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雞蛋炒飯Egg scallion fried rice

The plainest of the wok's fried rice, and the one that separates the cooks who know the wok from the ones who don't. Cold, day-old rice, the egg in as loose strands, the scallion in at the very end, and a two-part soy seasoning that has to coat the grain, not pool under it. No chilies, no fish sauce, no paste — the whole dish is the 2–3 min of fast work and the 180 °C of the oil's browning window.

Origin: China, the Cantonese and Sichuan home versions both
Difficulty: 2 / 5
Servings: 2
Prep: 10 min
Cook: ~6 min
Total: ~20 min (the rice from the day before)

Technique notes

A stir-fry at the fast end, with the wok-heat doing the cook's job and the rice doing the texture's job. The rice has to be cold and dry — the day-old rule, because a grain that's still warm and wet will steam in the wok instead of browning in it, and the whole dish goes to mush before it gets its wok hei (the breath of the wok, the faint bitterness of the browning surface). The egg goes in before the rice, and it sets in loose, thin strands against the hot surface of the wok — the fast work half of the stir-fry article. The scallion is last, in the final 20–30 s, so it stays green and sharp, not cooked out. The soy is the salt-and-depth corner, and it has to be a two-part pour — the light soy for the salt, the dark soy for the color, and the 30 g of the two together is the balance of the dish.

Equipment

A wok or a 26–28 cm heavy skillet — the wide surface is what gives the grain its browning, and the wok-heat that a small pan can't hold
A flat spatula or a wooden spoon, to break the rice up and push it against the hot surface
A fine sieve, for the scallion oil (a little extra balance step)

Ingredients

400 g (1½ cups, cooked, cold) cooked jasmine rice — the rice article, and the day-old one is the one that bounces off the spatula instead of sticking
3 (180 ml) eggs, beaten — the 3 is for the 2 servings, and the egg is the "loose, thin strands" of the dish, not a patty
4 (15 cm) scallions, the white and the green both, cut 2 cm lengths, the white and the green kept separate
15 g (2 cloves) garlic, minced
5 g (1, sliced) bird's eye chili (or a 3 cm chili, sliced thin), for the heat in the dish — the fast work of the wok, in the balance corner
30 ml (2 tbsp) vegetable oil
25 ml (1½ tbsp) light soy sauce — the salt
10 ml (2 tsp) dark soy sauce — the color and depth
5 g (1 tsp) sugar — the sweet edge against the salt
5 ml (1 tsp) sesame oil — the fragrance, added in the last 30 s of the cook

