Toasted Day-Old Rice Fried Rice

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The takeout-counter fried rice you actually want at home: separate, faintly smoky grains that toast instead of steam. The whole trick is cold day-old rice and cooking it in two batches in a wide skillet, so each grain touches hot metal. Egg goes in first and comes out, scallions and soy hit at the very end, and nothing gets soggy.

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked long-grain white rice (jasmine preferred), cold from the fridge
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, for loosening the rice

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp oyster sauce or vegetarian mushroom stir-fry sauce

• 3 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp neutral oil (peanut, canola, or grapeseed), divided
• 1 cup frozen peas and diced carrots, not thawed
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 tbsp finely minced fresh ginger
• 4 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• Chili crisp or sriracha, for serving

Instructions

1. Get the rice ready first. Dump the cold rice onto a sheet pan, drizzle with 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and break up every clump with your fingers or a fork until you have loose individual grains. This takes 3-4 minutes and it is the single most important step — clumps steam into mush, loose grains toast. Leave it uncovered while you prep everything else.
2. Whisk the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, white pepper, and oyster sauce together in a small bowl. Set it within arm's reach of the stove along with all your prepped vegetables — once you start, there is no time to chop.
3. Heat a 12-inch nonstick or well-seasoned carbon steel skillet over medium-high with 1 tablespoon oil until it shimmers, about 1 minute. Pour in the beaten eggs, let them set for 20 seconds, then scramble in large soft curds for 30-45 seconds until just barely cooked. Scrape onto a plate and break into bite-size pieces with the edge of your spatula.
4. Return the skillet to high heat with 1 tablespoon oil. Add the frozen peas and carrots straight from the freezer and cook undisturbed for 90 seconds, then stir and cook 1 minute more until any water has evaporated and the edges start to brown. Add the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites and stir constantly for 30 seconds until fragrant. Scrape it all onto the plate with the eggs.
5. Wipe the skillet if anything is stuck, then add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and heat over high until it just begins to smoke, about 90 seconds. Add HALF the rice in an even layer with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let it sit without touching for a full 60 seconds — you want to hear a steady crackle and see toasted spots forming.
6. Toss and press the rice against the pan for another 2 minutes, letting it sit 20-30 seconds between stirs, until the grains bounce and smell nutty. Slide this batch onto the plate with the eggs and vegetables. Do not try to shortcut this by cooking all the rice at once; a crowded pan drops below the temperature where toasting happens and you'll get steamed, sticky rice.
7. Repeat with the second half of the rice and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, again resting it undisturbed for 60 seconds before tossing for 2 minutes.
8. With the second batch still in the pan over high heat, return everything from the plate — first batch of rice, eggs, and vegetables — and toss for 30 seconds to combine. Drizzle the sauce mixture around the hot edge of the pan rather than into the middle, so it sizzles and caramelizes on contact. Toss hard for 45-60 seconds until every grain is evenly light brown and no wet sauce pools at the bottom.
9. Kill the heat. Add the scallion greens and the final teaspoon of sesame oil, toss twice, and taste — add a pinch of salt or a few drops of soy if it needs it. Serve immediately in warm bowls with chili crisp on the side.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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