| Did a friend forward this to you? Sign up here. Your best fried rice yet "It's the quintessential one-pot meal," Grace Young, author of "The Breath of a Wok," says of fried rice. "I love it because it's my lifesaver. . . . I know I can get dinner on the table in 15 minutes because I have cooked rice in the refrigerator." Young talked to my colleague Becky Krystal some years ago about fried rice. She offered several tips for success, which I've excerpted here. I've added some of Becky's suggestions, and my own, for 10 tips that will ensure your best bowl of fried rice yet. - If you have a wok, use it: A well-seasoned, carbon steel wok is what Young uses. You can fit more ingredients in it, for a bigger portion of fried rice, and you won't need to use as much oil. (The recipe below was adapted to be made in a 12-inch stainless steel skillet.)
- Use cold rice. Any rice will work, including brown, jasmine or sushi as long as it's cold. Day-old is best, but you can also spread hot rice on a sheet pan and pop it in the fridge for an hour to cool it down.
- You also can use a grain like quinoa or bulgur.
- Cut ingredients into the same size. This ensures they'll cook evenly. Young recommends that hard vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips and broccoli stems, be cut into 1/4-inch dice.
- Have all of your ingredients prepared ahead of time, because fried rice takes just minutes to cook.
- Preheat your pan. Your food is more likely to stick to the bottom of the pan if you add oil to a cold pan, so heat it until a few drops of water flicked on the surface evaporate in a second or two.
- Stir like you're stir-frying. You want to scoop and toss the food, so that all sides of every ingredient cook and brown but don't stick.
- Think of this recipe as a template. You can use whatever vegetables or meat you have in the refrigerator, but pay attention to the order you add them to the pan. Hard ingredients, such as carrots, and medium-hard, such as bell peppers, should go in first. Then you can use defrosted frozen vegetables. Add leftover/cooked proteins last, and just heat them through.
- Eggs and nuts help turn this fried rice recipe into a filling vegetarian main. Young says fresh shiitake mushrooms are another good option.
- Use a frozen vegetable medley with carrots, peas and corn for easier prep.
"I feel like fried rice is a wonderful way to express yourself as you cook," Young says. "Once you start doing this, the sky's the limit."  | Today's recipe |  Photos by Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post | Fried RiceThis recipe is entirely adaptable, so swap in whatever you have on hand, including: leftover rotisserie chicken, peanuts, wilted cabbage (chopped), sauteed mushrooms, garlic scapes, ground meat, Spam, bacon bits, chopped kimchi or zucchini. Want to save this recipe? View it on Voraciously here and click the bookmark icon below the serving size at the top of the page to add it to your Reading List. For easy printing and scaling, view this recipe in our Recipe Finder. Servings: 2 to 4 (2 main-course servings or 4 side-dish servings)
Total time: 25 mins Ingredients - 4 1/2 tablespoons grapeseed, canola, peanut or vegetable oil, divided
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- One (1-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, minced (1 tablespoon)
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice (peeled or scrubbed well; 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, defrosted
- 1/4 cup fresh or frozen green peas, defrosted
- 2 cups cold cooked rice
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions (white and green parts)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, almonds, peanuts or cashews, toasted (optional; see NOTE)
Steps1. Heat a 12-inch stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. When a few drops of water flicked over the surface evaporate in a second or two, the skillet is at the right temperature. 2. Swirl in 2 tablespoons of the oil to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the beaten eggs and tilt the skillet so that they spread, covering the surface like a crepe. Cook until just set, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Use a thin spatula to flip the eggs over and cook for 5 seconds to make sure they are thoroughly cooked through. Slide the eggs onto a cutting board, then cut into small strips. 3. Wipe the skillet clean, then return it to medium-high heat. Repeat the water test to make sure the skillet heat is the right temperature. 4. Pull the skillet off the heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil, swirling the pan to coat the bottom and sides. (If the oil begins to smoke, the skillet is too hot. Let it cool for a few minutes, wipe it clean, wash and start again.) 5. With the skillet back over medium-high heat, add the ginger and crushed red pepper flakes and stir-fry until just fragrant, 10 seconds. 6. Add the carrot and stir-fry until it turns a brighter shade of orange, 30 seconds. Add the corn and peas and stir-fry for 1 minute. 7. Make a small clearing in the center of the pan and pour the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil into the skillet, then swirl to distribute. Add the rice and scallions and stir-fry, breaking up the rice with a spatula until the rice is heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with the salt and white pepper. 8. