The most underrated Fried Rice (just 3 minutes of prep!)

Why more people should try Beef Fried Rice

Jul 11, 2025

Welcome to issue #006 of our Cookbook Chronicles! Each week, I share lessons and wisdom from our cookbook development, preserving my dad’s 50 years of experience as a Chinese chef.

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Beef Fried Rice

We can’t make a Cantonese cookbook without including fried rice. The challenge is that there are so many different types.. so which one(s) do we feature?

My dad’s Beef Fried Rice is a solid candidate.

It’s simple to make and packed with flavor and textures in every bite: from the seasoned rice, the marinated beef, to the pillowy eggs.

Fried rice can sometimes be intimidating as it can be a technical dish, but my dad’s recipe is foolproof for home cooks, battle-tested after serving hundreds of thousands of fried rice dishes in Chinese restaurants.

The Recipe

Prep time: 3 to 5 minutes
Active cooking time: 5 to 7 minutes
Total time (if using fresh rice): 40 to 50 minutes

16 ounces of rice (Thai jasmine rice preferred)
16 ounces of water
8 ounces of beef
1 ounce ginger, julienned
2 pieces of green onion, diced
3 eggs, beaten with 1/4 tsp salt

Fried rice seasoning:
a dash of white pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon)
a dash of salt (about 1/4 teaspoon)
2 teaspoons of light soy sauce
1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon of sesame oil

Beef marinade:
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 teaspoon of light soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon of white pepper
1 teaspoon of cooking wine
1 teaspoon of cornstarch
1 tablespoon of water

Cook Rice
1. If you’re using fresh rice, wash and cook the rice in a rice cooker. Use a smidge less water than usual; drier rice is easier to fry.
2. If you’re using leftover rice, microwave it for about 60-90 seconds until warm, and break apart the clumps prior to cooking.
Prep
1. Cut the ginger into thin slices, then julienne into thin strips. Set aside.
2. Dice the green onion into small pieces. Set aside, separate from the julienned ginger.
3. Cut the beef into small slices against the grain. If you can see that you’ll end up with very long slices, then you can divide the beef into more manageable chunks before slicing.
4. Rinse beef with cold water. You’ll see a lot of redness wash out; getting rid of that extra myoglobin helps maintain a fresh flavor with minimal gaminess. Drain the liquid and squeeze out excess water.
5. Measure out the beef marinade either into a separate bowl or on the side of the bowl where you put your beef. Mix the marinade until well-combined, then mix it into the beef.
6. Crack the eggs into a bowl. Don’t beat them yet.
Cook eggs
1. When the rice is done cooking, it’s time to fry! Heat a wok on high heat.
2. Fluff up the freshly cooked rice.
3. Add salt to eggs and beat well.
4. Add 1 tbsp of oil to the wok and give it a swirl to coat. Be thorough and get the oil as well-distributed as you can.
5. Pour the beaten eggs into the wok. Stir constantly as you cook for about 20 seconds on high heat. The eggs should be nearly cooked through but,still quite moist; remember, they’ll be going back into the wok later.
6. Transfer the (nearly) cooked eggs to bowl.
Cook beef
1. Add another tbsp of oil to the wok, then add beef.
2. Spread it out so that more beef is touching the wok. Let it cook undisturbed so that the beef can brown, or about 20 seconds. Then, flip the beef over with a spatula to brown the other side. It should take another 20 seconds.
3. If the beef is not browning to your liking, you can increase the heat. Cook until the beef is about 80% cooked through (mostly cooked through with occasional pink; like the eggs, the beef will return to the wok later on), then transfer it to a bowl.
Stir fry rice
1. There should be plenty of residual oil in the wok from cooking the eggs and the beef. Add ginger to the wok, and stir-fry until fragrant, which should take 15-20 seconds.
2. Add the rice to the wok and spread it out. Drizzle some extra oil, a tbsp or so, around the perimeter of the wok to prevent sticking. Lower the heat and let the bottom layer of rice cook without stirring. Letting the rice fry undisturbed will get you that fragrant wok hei, but it’s important to lower the heat so it doesn’t burn.
3. After giving the rice a chance to fry, or about 30 seconds, start stirring and loosening up the rice. Break it up into individual grains and mix it with the ginger. Cook for about 2 minutes.
4. As you’re frying the rice, give it several 15-second periods where you’re not disturbing it, so it can develop that aromatic wok hei. You want to hear some crackling sounds coming from the frying rice.
Season rice
1. Season with white pepper, salt, and light soy sauce. When you’re adding it to the rice, sprinkle and drizzle the ingredients around to get a head start on even distribution; don’t dump it into one spot.
2. Drizzle more oil around perimeter of wok if the rice begins to stick, about 1 tsp. Add 1/2 to 1 tsp of dark soy sauce for color.
3. Stir well to distribute all the seasonings, and cook for about a minute.
Finish
1. Add the beef and egg back to the wok. Now that everything is well-cooked and browned and fragrant, you will want to work with faster motions.
2. Stir-fry all the ingredients together until they’re well-combined, about 30 seconds.
3. Drizzle sesame oil over top for added aroma.
4. Add the chopped green onion and mix it in.
5. Turn off the heat and serve. Enjoy!