Method

The rice, dry and ready. If the rice is fresh: cook it with a little less water than usual, and spread it out on a tray to dry 30 min. If it's the day-old one (the classic), it's already set and dry, and it's the one that bounces off the spatula. Break up any big clumps by hand — the grain should be loose, and the leftover logic is the one that decides whether the dish bounces or steams.
Mise en place. Beat the eggs. Slice the scallions white and green, and keep them separate. Mince the garlic, slice the chili. Measure the two soys and the sugar together, in a small bowl, and stir — the 35 g of seasoning, all in one, so the 20–30 s it's in the wok is the seasoning, not a pause. The whole dish is a 3–4 min wok, so every step after the wok is lit is a 15–30 s job.
The egg, loose. High flame, the wok properly hot — a thin wisp of smoke, the ready test. In with the oil, in a thin film, and the beaten eggs in a thin stream down the middle. 20–30 s, and the egg sets into a loose, thin film — break it up into strands, and keep it in the wok. This is the loose, thin strands of the dish, and the fast work of the wok is the one that sets it and keeps it loose.
The aromatics. In with the garlic and the sliced chili, and 15–20 s, until the garlic is a pale gold and the raw smell has gone to fragrance. The aromatics-in-hot-fat move — the same as the khao pad (the Thai version of this dish), and the balance of the aromatic note.
The rice, and the browning. Into the wok, the rice in a loose handful or two, and push it against the hot surface with the spatula. For the first 30 s, let it sit — don't stir it — so a few grains take on the browning and the faint, slightly bitter edge of the wok-heat. Then break it up, stir, and toss it with the egg, 1–2 min, until the grain is loose, glossy, and the raw starch smell is gone. This is the 2–3 min of fast work, and the wok hei — the wok's breath — is the one that separates the "fried rice that bounces off the wok" from the "fried rice that steamed in the wok."
The seasoning. Pour the mixed soy-and-sugar down the side of the wok, not over the top of the rice, and it will spit and steam, and that's the point. Toss the rice in, and 20–30 s, until the grain is an even, deep gold and the raw starch smell is gone. The 35 g of the two soys is the salt-and-depth corner, and the 5 g of sugar is the sweet edge against the salt.
The scallion, last. In with the white part of the scallion, and 20–30 s, just enough to warm through and soften at the edge — the green part is there for the fresh, sharp edge, and it will keep it if you don't cook it past that. In with the green part, and a 10–20 s more. The 20–30 s for the white and the 10–20 s for the green is the thin-cut logic of the scallion in the wok — the 2 cm slice is the one that takes the 20–30 s window.
The sesame oil, and the plate. In with the 5 ml of the sesame oil, and a few turns, to coat the grain, and the fragrance half of the dish is done. Toss the rice onto a plate, and the balance of the dish is the salt of the soy, the sweet of the sugar, the fragrance of the sesame oil, and the sharp edge of the scallion, all in the grain.

Common failures

Sticky, gummy, "boiled" rice. The grain was fresh and wet, or the wok wasn't hot enough, so the rice steamed instead of browning. The leftover logic is the one that decides whether it bounces or steams, and the day-old rice is the one that bounces.
One flat, uniform texture, with the egg in a patty instead of strands. The egg went in and sat, so it set into a patty, or the rice, the egg, and the aromatics all cooked together and set into a single mass. The fast work of the wok, the fast work, is the one that sets the egg loose, and the 3–4 min is the ±1 min window.
Sauce pools, rice sits in it. The soy went in on a wok that wasn't hot enough, so it steamed instead of coating the grain. Let the wok get properly hot before the pour, and the sauce will coat the surface of the grain, not land in a pool under it. The wok-heat is the one that does the coat, not the steam.
Under-seasoned, "plain" fried rice. The two soys were under-done, or the 5 g of sugar was left out, so the salt-and-depth corner was flat. Taste the grain against the soy in step 6, and add a few more drops of the light soy if it's flat.
The scallion is limp and the dish has no sharp edge. The greens went in too early (step 7 is 20–30 s, not 2 min). The scallion is the fresh, sharp edge against the wok-heat, and it's there to be eaten with a bite in it.

Variations & substitutions

The "yakisoba" side. Swap in flat rice noodles (the pad see ew family), instead of the rice grain, and the same stir-fry logic, the same wok-heat, the same balance — the yakisoba (the Japanese version) is the same dish, with the wheat noodle instead of the rice grain.
A little more of the "Sichuan" heat. A 1–2 bird's eye chilies, minced and in with the garlic in step 4, moves the dish to the mapo tofu family's heat, the top note of the Sichuan edge.
The "egg over the top" finish. An extra egg, cracked in the center of the wok in the last 30 s, and the yolk still runny when it goes on the plate — the rich edge of the dish, and the balance of the grain against the yolk.

What to serve with it

This is the "starch" of the section — the side that goes with any of the meat or vegetable dishes, and the one that stands in for plain rice when you want a quick, savory, satisfying plate on its own. It pairs with anything that's a light, fresh plate to set the edge against the wok-heat of the grain: the som tum (the raw, pounded, the salt–acid–sweet) is the "cut" against the wok-heat grain, and the mapo tofu is there for the people who want the heat and the salt of the Sichuan edge to go with the wok-heat of the fried rice.

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