The first rule of the Vegan Fried Rice Club is: you do not use fresh rice for the Fried Rice Club. Freshly cooked rice is too starchy and hot and will create a gluggy mess when you fry it. After you cook the rice, make sure it’s completely cooled and keep it in a fridge in a large container that does not compact the rice.
The second rule: no water! The rice grains have to be separate from each other and not sticky. You should never ever add water to your fried rice.
Fried rice is traditionally a way to use up leftovers, so the rice should already be in your fridge. Overnight is ideal. I like to use rice that has been living in the fridge for at least two days. However, in a pinch, you can dry out freshly cooked rice by standing in front of the fan/aircon and stirring the rice with a flat ladle for half an hour. I’ve done it before and it works kind of okay.
The third rule: be sure that you heat your rice up all the way through! Rice may contain Bacillus cereus bacteria, which can cause food poisoning and all kinds of badness. So when you are frying up your rice, the USDA recommends that it should be at least 165°F or 74°C. Find out more about how to reheat rice safely.
Once you’ve sorted the rice, here are some of my favourite fried rice recipes.
