Transcription
If you've ever tried to make Chinese takeout chicken fried rice at home and been disappointed in the results, this video is for you.
Today, we'll discuss the most common mistakes home cooks make and how to fix them. We'll talk about the closely guarded secret rice blend that is used exclusively by all the best restaurants. We'll learn about all the top secret tips, tricks, and hacks to really level up your game. By the end of this video, you will be able to make fried rice at home better than 99% of takeout restaurants. You're not going to need to master any extreme techniques. You don't need to cook your rice on a portal to Hades. Everything in this video is adapted for the average home cook on a standard burner.
Now, the first thing we'll need to address is what style of rice to use. Your local western-style Chinese takeaway is not using expensive or hard-to-find rice varieties. From my admittedly unscientific survey of about three dozen restaurants, they seem to all be using either a standard American long-grain white rice, the cheap kind you can find at any grocery store, or a standard medium grain, also inexpensive, readily available brand.
So, what should you use? This is really a matter of personal preference, and there is no right or wrong answer. Do you like larger grains that are more separate? Then go with long grain. Do you like smaller grains that are slightly more sticky but chewier in texture? Then go with medium. It's really up to you, and both make great fried rice. And at the end of the day, the best rice is just whatever you happen to have on hand.
However, in my research for this video, I came across something very interesting. There were a handful of restaurants whose fried rice was noticeably better than the others, and they were all using a blend of American long grain and Thai Jasmine rice. Long grain on its own is too bland, and Jasmine on its own is too delicate. This seems to be the perfect combination of separate grains and body from the long grain, and the nutty aroma and flavor from the fragrant Jasmine. And I highly recommend you try it because it makes the best takeout fried rice I've ever had.
Before, some companies like Mahatma and Carolina actually have this exact blend made specifically for fried rice. But if you want to do it on your own, you'll just take two parts long grain and one part Jasmine, mix them together before cooking, and treat it as you would any other long grain white rice.
And that leads us to our next question: what is the best way to prepare rice for fried rice? No matter what kind you end up using, you want to wash the rice under several changes of water until it runs clear. This will remove some of the surface starch that makes the final product both sticky and clumpy. But don't overdo it, because we're trying not to hydrate the grains any more than necessary. Moisture is the mortal enemy of a good fried rice, so typically about three to four washes is enough.
Now, obviously, the best way to prepare rice is in a rice cooker or by steaming it, but we've gone over both these methods in a previous video, so I won't belabor the point here. But I just want to say, no matter what method you use to cook rice, if it's coming out too wet or clumpy, you may want to experiment with the ratio of water to rice. The range for perfectly cooked rice is generally somewhere in between 1 and 1/2 parts water to one part rice to an exact 1:1 ratio. Fried rice generally works with a slightly less hydrated grain, and you've got to just experiment and find what works for you.
And I also want to reiterate, if you're storing your rice overnight in the fridge to dry out, you should always let it come to room temperature before refrigeration, and you should never wrap it tightly like this. This will trap in the evaporating moisture and make your rice soggy. It should either be left uncovered or loosely covered with a piece of parchment or plastic, and it should be refrigerated for a minimum of 12 hours.
Now that we've dealt with the rice, let's talk about one of the biggest mistakes I see when trying to recreate takeout-style fried rice at home: using the wrong kind of soy sauce. The biggest culprit is Kikkoman, and that's a great soy sauce that I use often, but it's also Japanese and has an entirely different flavor profile that is not really suited for Chinese-style takeout food. The two most common brands I've seen at almost every western-style Chinese restaurant are Lee Kum Kee and Pearl River Bridge, and you can't go wrong with either of them.
But in the soy sauce aisle, you'll see so many different kinds. What do you use? The two styles you'll need to familiarize yourself with are light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Light soy sauce doesn't mean low sodium; it's just the Chinese version of standard soy sauce. You'll sometimes find it labeled as just soy sauce or premium soy sauce. It's used to add flavor and seasoning to dishes without adding much color. Dark soy sauce, like its name implies, is much darker and thicker than its light cousin and is typically used to add color to dishes without adding much flavor. It's flavor is less salty and slightly more sweet than the light version. For today's rice, we'll be using both light and dark soy sauce.
