is a great way to use up the dry, clumpy leftover grains that you have in the fridge, but if you’re feeding multiple people you’ll probably need to make extra rice for stir‑frying.
Here are three steps we always take when cooking rice for fried rice.
Simple Fried Rice With Scallions – Rinse and Drain Well
It’s important to rid the raw grains of surface starch so that the cooked rice isn’t too sticky and readily breaks apart into individual grains as you stir-fry it.
Cook in Advance
Fried rice is best made with day-old rice.The starch molecules in cooked rice crystallize (or retrograde) during chilling, and the hard, dry clumps of rice separate easily into individual grains that can be thoroughly coated in the flavorful seasoned oil. When stir-fried, these grains will turn pleasantly tender-firm—but not mushy.
Simple Fried Rice With Scallions – Temper, Then Stir‑Fry
If you’re working with fridge-cold rice, let it sit at room temperature while you prep the other ingredients so that the clumps soften and become easier to break apart during cooking.
Alternatively, microwave it at 50 percent power for 2 minutes.
Simple Fried Rice With Scallions Recipe
Jasmine rice is a good choice, but you can use any long-grain white rice in this recipe.
Day-old rice works best; in a pinch, cook your rice 2 hours ahead, spread it on a rimmed baking sheet, and let it cool completely before chilling it for 30 minutes.
All rice should be roughly room temperature when you stir-fry.
Beat eggs and ¼ teaspoon salt in bowl until well combined.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch carbon-steel or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until oil is just smoking.
Add eggs and cook, stirring frequently, until very little liquid egg remains, 30 to 60 seconds.
Transfer to large plate.
Add 1 teaspoon oil to now-empty wok and reduce heat to medium.
Add carrot and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until just beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minutes.
Add ham and cook, stirring frequently, until ham is warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.
Transfer to plate with eggs.
Add scallion whites and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to now-empty wok.
Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and stir until combined. (It’s OK if some clumps of rice remain.)
Spread into even layer.
Sprinkle pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon salt evenly over rice.
Continue to cook, stirring frequently and pressing on rice with spatula to break up clumps, until grains are separate and heated through, 2 to 5 minutes longer.
Add peas, egg mixture, and scallion greens and cook, stirring frequently and using edge of spatula to break eggs into small pieces, until peas are warmed through, about 2 minutes.
Serve.
Simple Fried Rice With Scallions Recipe Ingredients
3 large eggs
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 carrot, peeled and cut into ¼-inch pieces
4 ounces ham steak, cut into ½-inch pieces (¾ cup)
4 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced
4 cups cooked jasmine rice, room temperature
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ cup frozen peas
Simple Fried Rice Seasoned with Scallions
Simple Fried Rice With Scallions – -Jasmine has always been my default rice, and it’s especially worth using in a stripped-down stir-fry such as this, where its delicate fragrance can stand out.
As with any type of fried rice, day-old stuff is best.
Simple Fried Rice With Scallions – -The dry, clumpy grains can be pushed around the high, sloped sides of the wok without turning mushy, and after a few minutes the stove’s heat restores just enough of their tenderness to make them pleasantly firm.
The more nuanced work of making simple fried rice is seasoning it, and the magic of scallion-infused oil can’t be overstated.
Simple Fried Rice With Scallions – -When you slice and toast the white part of the stalk in neutral oil and then toss the rice in it to coat, the grassy, fatty-tasting hot oil saturates each grain with beguilingly pervasive savoriness.
Paired with ample salt and pepper, the effect is quiet but deliberate—and so tasty.
