Short Grain Rice That's because most Chinese restaurants use short-grain rice, which has a higher starch content than long-grain rice. Short-grain rice is more moist and sticky than long-grain rice, making it ideal for dishes like sushi and risotto. It's also the traditional type of rice used in Chinese cuisine.
Known as sticky rice, sweet rice, or glutinous rice, these are short-grain rice kernels that are very high in amylopectin, the starch that makes rice sticky. In Chinese cooking, it's used in savory dishes as well as desserts.
The most popular medium grain japonica rice is Calrose grown in California, which has about 18% amylose content. Calrose rice tends to be soft and slightly sticky, making it an all-purpose rice with desirable cooking properties and used by many Chinese restaurants as plain table rice or to flavor as sushi rice.
Chinese fried rice is made with white long grain rice. But it can be made with any type of cooked, chilled rice – long grain, short grain, jasmine, basmati, even brown rice.
Most of the rice eaten in southern China stems from the Oryza sativa indica subspecies (known in Chinese as “xian”), such as jasmine. However, the shorter grain Oryza sativa japonica (called “geng” in Chinese) that is common in Japan and Taiwan, is also gaining popularity here.
Jasmine Rice From Thailand
Arguably the most common rice variety across Asia, the medium-grain rice stands out for its distinctive floral fragrance, which alludes to its sweet-smelling jasmine flower.
Basmati rice is a healthier option than jasmine rice for three reasons — more nutrients, less arsenic, and lower glycemic index.
There are a few different seasonings that make fried rice taste just right. The most important sauces to add are soy sauce, oyster sauce, and fish sauce in fried rice. All three add unique flavors to rice, but it can be easy to go overboard. Make sure you add small amounts of each and regularly taste the rice.
The answer: high heat, expert tosses, and something known as 'wok hei. ' As J. Kenji López-Alt writes for Serious Eats, expert cooking with a wok (and the gas range it requires) is one of the main reasons that fried rice from a Chinese restaurant tastes so much better than what you can make at home.
Yangzhou fried rice from Jiangsu Province is the most famous variety of fried rice in China. Known for the fine knifework in cutting the ingredients, it has been the model for “special fried rice” or “house fried rice” dishes found on Chinese restaurant menus in the West.
Yes, cook it like regular rice with 2 cups of water to 1 cup rice. It's very starchy so you might want to rinse it before you cook it to minimize the starch.
These days, most Chinese restaurants offer brown rice as an alternative to the usual white rice. More and more, we're ordering brown rice to go with dinners out. Upon request, many Chinese restaurants will make fried rice using brown rice instead of white rice, but you can make it at home with this recipe!
Chinese restaurants typically offer white rice as a staple food item because of its widespread availability and affordability. Rice is an important part of the Chinese diet, and white rice is the most common variety. White rice is simple, nutritious, and flavorful, making it a great accompaniment to various dishes.
Chinese rice ingredients
Basmati rice – Basmati is the best but other white long grain rice will do. You can use brown rice, but if you do, you will need to extend the cooking time to forty minutes.
IMPORTANT NOTE: if you want it to taste like true restaurant style, you need to put the rice only in a pot over high heat and stir it around for about 5 minutes or so before cooking. it helps the grains of rice to stay separate (more like restaurant style) and less sticky.
Tips & Notes: I recommend using day old rice because the rice grains evaporate making it ideal for fried rice. Also use the right rice, such as Jasmine rice which is a medium grain rice, Basmati rice, or even sushi rice. I used frozen vegetables but fresh work just as well.
Fried Rice Ingredients
Butter: This is my secret ingredient! This is what they use at hibachi restaurants for their fried rice and has been a game changer ever since I started using it. It adds a lot more flavor and helps to brown the rice.
The fine, long grains of jasmine rice with its delicate flavour are perfect for fried rice. Precook the rice at least 30 minutes, but preferably one day, before making fried rice and keep it uncovered in the fridge.
Remember to soak
I would recommend soaking them for up to 30 minutes. This will kick start the water absorption process, meaning less time on the hob! Rinsing your rice before you cook it will remove the thin layer of starch that naturally occurs, preventing your rice from sticking together once cooked!
Long grain white rice is the best to use as it holds its shape and stays separate when stir-fried. Plus, it's less sticky compared to short-grain rice. Jasmine is my top choice because it has a light floral aroma, is not too sticky when cooked, and is slightly dry in texture.
Pick a medium-grain white rice, which is the standard in Chinese cuisine. A fresh batch of this variety turns out sticky in your rice cooker, which makes it easy to eat with chopsticks, yet it also has the ability to separate into individual grains.