The last two ingredients you may be unfamiliar with are Shaoxing wine and toasted sesame oil. Shaoxing wine is ubiquitous in Chinese cooking. It's used in like 90% of stir-fry dishes. The flavor is hard to describe; it's sort of mildly acidic and faintly tastes of caramel. It's a great way to add just a tiny bit of sweetness and acidity to a dish. We're going to use this to deglaze our fried rice at the end of cooking, and it's really going to brighten things up and bring all the other flavors to the forefront. If you're not able to track it down, you can use a dry sherry instead.
The second ingredient we'll need is toasted sesame oil. This is a finishing oil we're going to add after we're done cooking. Because we're dealing with the low heat of an average kitchen burner, it's hard to recreate that wok flavor you get in restaurants. This will help us get some of that toastiness that makes restaurant fried rice so tasty. It's not absolutely necessary, but I highly recommend trying to track some down if you can, as it really does improve the final flavor.
For the chicken, the most common cut you'll see is little slivers like this. 100% of the takeout places I've talked to use breast meat. The problem with using such thin slices like this is that breast meat is so lean, it tends to dry out really quickly. So today, I want to show you a trick almost all Chinese restaurants use to keep lean meat super tender, even when cooked over really high heat: baking soda.
But before we get to that, let's break down how to cut it. You'll just take your breast half, flip it over, and remove the tenderloin. Then cut off the tapered end where it gets really narrow and thin. Reserve these because we are going to use them. Now, depending on how big your chicken breast is, cut it lengthwise into four to five slices. Then take each of these slices, turn them perpendicular, and cut across the grain, making little slivers that are about a quarter of an inch thick. And repeat this process with the reserved tenderloin and the tip we cut off earlier.
Now, I know this may sound unusual, but most Chinese restaurants wash their chicken under cold running water before they marinate it. The process of washing the meat and squeezing out the excess water by hand supposedly tenderizes the meat and makes the marinade penetrate deeper. This step is optional, but in all honesty, it does make a difference, so I highly recommend implementing this step into your stir-fry routine. All you'll do is swirl the meat around in cold water for about 30 seconds, then squeeze out the water either in your hand or by pressing it against a strainer.
After the chicken is washed, we'll mix in half a teaspoon of baking soda and massage it into the meat for about 30 to 45 seconds. This is another secret a lot of Chinese restaurants use to get lean proteins even more tender. Baking soda alkalizes the surface of the meat, which makes it harder for protein bands to tighten when cooked. This results in lean cuts like chicken breast that are much more tender than what you're used to at home.
After the baking soda treatment, we'll add half a teaspoon of light soy sauce, half a teaspoon of sugar, half a teaspoon of cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, an 1/8 of a teaspoon of MSG, and 1 teaspoon of neutral oil. Then mix everything into the chicken and allow it to marinate for at least 15 minutes or up to overnight.
The final two components we'll need to prepare before cooking are the sauce and spice mixture. Traditional fried rice in China tends to be very light on sauce, and a lot don't even use any, and opt just for salt and some vegetables like scallion. But western-style takeout rice uses a bit more sauce for both flavor and color. So to make our sauce mixture, let's start with half a teaspoon of sugar, 2 teaspoons of light soy sauce, and half a teaspoon of dark soy sauce. Then stir until the sugar is dissolved and set aside.
And I know you're probably thinking, sugar and fried rice? Yes, a slightly sweet element is something a lot of home cooks overlook. You don't really taste anything sugary in the final dish, but there are so many salty components that a tiny bit of sweetness helps balance the flavors nicely.
Another peculiarity of western-style takeout fried rice is that it is heavily seasoned. The sauce mixture does help us out in that regard, but to get the real restaurant flavor we're after, we'll still need to amp things up with some additional seasoning. So for the dry spice mixture, let's start with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, two pinches of white pepper, and half a teaspoon of MSG. Then mix everything together until it's well combined and set it aside.
Before we cook the rice, it's very important to have everything ready to go because it comes together in a matter of minutes. You don't really have time to prep as you're cooking. We'll go over all the ingredients as we're making the rice, but it's essential to have everything prepared beforehand.
