Vegetarian

Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice (Su Chao Fan)

Name: Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice (Su Chao Fan)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 3 cups cooked rice, cold, preferably a day old; 2 tbsp peanut oil, or another high-smoke-point oil; 2 eggs, beaten; 1 carrot, diced; 1/2 cups frozen peas; 3 spring onions, sliced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tsp sesame oil; salt and pepper to taste

Day-old rice stir-fried with egg and vegetables in a screaming-hot wok.

Vegetarian Dairy-Free Nut-Free

Wok of vegetable fried rice with scrambled egg and spring onion — A hot wok and cold rice are the two non-negotiables here.

Prep10 min

Cook10 min

Total20 min

Servings 4 servings

DifficultyEasy

Cold, day-old rice separates into distinct grains in a hot wok, tossed with egg and vegetables until it takes on wok hei -- the faint char and smoky depth that only comes from real high heat, not a nonstick pan on medium.

Ingredients

3 cups cooked rice, cold, preferably a day old
2 tbsp peanut oil, or another high-smoke-point oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 carrot, diced
1/2 cups frozen peas
3 spring onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat half the oil in a wok over the highest heat your stove has, pour in the eggs, and scramble until just set, then remove and set aside.
Real wok hei comes from heat most home stoves can't fully reach, but getting the wok smoking hot before anything goes in is what gets you closest -- a lukewarm pan just steams the ingredients instead.
Add the remaining oil, then the garlic, carrot, and peas, and stir-fry until the carrot softens. 3 min
Add the cold rice, breaking up any clumps, and stir-fry until heated through and starting to crisp in spots. 5 min
Cold, day-old rice fries up dry and separate -- fresh warm rice turns gluey in the wok.
Return the scrambled egg to the wok, add the spring onions, soy sauce, and sesame oil, and toss to combine.
Season with salt and pepper, and serve hot.

Notes

Freeze leftover rice in flat bags specifically for this -- it thaws and fries better than rice that's just been refrigerated a day.
Add any leftover cooked vegetables or protein along with the peas and carrot.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (1 bowl) -- estimated, not lab-tested.
Nutrient	Amount
Calories	320 kcal
Total Fat	11 g
Saturated Fat	2 g
Carbohydrates	48 g
Fiber	3 g
Sugar	3 g
Protein	9 g
Sodium	560 mg
Cholesterol	95 mg
Values are estimates based on standard ingredient data, not laboratory analysis.

Photo: Dulcea Suresha, CC0 1.0. Cropped to 3:2 and re-encoded as WebP/JPEG for web delivery.