Egg fried rice. Cooking it yourself but it tasting like takeaway?

fyl2u said:
I usually just use olive oil for everything. I might have to try sesame oil; I've never used it. I'm not a fan of peanuts and I seem to remember not being keen on peanut oil at some point in the past, although it has been quite a while.
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Olive oil won't work well for a Chinese, they use sesame oil all the time. That might be what you're missing.
 


You need a lower moisture content in the rice. You can do this in one of two ways: use yesterdays refrigerated boiled rice; or using the evaporation method, use a little less water than for boiled. Either way, it works best when the boiled rice is cooled.

Choose a carbon steel wok, not a non stick one. Heat it until it’s smoking hot and then pop in a good measure of oil (peanut, groundnut, vegetable or sunflower) and swirl. Don’t use sesame oil as this is a dressing oil not a cooking oil.

Immediately put in your rice. Stir fry well, breaking up lumps. Move rice to one side of wok and add a beaten egg, making sure you don’t get the egg on the rice. Stir fry the egg until done and then combine with the rice. Turn down the heat. Add chopped spring onions, if using. Splash in some Light soy sauce, not dark.

Stir a bit until the colour looks even and right. Serve.
 
fyl2u said:
How?

Anyone able to make their home-cooked egg fried rice taste like it tastes when you buy it from a Chinese takeaway?

Anyone ever worked as a cook in a Chinese takeaway?

If so could you provide detailed instructions of how you manage it, because I can't ever get it quite right and it surely can't be that hard, can it?

Thanks in advance.
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Don't listen to any of these idiots. They're just repeating old wive's tales.

There is only one way to make it taste the same and that is to add MSG.

Before you shriek about additives, MSG is actually natural and does far less harm than salt.

I had a tin of "Vietnamese Magic Powder" in my kitchen at all times when I lived down in That There London and could get it from Chinatown. You can order it on Amazon now.
 
ajthemackem said:
Olive oil won't work well for a Chinese, they use sesame oil all the time. That might be what you're missing.
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Awesome. I did wonder if there was something I've been doing completely wrong and I'm glad to discover that there is.

After reading this thread and that recipe in the other feller's link it seems that I've also been not washing the rice when I should have been, to get rid of the starch that turns it into "sticky rice", and not cooling it off before frying.

Hopefully my next attempt will be a huge improvement.
My last lot was edible and reasonably tasty, it just wasn't takeaway standard.

MackemBob said:
[snip]Immediately put in your rice. Stir fry well, breaking up lumps. Move rice to one side of wok and add a beaten egg, making sure you don’t get the egg on the rice. Stir fry the egg until done and then combine with the rice. Turn down the heat. Add chopped spring onions, if using. Splash in some Light soy sauce, not dark.

Stir a bit until the colour looks even and right. Serve.
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This was the technique I used on my last attempt. I don't think the pan I used was quite big enough to achieve the effect quite properly. I was at the missus's place and she doesn't own a wok.

ooh, must keep that in mind... Her birthday's coming up. ;)
 
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Chilled rice essential, I always chuck the egg in first and scramble.
Not too much soy sauce as it’s too easy to over do it.
I’ve started adding small frozen peas to add colour.
Must admit it’s close but not the same as my local Chinese.
Mind I don’t add the MSG which I believe is normal for most high street takeaways.
 
fyl2u said:
I usually just use olive oil for everything. I might have to try sesame oil; I've never used it. I'm not a fan of peanuts and I seem to remember not being keen on peanut oil at some point in the past, although it has been quite a while.
Click to expand...
Do not fry in sesame oil, it’s far too strong a taste. Normally used by adding a few drops at the end of cooking but not in fried rice.
 
fyl2u said:
Awesome. I did wonder if there was something I've been doing completely wrong and I'm glad to discover that there is.

After reading this thread and that recipe in the other feller's link it seems that I've also been not washing the rice when I should have been, to get rid of the starch that turns it into "sticky rice", and not cooling it off before frying.

Hopefully my next attempt will be a huge improvement.
My last lot was edible and reasonably tasty, it just wasn't takeaway standard.



This was the technique I used on my last attempt. I don't think the pan I used was quite big enough to achieve the effect quite properly. I was at the missus's place and she doesn't own a wok.

ooh, must keep that in mind... Her birthday's coming up. ;)
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I’d tried to edit to say use Thai jasmine/perfumed rice, but times out.

Take one cup of the rice and 1.75 cups of cold water and put them in a pan and cover with a right fitting lid. Turn the heat up high until it boils. Immediately turn the heat down to the lowest setting once it begins to boil. After about 7 minutes the rice should have absorbed all the water. Take it off the heat, leave the lid on and stand it for ten mins. Fluff it with a fork. Once cooled, you can use it. Best results, let it cool and fridge it for at least two hours or overnight.

It’s then ready to fry.
 
ajthemackem said:
Olive oil won't work well for a Chinese, they use sesame oil all the time. That might be what you're missing.
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The oil is definitely crucial and, as you say, olive oil won't work. Better off with bog standard vegetable oil or sunflower oil but sesame or peanut (groundnut as it's sold) will work best. In saying this, I've never cooked egg fried rice successfully.

I suspect that cooker quality and wok quality play a part here...
 
Arkle said:
The oil is definitely crucial and, as you say, olive oil won't work. Better off with bog standard vegetable oil or sunflower oil but sesame or peanut (groundnut as it's sold) will work best. In saying this, I've never cooked egg fried rice successfully.

I suspect that cooker quality and wok quality play a part here...
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Tell that racist Wilfy.
 
fyl2u said:
I usually just use olive oil for everything. I might have to try sesame oil; I've never used it. I'm not a fan of peanuts and I seem to remember not being keen on peanut oil at some point in the past, although it has been quite a while.
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The oil is important. They'll not use olive oil in China. Can't say what they do use - maybe sesame? - but my Irish mate whose dad was a potato farmer told me that the oil the chips are cooked in are why chip shop, Chinese, and Indian chips all taste so different.
 

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