Ginger Fried Rice

Jump to Recipe

Ginger Fried Rice is flavorful dish that you can prepare in 20 minutes. We cook lots of fresh ginger and garlic to make a fragrant fried rice seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil. The ginger is so delicious and warms you from inside out. Prepare as is or feel free to add anything from bacon to green onions. Enjoy this as a side dish or a simple entree for lunch or dinner.

A bowl of ginger fried rice. — *Ginger Fried Rice, ready to eat and enjoy ^_^*

Why This Recipe Works

In our freezer you'll find at least a half dozen bags of ginger in different forms - minced, julienned, smashed, etc. Every month or so, I set aside a few hours to peel, prepare, and freezer all these forms of ginger. We love ginger and use it in endless forms of cooking (and drinking).

One of my favorite ways of enjoying ginger is Ginger Fried Rice. I love rice and I love ginger. It makes plenty of sense to put the two together.

Ginger Fried Rice is actually a popular Chinese postpartum dish, but we eat it all year round. It's especially delicious on rainy and colder days. The cooked ginger is infused into every grain of rice and it warms your whole body up. I always feel nourished and "complete" after a big bowl of Ginger Fried Rice.

A plate of raw julienned ginger. — *We love ginger!*

This dish is easy to make and is open to endless variations and additions. We use sesame oil to cook the ginger and garlic. Then we add the cooked rice (this is a great use for leftover rice if you have that available) and cook till the rice is warm with crispy bits. Next we scramble eggs (in the same pan) and mix it with the rice. Season with soy sauce (or salt if you prefer). That's it! So easy and delicious.

The measurements for this recipe are flexible. Do you have a little more/less rice? No problem, use what you have. Want to make it more ginger-y? Go for it! Want to use salt instead of soy sauce? Ok! Want to add bacon or green onions? Definitely yes. As long as you follow the general guidelines, there's no wrong way to make this dish.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make Ginger Fried Rice:

Cooked white rice - Use jasmine rice or basmati rice. Best if you cook the rice the day before and let refrigerate it overnight.
Sesame oil
Garlic
Ginger - We julienned the ginger but feel free to mince the ginger if you'd like. We like to buy fresh ginger from different vendors located in Honolulu's Chinatown - it's much more fresh than what you'll find at the regular supermarket.
Soy sauce - We use soy sauce as the main seasoning ingredient, but you can replace the soy sauce with salt for a lighter, more "traditional" version of ginger fried rice.
Eggs

Ready to start cooking? ^_^

Step by Step Directions

There's just four simple steps to this recipe:

Sautéing the ginger and garlic. — *Ginger, garlic, and sesame oil.*

Cook ginger and garlic.
In a large pan over medium heat, warm the sesame oil. Then add the garlic and ginger to the pan. Saute for 3-5 minutes.

After sautéing the ginger and garlic for a few minutes. — *Ginger, garlic, and sesame oil smells amazing together.*

Cook until the garlic and ginger is light golden brown in color. The whole thing should very fragrant, it's intoxicating!

Adding cooked rice to the ginger and garlic in the frying pan.

Cook the rice.
Add the cooked rice and stir fry for 5-10 minutes until the rice is hot and evenly mixed with the garlic and ginger. Stir fry the rice for closer to 10 minutes if you like the rice to be a little crispy (which I love!)

Adding the eggs to the frying pan with the fried rice.

Scramble the eggs.
Push the rice towards the edges of the pan to form an empty circle in the center of the pan.

Right after adding eggs to the frying pan with the fried rice.

Pour the eggs into the middle of the pan. Scramble the eggs by themselves first, and then stir fry to mix the scrambled eggs with the rice.

Season and finish.
Drizzle in the soy sauce (or salt) and mix well. Eat and enjoy!

FAQs and Tips

What type of rice to use?

We typically use jasmine rice for this recipe, but any type of white rice will work. Basmati rice is also a great option.

We cook the rice the day before and store it in the refrigerator overnight so that the rice can "dry out" a bit. If you use freshly cooked rice the fried rice will turn out mushy.

If you don't have time (or forget) to cook rice the day before, it's ok! Just cook the rice as soon as you remember, then spoon the cooked rice onto a large plate/dish. Let the rice cool for a few hours and then use it to make this recipe.

Can I use leftover rice for this recipe?

Yes! Making fried rice is the perfect use for leftover rice.

How long does this dish keep?

3-4 days in the refrigerator, in a sealed container. To reheat leftovers, put the fried rice in a microwave safe bowl, loosely cover the bowl with a damp paper towel and microwave for 1-2 minutes.

What additions can I include in the fried rice?

Popular additions to this fried rice include: bacon, green onions, and Portuguese sausage.

If you like a little heat, add 1-2 teaspoons of ground black pepper (add it right after you add the soy sauce). The black pepper makes this extra delicious.

Two ways to cook the eggs.

First method: Crack the whole eggs directly into the pan and then scramble them. That way you get a scramble where the yolks and the whites are a bit distinct from each other.

Second method: Beat the eggs before pouring it into the pan to scramble.

Either way is great! It's just personal preference (do what is easier for you haha).