I've got The Wok, and a wok, and I'm trying my hardest to perfect fried rice at home. I finally got the actual cook of my rice down but when it comes time to fry it up, it sticks and I end up with this crusty layer. What am I doing wrong?
To be fair, the two times I've attempted it, since getting the rice cooked right, I haven't had time to let the rice sit overnight. Maybe it's as simple a fix as that?
The photo is at the end, and after I added soy sauce, the crust is definitely stuck rice bits.
by username-hater
6 Comments
This happens to me when the rice isn’t dry enough/I don’t use enough oil.
How are you adding the soy sauce? I like to pour it around the edge of the rice so it hits the hot wok and reduces somewhat, losing some of its water content. This also adds flavour.
Things that I do to avoid sticking while using fresh batch of rice:
1) wash the rice multiple times until water runs clear before cooking in rice cooker
2) let the rice sit in rice cooker on “warm” until a bit dried out
3) get the wok super hot. Add the oil and let the oil get pretty hot too before adding the rice.
Looks like your wok isn’t seasoned well enough
The letting it sit overnight makes a huge difference, I refrigerate it overnight, which makes the rice grains come apart from each other. The tip to thoroughly wash the rice also helps. Maybe also back down on the water just a little bit when cooking the rice. I also didn’t use a rice cooker, so when I make my rice, I start off with the lid off, when the rice and water level are about the same, I stir the rice to break up the clumps, for me they tend to not stick together as much, then I lower the heat and put the lid on.
Use a touch less water than you would normally use to cook the rice. Spread out the rice into a thin layer to cool and leave in fridge overnight to further dry it out, uncovered if possible. You want your rice dry and your wok stupidly hot. Easier to do with Jasmine or Basmati rice, but not impossible with short grain Japanese rice. Open your windows because the oil will smoke some. Keep the rice moving in the wok. Throw in some practice and you’ll have tasty fried rice and a fairly clean wok after. Hope these little tips help! Learnt them from my dad who ran a Chinese takeaway for almost 30 years.
I made fried rice yesterday. Cooked the rice the night prior, my ratio of rice to water is 1:1.20. I do it on the stove top, let water to come a boil. Add the rice (washed several times until not as starchy). When this mixture comes to a boil, I put the lid on and let it steam on the lowest flame possible for 15 & a half minutes. Turn off heat and let it stay in the pot over night. I only put it in the fridge the next morning. Next , I prepare all my vegetables: carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, onions. Beat up two eggs with shaoxing, salt and pepper. Turn heat up wok, add eggs. Remove wok from heat and scramble eggs. Take eggs out. Wok back on stove at medium high heat. Add onions and carrots, cook for a minute. Then add minced garlic. Cook for about 20 seconds. Push everything to one side of the wok. Add enough oil to cook your rice. Heat on high, add your rice. Hear the sweet sound of searing. At this point I add some homemade chicken broth and shaoxing…stir-fry. Next, add soy sauce and a touch of oyster sauce. Stir fry some more. Then salt and white pepper to taste and the remaining veggies (green onion, mushrooms) and the eggs. Stir fry for about 30 more seconds then taste to see if it suits your taste. Turn off heat. Add a touch of sesame oil and chopped green onions. Your fried rice is done ✅