What type of rice?

Question

What type of rice should I use for fried rice? I used regular long-grain today, and it was a little sticky/mushy. But, we also made the rice right before frying it, so it may have been b/c of that. Would basmati rice would?

Yeah, we're using a rice cooker. And my roomate is Taiwanese and she said her mother mixed two types of rice too, but she didn't know which types. How interesting....

Answer 1

My husband is Chinese and he makes his fried rice with a mixture of half long grained and half short grained rice. I comes out perfect every time. Also how do you cook your rice? We use a rice cooker, they are fairly inexpensive and you can get one any where that kitchen appliances are sold.

Answer 2

I live in Japan, and my family would be horrified to have freshly cooked rice in the fried rice. (-: That adulterated stuff is OK, but they love the freshly cooked rice, and would serve the additions as sidedishes. Then, that night (or possibly the next day) they'd fry the rice. BTW, this is short-grained rice for regular eating. Not mochi-rice.

I've also heard the more rice you cook at a time, the tastier it is. So, we always have leftovers.

Oh, and I saw this trick on a "secret techniques" show on TV, but they said for perfect fried rice, you mix up the egg, put it in a clean milk carton, add the rice, then shake it gently until all the rice is coated. Then pour/slide into a sizzling hot, greased skillet.

Finally, when I was in college, my Chinese roommate from Malaysia would use jasmine rice all the time for cooking. What a lovely smell! I wish I could get it easily here without paying an arm and a leg.

Answer 3

Everyone is going to have their own opinion on what the best rice is - sometimes because it reminds them of how they had it. However, here's my two cents.

The most important part is to not use fresh rice. As you found out, it sticks, clumps, mushes and generally turns out a big old mess. Fried rice uses old rice. Just boil up some rice and stick it in the fridge overnight.

The second choice is the type of rice. In general, the shorter the grain - the starchier it is. Hence, mochu is made from short-grain, "sticky" rice from medium grain and non-sticky rise is typically Basmati or Jasmine. Don't even talk about Uncle Ben's. That stuff is an abomination of nature. But I digress. Generally the starchier the rice, the fluffier. Short grain rice tends to be TOO starchy and boils into clumps. Long-grain rice tends not to absorb enough water and once it comes out of the fridge, it ends up a bit too chewy. Ever tried to eat take out long-grain Chinese rice the next day? Cheeeeeewwwwy!

My recommendation is to take the Goldilocks approach. The just-right rice is Calrose medium grain rice. Fluffy but not gooey, easy enough to get on a fork (or with chopsticks), not chewy. Also, it is widely available in the US (e.g. Hinode brand).

Answer 4

Fried rice was just a traditional way of sprucing up left overs so it won't go to waste. If you intend to make fried rice, the basmati is a better choice than ordinary long grain. But if you really want fluffy fried rice, use Uncle Ben's or any other brand parboiled / polished rice to start.

The key to make clump free fried rice is to make sure that the surface of the rice grains are dry which is natural for cooked rice left over night. Also, spreading the cooked rice on a flat plate or pan for cooling inside a fridge for 2 hour or so will give you the best drying result in the shortest period of time.

Answer 5

I'm trying to imagine how long grain rice would come out, and not picturing it. You do want to cook it in the rice cooker if you have one, and leave it in the fridge overnight for sure. You might even get away with leaving it uncovered in the fridge to help it dry out more. Other than steamed white rice, I'm not sure that the type of rice makes a difference.

Scramble an egg and have it ready. Chop up some veggies like green onions and bell peppers, maybe some diced squash. Diced carrots and green peas are good, too. Heat your wok dry, just until a drop of water dropped in it sizzles. Then put in about a tablespoon or two of oil, I use olive oil, but Canola or rapeseed oil should be fine, even corn oil. If you have a drop of sesame seed oil to add, that's a good idea, too.

If you're adding some kind of meat, throw it in and cook it before the oil has a chance to heat up. Then throw your rice in and start stirring it up. Put in some soy sauce and maybe some flavorings like minced garlic and Tobasco sauce. I like to use Sam Choy's spicy oriental vinaigrette because it has soy sauce, sesame seed oil, vinegar, hot sauce, garlic, and blackened sesame seeds already mixed in it. Yummmee! Makes for a very light tasting fried rice. Stir the rice so that the sauce coats the clumps more or less evenly.

Drizzle the egg over the rice while you're stirring it. That way you get little flecks of egg all over the mix. Start putting the more robust veggies in, then add the more delicate ones. When those have had about 30 or 40 seconds to heat up, you're done.

Answer 6

you can use either basmati or jasmine rice. Best to use rice that has been left aside for 2hrs after cooking. You might wanna check if you been making rice with a tad too much water. Try lessening the water while cooking the rice. It shouldn't be mushy if you the amount of water use for cooking rice is appropriate.

Enjoy your fried rice! :)

Answer 7

resturants in india use basmati rice,but at home i use the medium grain white rice,both seem to do equally well for fried rice.If you are in a hurry & cannot afford the time to let the rice cool without help,just spread the cooked rice,which incidentally should never over cook to a sticky or mushy stage,loose fluffy grains always.Spread out onto a flat dish or tray will hasten cooling,but never attempt with rice that hasn't completely cooled.

Answer 8

We usually use medium grain rice (Asian rice). But I think the problem with your fried rice is the fact that you used the rice too soon after cooking it! You need to let it sit in the fridge overnight for the best results..!

Answer 9

Basmati rice is the best. Usually fried rice is made with rice that has been cooked previously.

Answer 10

any rice, as long as it hasn't just been cooked. Freshly cooked rice just goes to mush if you fry it.

Cook up some rice, put it in the fridge uncovered so it dries out, then the next day fry away.