Soy sauce fried rice (酱油炒饭, Jiang You Chao Fan) is a classic. It is not just another fried rice. It’s a signature of Chinese cooking, as it uses pretty minimal ingredients to create a wonderful flavor. It uses simple ingredients such as butter, soy sauce, tons of green onions, and eggs to turn your leftover stale rice into a feast. Traditional soy sauce fried rice uses animal fat (pork fat or chicken fat) instead of oil to create the best taste. However those animal fats are less commonly used in the US. That’s why I altered the recipe to use butter while maintaining the best taste.
Soy sauce fried rice ingredients
It only takes a few ingredients to make a great soy sauce fried rice. But here are some important notes.
Overnight (leftover) rice
Jasmine rice is my favorite type of rice for soy sauce fried rice, because it has a nice fragrance, and the grains separate easily during cooking. You can also use other type of medium grain white rice for this recipe. I do not recommend using short grain rice, because it is starchier and the grains won’t crisp up nicely. For a healthier option, you can also use medium grain brown rice instead of white rice. Overnight rice is not the most precise description. The best rice is 2 to 3 days old. Freshly cooked rice contains a lot of moisture and its texture is sticky. It tastes great served as-is, but it won’t create the best result for fried rice. When the rice is a few days old, it will start to get quite dry. You can easily separate the grains using your fingers without it feeling sticky. It is the best rice for frying, to get that crunchy crispy texture. Sometimes I freeze the rice and then thaw it, to achieve the desired texture for fried rice.
Dark soy sauce
Dark soy sauce is a dark-colored soy sauce that has a thicker texture and lightly sweet taste. It’s the key to the beautiful caramelized color of soy sauce fried rice.
Secrete ingredient – butter
It adds tons of flavor to the rice and it’s important. The next best choice is premium peanut oil with some sesame oil, but I still prefer the taste of butter.
Mise en place
Before turning on your stove, your kitchen counter should have:
Mixed sauce Butter Beaten eggs Chopped green onion Rice, fluffed
Cooking process
NOTE: It’s important to heat up your pan really well and cook the rice thoroughly, so the moisture evaporates and the surface of the rice crisps up. If you’re using very stale rice, you will achieve a great texture more quickly. If you’re using fresher rice, it might take longer to fry the rice to achieve the desired texture.
How to DIY your soy sauce fried rice
Sometimes you might want to throw in some protein or veggies to make your fried rice into a full meal. Here are some great options:
Leftover ham, pulled pork, rotisserie chicken, roast beef, cooked shrimp Diced peppers, onions Frozen vegetables such as green peas, corn, and carrots
You can add these ingredients right before you drizzle in the soy sauce mixture (Between step 3 and 4 in the recipe). NOTE: Making good fried rice is like choosing pizza toppings – less is more. You don’t want to add too many things that dilute the taste and texture of the fried rice. I would say only add a small handful of other ingredients (no more than 1 cup if combining everything you add). You’d be surprised how large the final volume will be.
How to serve soy sauce fried rice
Soy sauce is a great side dish to add to your dinner, accompany with a main dish and a vegetable or soup. For example, consider serving soy sauce fried rice with:
Crispy Sesame Chicken (without Deep Frying) Choy Sum with Garlic Sauce (白灼菜心) Shrimp and Asparagus Stir Fry Salt and Pepper Fish (椒盐鱼片) Sweet and Sour Shrimp (糖醋虾) Spinach Egg Drop Soup
You can also serve soy sauce as a quick main dish by itself for lunch. Since it fridge and freeze very well and taste good after reheating, you can also make a big batch for meal prep.
Afterthought
I serve soy sauce fried rice on rare occasions at home. But not because I don’t like it that much. Quite the opposite, I LOVE it so much that I’d eat the whole pan myself! Yep. It’s THAT good. It’s not the healthiest thing to do, but I enjoy every moment when devouring every bit of the fried rice directly from the frying pan.
More restaurant-style Chinese recipes
Chicken and Broccoli (Chinese Takeout Style) Real-Deal Szechuan Beef Stir Fry Easy Singapore Noodles Wonton Soup Cashew Chicken General Tso Tofu (Crispy Tofu without Deep Frying)
