What is the secret ingredient to restaurant fried rice?

Cooking bits of chopped vegetables, seasoning, soy sauce, and oil, seems easy enough. However, when making fried rice at home, there's one ingredient you may be overlooking: Sugar.

What are some secrets for perfect fried rice?

The key to delicious fried rice lies in using cold, cooked rice (preferably from the previous day) to prevent it from becoming mushy . Additionally, make sure to stir-fry the ingredients quickly over high heat, use soy sauce for flavor, and add a variety of vegetables and proteins for a well-balanced dish.

Why does Chinese restaurant fried rice taste better?

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.

Why is pineapple fried rice so good?

The sweetness of pineapple can balance the savory flavors in the dish, providing a delicious and unique taste . Additionally, pineapple contains enzymes that can help tenderize meat, making it a great addition to fried rice dishes that include meat.

What is the origin of pineapple fried rice?

from Chinese people living in Thailand .

Where did pineapple fried rice originate?

iterations of it all around the world. While some. recipes use little more than a dash of soy sauce, this.

What kind of rice do Chinese restaurants use for fried rice?

Which rice is best for fried rice? 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.

Which spice is good for fried rice?

The Perfect Nigerian Fried Rice 2 bay leaves. 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (optional) 2 Tasty Cubes. 1 teaspoon salt. 1 teaspoon white pepper (substitute other ground pepper) 2 teaspoon curry powder (divided) 1 teaspoon thyme.

How do you make fried rice taste like restaurant?

To get restaurant-quality fried rice at home, it's essential to use aromatics , a group of vegetables and herbs that are so named because they lend your dish a distinct aroma. Common aromatics that are used to flavor fried rice are onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and red peppers.

What gives restaurant fried rice its flavor?

To give your dish that signature fried rice taste, you'll need to drizzle in sesame oil and soy sauce , but feel free to use as much or as little as you wish. You can even mix in things like garlic powder, ginger root, or Sriracha sauce and chili pepper for a bit of a kick.

Why does homemade fried rice not taste like restaurant?

In fact, the use of classic Chinese sauces is exactly what makes takeout fried rice so incredibly moreish. Key amongst these is soy sauce. By adding soy sauce during cooking chefs are adding both salt and umami to the fried rice which, unsurprisingly, greatly improves the dish's overall flavor.

How do Chinese restaurants make fried rice yellow?

Actually, the yellow colour of the fried rice came from the beaten eggs . The beaten eggs is the one that gives the yellow colour to the Fried Rice. This type of Fried Rice is called “Golden Egg Fried Rice.”

Vegan Pineapple Fried Rice Recipe (2024)

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Easy vegan pineapple fried rice made with perfectly stir fried veggies, a simple sweet and savory tamari sauce and tons of flavor. Healthy, filling, gluten free and makes perfect leftovers.

Jump to Recipe

Pineapple Fried Rice

Here’s to the perfect back pocket weeknight meal! Rain or shine, you know that a comforting bowl of pineapple vegetable packed vegan fried rice delivers like a boss!

Having fresh tropical fruit available year round I like to make use of it in some savory dishes as well. Not to worry if you don’t happen to live in the Tropics you can most certainly pick up some frozen pineapple at the grocery store for this dish.

About the Rice

Most any plain leftover chilled rice can be used here. I prefer to use a nutritious whole grain brown rice, sometimes short grain sometimes long grain depending what I have in the pantry. Black and red rice is also nice, we avoid all white rice so I never even have any in the kitchen anyways. It’s best to cook it the night before ands it as needed throughout the week.

The Pineapple

Fresh is best they say when it comes to pineapple but really frozen is just as good. Remember to thaw it out first of course and allow the juices to drain away so you can get a nice caramelization on the pineapple chunks while stir frying it.

About the Veggies

I love the combo of sweet bell peppers, red onion, purple cabbage and green peas. The flavors perfectly compliment the sweetness of the caramelized pineapple here, however there are many are delicious variations that will work here. Think broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, green string beans, whatever veggies rock your taste buds.

Stir-Fry Sauce

A simple mixture of tamari sauce, maple syrup, a touch of garlic and a little pinch of ginger. Add some heat with chili flakes or a little hot sauce, whichever you prefer.

Add In Ideas

tofu scramble for an egg-free eggy flavor
roasted broccoli or cauliflower wings
crispy tofu nuggets
peanut tofu
mung beans or green beans
smoky tempeh bits
sweet and sour tofu
soy curls carnitas
chickpeas or mushrooms
vegan chicken.

FAQ

What is fried rice? A rice dish of Chinese origins where leftover rice is mixed with stir fried vegetables and sauce to create a brand new hearty dish.
How do I make it oil-free WFPB and Plantricious compliant? Since we are using brown rice already (not white) all you need to adapt is to stir fry / sautee your veggies with a little drop of water or veggie broth instead of oil.
Can I make it soy free? Definitely, simply replace the tamari sauce with equal parts of coco aminos and don’t add any tofu to the recipe. Alternatively you can use this peanut sauce or make for my peanut noodle salad.

how to make vegan pineapple fried rice

STEP 1: Start with a hot cast iron skillet that has been seasoned well, this way you won’t need to even use any oil. Quickly sir-fry / the pineapple chunks until little caramelization takes place. Once the desire color is achieved transfer to a bowl.
STEP 2: Add the bell pepper and onion to the hot skillet stirring quickly until they start to get some color. Work quickly and take good care not to burn anything. If you feel the pan is getting too hot and anything sticks just add a little splash of water to get things moving. Scoop put the onion and pepper and reserve together with the pineapple.
STEP 3: In the same skillet add the purple cabbage and stir fry just a minute or so until it starts to wilt. Move it to the side and add a little drop of oil (use water for WFPB & Plantricious diets) and add the garlic. Cook until just fragrant quickly stirring so it won’t burn.
STEP 4: Add the cooked rice to the skillet together with the green peas and pour in the sauce. Remove from heat and the reserve veggies gently mixing everything.
STEP 5: Sprinkle in some fresh cilantro, scallions and sesame seeds and enjoy!

Rice Storage + Reheating

Rice dishes make really great leftovers that are easily stored up to 5 days in a lidded glass container. Can be reheated on the stove top on low heat adding a little bit of water or veggie stock to get things moving. A microwave works in a pinch as well, just don’t reheat in plastic.

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