AuthorChandniA delicious and deceivingly easy fried rice you can put together in under 20 minutes.
What’s an emergency egg fried rice? It’s a dish I can put together when I’m having a hectic work day I didn’t expect or plan for. Or when I forgot to order my groceries on time and have an almost-empty fridge.
On days when I’m running against the clock, I depend on recipes like this that will help me put together a quick meal in 20 minutes with little effort, so I can take another 20 to eat in peace. It’s my little way of squeezing in some me-time on a crazy day.
My favourite low-effort dish to make with barely any ingredients is Cacio e pepe pasta, and this emergency egg fried rice comes in a close second.
Cooking fried rice is more a technique than a recipe. So once you get your technique sorted, you can experiment with the flavours till you discover the recipe you love. A good fried rice has the following components:
- Oil of choice. I’ve been using homemade chilli oil and I love it. You can use plain vegetable oil.
- Aromatics like garlic, ginger, spring onions. You use these to instantly flavour the oil and by extension, the fried rice.
- Day-old rice is key. You need rice that’s cold and dry for it to fry well. That’s what makes good fried rice. That said, you could spread out fresh rice on a plate, lightly grease with some oil, and put it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
- Umami. Fried rice is all about the umami. That’s why you can’t stop eating it. So you could choose to add it in the form of MSG, mushrooms, or soy sauce.
Emergency Egg Fried Rice Recipe Video
Emergency Egg Fried Rice Recipe Card
To make egg fried rice, first have everything prepared and ready to go. This dish cooks quite fast and if you have everything ready, it’ll be easier. Beat 2 eggs, chop up 3-4 cloves of garlic, and finely chop up the spring onions - separating the bottoms and tops.
Heat oil in a wok-like pan or kadhai and add the beaten eggs to it. Let the eggs sit for 30-45 seconds till they start to set, almost forming an omelette. Gently move the omelette to the side and add garlic and the spring onion bottoms to the oil. Fry for a few seconds till the raw smell of the garlic disappears.
Add day-old rice over the fried garlic and spring onion mixture, and gently flip the omelette onto the rice so it isn’t directly touching the pan any more. It’s okay if the eggs aren’t fully cooked yet. They will continue to cook in the heat while the rice is getting fried.
Using your spatula, break the omelette into smaller pieces and let it incorporate into the rice. Use a silicone or wooden spatula for this so you don’t ruin your pan.
Season with salt (and pepper if you like), and add 1 tbsp soy sauce around the edges of the rice so it sizzles and quickly cooks when it comes in contact with the pan. Toss the rice well so the soy sauce coats it evenly.
Turn off the heat, garnish your egg fried rice with finely chopped spring onion tops, and enjoy hot!
What do you cook when you need to put a quick meal on the table? Let me know in the comments below.
Ingredients
Directions
To make egg fried rice, first have everything prepared and ready to go. This dish cooks quite fast and if you have everything ready, it’ll be easier. Beat 2 eggs, chop up 3-4 cloves of garlic, and finely chop up the spring onions - separating the bottoms and tops.
Heat oil in a wok-like pan or kadhai and add the beaten eggs to it. Let the eggs sit for 30-45 seconds till they start to set, almost forming an omelette. Gently move the omelette to the side and add garlic and the spring onion bottoms to the oil. Fry for a few seconds till the raw smell of the garlic disappears.
Add day-old rice over the fried garlic and spring onion mixture, and gently flip the omelette onto the rice so it isn’t directly touching the pan any more. It’s okay if the eggs aren’t fully cooked yet. They will continue to cook in the heat while the rice is getting fried.
Using your spatula, break the omelette into smaller pieces and let it incorporate into the rice. Use a silicone or wooden spatula for this so you don’t ruin your pan.
Season with salt (and pepper if you like), and add 1 tbsp soy sauce around the edges of the rice so it sizzles and quickly cooks when it comes in contact with the pan. Toss the rice well so the soy sauce coats it evenly.
Turn off the heat, garnish your egg fried rice with finely chopped spring onion tops, and enjoy hot!