Thank you all for voting! Breakfast Fried Rice was selected ‘Best Weekday Breakfast Recipe‘ on Food52.com
If you’ve dinned at an Asian restaurant, chances are you have leftover white rice. Or perhaps you have leftover rice from simply making too much at home. Whatever the case may be, there is a relatively unconventional way to put those leftovers to use – eat it for breakfast! When you think of breakfast, fried rice is probably not the first thing that pops into your head. In fact, it may be no where on your radar. Growing up with a father of Japanese descent, we always had a pot of cooked rice at the ready and when we had leftovers (which was often), my father would make breakfast fried rice in the morning. This is my take on a childhood favorite.
White Rice Tip:
If you grew up with an Asian parent(s) in the home, you probably already know how to cook rice – it’s practically a rite of passage. That being said, I believe I can safely say that every Asian household has a rice cooker on the counter. Which is why it’s almost comical that everyone I know of Asian descent has no idea how to cook rice on the stovetop – I know I sure don’t. When you eat rice everyday, the convenience of a rice cooker is essential. To properly prepare the rice, you must wash it….repeatedly. Rinsing the rice until the water runs clear, will remove any excess powder. The powder that coats each grain can be a mixture of talc, rice powder, or glucose powder; all of which are safe to eat, but can affect the taste and make your rice down right gluey if not removed. If you’re using boxed instant rice…well, just don’t – it has a completely different taste and texture.
To rinse the rice, place the desired amount of rice in a large bowl of cold water and swish the rice around with your hand until the water becomes cloudy. Carefully pour off the water and repeat the process of rinsing and pouring until the water is nearly clear. If you don’t have a rice cooker, click here to learn how to make it on the stovetop:
- 5 slices of bacon
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced (set one of three aside for garnish)
- 3 cups day-old cooked rice, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- sriracha, for serving (optional)
- In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon, turning it until it’s browned evenly. Remove the bacon from the pan and let it drain on paper towels. Once the bacon is cool enough to handle, roughly chop and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the sesame oil until shimmering. Add 2 of the sliced green onions, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the cooked rice, breaking up any large clumps. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame seeds, crushed red peppers, and bacon. Stir to fully incorporate the ingredients and cook for 5 minutes, or until warmed through.
- In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, add the butter. Once the butter has melted, crack the eggs into the skillet and immediately cover the pan with a lid. Cook until the egg white is cooked through and the egg yolk is barely set, approximately 5 minutes.
- Place a fried egg on top of each bowl of breakfast fried rice and garnish with the remaining sliced green onion. Serve immediately, being sure to break the yolk over the rice so it can act like a sauce. Serve with sriracha if desired.
Dear Kat, Thank you for this Excellent recipe. I have Surprise guests visiting from the east and they have been simply clawing for fresh AM rations, like every morning. Fortunately, your BFR did just the trick. Quick question – if someone would not like an egg, what could you recommend on top instead?? Thanks in advance as it is always an adventure and a pleasure to prepare your wonderful recipes.
– Robert
Hi Robert. I’m so glad that you and your guests enjoyed the dish! Any time we have leftover rice (which is often) I make this the next morning. When I’ve had some kimchi around, I’ve added that on top and it’s wonderful. Though if you’re looking to keep that ‘breakfasty’ feel, adding some sliced breakfast sausage in addition to the bacon is always tasty 🙂
Thank you so much for your note. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that you enjoy my recipes.
This was the first fried rice recipe that I have an honest effort to completing after many failures. Hands down this is the only one for my wife and I.
We had this with cured Chinese sausage instead of bacon (although we are both lovers of bacon) and we were very happy with how it turned out.
To change this up and offer a little something else, next time we are going to use home made pork Tocino to control the added fat content. It’s a little sweet like the Chinese sausage that said longanisa sausages would also perform well (since it’s Tocino stuffed in a casing) (my wife and I are not Filipino, we just know what tastes good.)
Happy to have found all of your recipes! Thanks for sharing them with the world.
Hi Matt! I’m so glad you and your wife enjoy the recipe! I actually just made it for breakfast yesterday, and it’s on regular rotation in my house. Homemade pork Tocino sounds AMAZING! That’s one of the nice things about this recipe, it’s really great for tailoring to your likes. You’ll have to let me know how it goes!
What? Breakfast fried rice? You ROCK! Thing is, I love fried rice so much I have made it for breakfast before but topping it with an egg – that is such a great idea! My sister is obsessed with fried rice and egg. She is going to keel over with excitement when she sees this. She’ll make the fried rice with the scrambled or a chopped omelette PLUS top it with an egg!!
Thanks, Nagi! It’s one of my favorite breakfasts! Definitely some egg porn going on in this dish!
This looks super delicious!! I’ve never had fried rice in the morning, but I’m definitely on board to try it. Growing up with an Asian mom (and so of course we had a rice cooker – two, actually!), I didn’t consciously realize until my late teens that you even COULD cook rice on the stove and that some people didn’t own rice cookers! I was not a particularly keen child, apparently…
Lol! That’s ok, it never occurred to me how someone would cook rice without a rice cooker until I attended college. Actually, my freshman year I went off to school with a rice cooker…needless to say, I was the only one in the dorm with a rice cooker or any cooking device for that matter (I’m pretty sure I was ‘that weird girl’).
I just totally stumbled on your blog through Food52 and so glad I did. I love the look of your blog and could definitely relate to your type of cooking. 🙂 I totally make this dish for our breakfast too- instead of scallions though, I use leeks- which gives a surprising amount of amplified flavor.
I’m so glad you did too! The substitution with leeks sounds amazing – I’ll have to try that!
I’m totally with you on the rice thing. I eat a natto/yamaimo/rice-based breakfast every morning, and bentos for lunch, so there is ALWAYS a big pot of rice in my kitchen. I’m going to invest in a good rice cooker eventually, but right now I’m determined to master it stove-top! I still am not consistent.
Your breakfast here looks delicious! Thanks for the post!
http://thatumamilife.wordpress.com
I tried to cook rice on the stove-top when my original rice cooker finally bit the dust, and boy was it was a disaster! Something that seems so easy and mundane, totally threw me for a loop! You’re a better woman than I if you can master rice on the stove 😉
I totally agree – I never have to cook rice on stove top except when we went camping. 🙂 Your fried rice looks so delicious, and I always love fried egg on top!
Ha – I’m totally lost without my rice cooker! Thanks for the compliment! I love a fried egg on top, as well!
JUST ONE COOKBOOK!
Omg, I literally read your blog like it’s an encyclopedia. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge!
http://thatumamilife.wordpress.com