Egg and Spring Onion Fried Rice
Day-old rice tossed over high heat with softly scrambled egg, spring onion and a sesame-soy glaze. A fast, savory one-pan dinner that comes together in minutes.
- Total
- 18 min
- Prep 5 · Cook 13
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Stir-frying · Tempering eggs
- Savory
- Quick
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Rinse the rice under cold water until it runs clear, then drain well. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, add the rice and 0.25 tsp salt, and cook for 8 minutes until just tender but still firm. Drain thoroughly and spread on a plate to steam off excess moisture.
~8 min
Rinsing removes surface starch so the rice grains stay separate instead of turning gluey when fried.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the rice cooks, slice the spring onions thinly, keeping the white and green parts separate. In a small bowl, beat the eggs with a fork until smooth. In another bowl, stir together the soy and sesame.
~3 min
-
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over high heat. Pour in the beaten egg and scramble for 30 seconds until just set but still soft. Tip the egg onto a plate and set aside.
~1 min
Cooking the egg first and removing it prevents it from overcooking and turning rubbery when the rice is fried.
Tempering eggs Scramble the eggs over high heat for only 30 seconds until just set but still soft; they will finish cooking when returned to the pan.
-
Add the white spring onion parts to the hot pan and stir for 20 seconds until fragrant. Add the drained rice and toss over high heat for 3 minutes until the grains are dry and lightly toasted.
~3 min
High heat dries and toasts the rice grains, creating the nutty flavor and texture that defines good fried rice.
Spread the drained rice on a plate for a minute before frying: surface moisture is what makes fried rice steam instead of toast.
Keep the pan very hot and add the rice in one layer; if it looks wet, give it another 30 seconds before adding the sauce.
Stir-frying Keep the pan very hot and toss constantly; if the rice looks wet, let it sit in one layer for 30 seconds before stirring.
-
Return the scrambled egg to the pan, pour in the soy and sesame mixture, and toss for 1 minute until everything is glossy and heated through. Season with black pepper.
~1 min
Adding the sauce at the end lets it glaze the rice without steaming it, keeping the grains dry and glossy.
Stir-frying Keep the pan very hot and toss constantly; if the rice looks wet, let it sit in one layer for 30 seconds before stirring.
-
Fold through the green spring onion tops and serve straight from the pan.
~1 min