[shel]

I have trouble making good fried rice. It's often too oily, or soggy. Any tips for making good fried rice, especially brown rice, consistantly?

shel

[Suzanne]

Rule #1: Never use fresh, warm rice. Always use cold cooked rice that has had a chance for the starch to firm up. That's why it's such a great use for leftover rice that has been refrigerated.

After that, it's just a matter of very hot pan, as little oil as possible, constant motion, etc.

[phatch]

I've never done it with brown rice.

Use standard Chinese Cooking procedures.

Have EVERYTHING ready beforehand. There is no time to do other prep once you start cooking (you already know that Shel).

HOT WOK. For fried rice, it's important that it be well seasoned or you're going to need more oil to keep the rice from sticking. A cast iron skillet would work well if you don't have a good wok. This is NOT the time for stainless steel; it will stick and need to much oil. This is NOT the time for teflon as it can't take the required heat safely.

Add aromatics (garlic and ginger) last. This is counter to general chinese practice where you season the oil at the start with the aromatics. But finely chopped garlic will burn almost the instant you put it in a hot wok without some buffering ingredients. Ginger too to a lesser extent. Cooking the aromatics first also mellows their flavor. That's not always a bad thing, but many dishes benefit from the stronger flavor of adding these ingredients in the last few moments of their stir-frying.

<sidebar>Indian cuisine often blends the garlic and ginger in the food processor with water. The water protects the garlic when it's all added to the pan.</sidebar>

Adjust your technique to the heat output of your stove. If you have a high out-put stove, keep the rice moving as Suzanne notes as the classic stir-fry technique. But if you have a normal wimpy home stove, cook in small batches and let things sit a bit as they need more time to cook properly without cooling the wok down too much.

Seasoning the rice. Go light with the soy sauce. Most home cooks use too much soy and not enough supporting other flavors. Add oyster sauce in equal amounts to the soy sauce. Some sugar is important, but go light here too. Black pepper is also helpful, perhaps some salt, but taste first.

[bughut]

I'm with Suzanne as far as using cold rice is concerned. I like to use Basmati.
Make your fried rice an hour before you need it and have the oven on the lowest setting.
In a wok fry onions and garlic in a good slug of sunflower oil. Add an egg and whisk while it cooks. Then add the rice. Let it settle now and again to fry slightly, then move it around. Keep doing this till you feel you may be overdoing it if you do it much more. At this stage add a generous measure of both soy sauce and lea & perrins and mix it in quickly. It wont taste it's best at this stage, but hold on...
Transfer to an oven proof dish, cover with foil, dull side out and pierce with a fork all over. An hour later the rice is truly scrumptious and not a bit greasy.

[jigz369]

"Transfer to an oven proof dish, cover with foil, dull side out and pierce with a fork all over. An hour later the rice is truly scrumptious and not a bit greasy."

The truth is that foil works equally well no matter which side is out.

[shel]

Thanks for everyone's advice. Made a couple of small batches today and the results were much improved over my usual dreck. Still need to play around a little more, but at least what was prepared was edible

shel

[Headless Chicken]

I'm not sure about using brown rice to make fried rice, I typically use jasmine and like everyone else said, it has to be cold precooked. Most brown rice I know of tend to be tougher and less starchy, not great rice to make fried rice in my opinion.

Very little oil is needed but make sure your rice is dried. Moisture in the rice will cause the starches to stick to cooking surfaces at high temperatures. Add your moisture near the end of the cooking process (ie soy sauce, oyster sauce, hot sauce, etc).

[shel]

Originally Posted by Headless Chicken

I'm not sure about using brown rice to make fried rice

Brown rice works quite well. numerous restaurants here use it, and i'm starting to get good results as well.

shel

[bughut]

Originally Posted by jigz369

"Transfer to an oven proof dish, cover with foil, dull side out and pierce with a fork all over. An hour later the rice is truly scrumptious and not a bit greasy."

The truth is that foil works equally well no matter which side is out.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that point. Dull side out makes a subtle difference to the fried rice, and a huge difference to other dishes, depending on how much or little you want the heat of the oven to affect the contents
Glad you're having success with your rice Shel. Never tried brown rice fried, but i will
Wild rice is a different matter. - How long does one want to chew a mouthful of door matting???