Egg and Pea Fried Rice
Day-old rice tossed in a hot skillet with garlic, spring onions, eggs and sweet peas, finished with soy sauce for a deep savory gloss. A fast one-pan dinner that comes together in minutes.
- Total
- 17 min
- Prep 6 · Cook 11
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Stir-frying · Sautéing
- Savory
- Quick
- Stovetop
- One pan
Instructions
-
If your rice is freshly cooked, spread it on a plate and let it cool and dry for 5 minutes so the grains separate instead of steaming. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the garlic and thinly slice the spring onions, keeping the white and green parts separate.
~5 min
Cooling and drying freshly cooked rice removes surface moisture so the grains stay separate and toast instead of steaming and clumping.
Cold, dry rice is the key to fried rice: the grains stay separate and toast instead of turning sticky, so cook the rice ahead and chill it if you can.
-
While step 1 waits
Beat the eggs in a small bowl with a pinch of the salt and a few grinds of black pepper until smooth.
~1 min
-
Heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Pour in the eggs and let them set for about 30 seconds, then scramble gently until just softly set, about 1 minute. Slide the eggs onto a plate and set aside.
~1 min
Cooking the eggs first and removing them prevents them from overcooking and turning rubbery when the rice is stir-fried.
-
Add the garlic and the white parts of the spring onions to the same skillet and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant, not browned. Add the frozen peas and cook for 2 minutes until bright green and hot through.
~2 min
Fragrant aromatics need only brief contact with hot oil; cooking them just until fragrant avoids bitterness from burnt garlic.
Keep the pan hot but not smoking when the garlic goes in. It needs only 30 seconds to perfume the oil; any longer and it turns bitter.
Sautéing Cook aromatics over medium-high heat just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. If they start to brown, the garlic will turn bitter.
-
Add the rice and the remaining salt and black pepper. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, pressing and breaking up any clumps, until the grains are hot and lightly toasted in spots.
~3 min
High heat drives off remaining moisture and creates light browning on the rice, giving toasted flavor and separate grains.
Stir-frying Keep the pan very hot and keep the rice moving; press and break clumps so every grain toasts. A crowded pan steams instead of frying.
-
Return the eggs to the skillet, pour in the soy sauce and toss everything for 1 minute until the rice is glossy and evenly coated. Fold in the green parts of the spring onions and serve straight from the pan.
~1 min
Stir-frying Keep the pan very hot and keep the rice moving; press and break clumps so every grain toasts. A crowded pan steams instead of frying.