To get started, let's heat our wok or cooking vessel over medium-high heat until you see very light wisps of smoke. Then add 1 tablespoon of a neutral oil and swirl it around until it's lightly shimmering. Then turn the heat down to medium-low and immediately add two beaten eggs that have been seasoned with a pinch of salt and a pinch of MSG. You should notice the eggs start puffing up a bit around the edges. This is what you want. So give it about 15 to 20 seconds, and then start stirring to lightly scramble the eggs. Because we'll be cooking everything in stages, we're aiming to slightly undercook them because they'll be added back to the dish where they can finish cooking. After they're done, remove the eggs to a bowl and set aside.
Then return your wok to medium-high heat, and I like to wipe out the pan after the eggs to prevent little burnt bits in the final fried rice. Once the wok is heated again, let's add another tablespoon of neutral oil, swirl it around the pan, and once it's shimmering, toss in 2 oz of our marinated chicken. Push it down so that it's in one layer and let it cook for about 30 to 45 seconds, or until it gets a bit of color on the first side. Continue cooking the chicken until it's about 95% done, then remove it to the bowl with the reserved eggs.
And I know there's an eternal debate about whether or not to do everything in the same pan at the same time. In my experience, when you're working with the deconstructed jet engines they cook on at restaurants, it's fine to do everything in one go. But at home, our burners are less powerful, and you do get better results cooking in small batches, so you can ensure every ingredient is cooked to perfection.
Now, turn your wok to medium-high heat and add your last tablespoon of oil and swirl it around until it's shimmering. There's no reason to wipe out the pan this time because the fond from the chicken will give us a bit of extra flavor. Then toss in half a cup of medium-diced onion and 2 tablespoons of medium-diced carrot. Cook for a minute or two until the onion is beginning to look translucent but still has a bit of bite to it. Then toss in two roughly chopped cloves of garlic, sauté for about 15 to 20 seconds, and then add 2 cups of our cooled rice. Stir in the vegetables and using your spatula or your utensil, gently press down on the rice so it makes an even layer. Then break up any large chunks of white rice you see using the tip of your utensil, constantly stirring and flipping the rice so that all sides get fried.
Now, at this point, if you notice your fried rice is always coming out really dry, it's most likely because there's not enough oil, so you may want to add just a bit more before the rice. But don't add so much the US military considers invading you. Just a touch to prevent the grains from drying out. After a few minutes of toasting the rice, toss in the reserved chicken and egg and incorporate it into the mixture.
Now, using your spatula, push everything to the center of the wok and add the sauce mixture around the rim and not directly into the rice. This will lightly caramelize the sauce and increase the depth of flavor. Immediately stir the rice so the sauce is fully incorporated and no large chunks of white rice remain. If you notice anything is burning at any point, adjust your heat level. Now, toss in the dry spice mixture and stir it in so everything is well seasoned and you don't see any traces of the salt, pepper, or MSG. Then add 2 tablespoons of frozen peas and a handful of bean sprouts. Gently mix them in.
And using your utensil, push the rice mixture to the center of the wok. Deglaze with 2 teaspoons of Shaoxing wine and immediately stir it into the rice. Cook off the alcohol for about 20 to 30 seconds, then kill the heat. And finally, toss in 2 tablespoons of sliced green onion and 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil. Then stir so they're both fully mixed in with everything. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning with extra salt and white pepper, and then you're ready to serve.
Now, let's give it a taste test and see how we did. All right, really quick before our taste test, I just want to say this is my version of classic Chinese-style takeout fried rice, but there are as many ways to make fried rice as there are grains of rice in a bowl of it. At the end of the day, your perfect fried rice is ultimately personal, and you've just got to find what works for you.
All right, back to the taste test. This is so much more flavorful than your standard takeout version. Like, 99% of the time when you get takeout fried rice, it's super bland. But today, we've went over some best practices, and I truly believe if you implement some of these tips, you can make fried rice at home better than almost any restaurant you've ever been to.
And before we call it a day, if you've just had takeout and have that leftover carton of white rice, I want to show you how to turn it into great fried rice. Instead of storing it in the carton in the fridge like this, which will make it really clumpy, what you want to do is take it out and spread it on a baking sheet, let it come to room temperature, and then store it in the fridge overnight. The next day, just use this as your rice for fried rice instead of making it from scratch yourself. It's as simple as that.
And if you got some value out of this video, you might like this one too. Thanks for watching. See you next time.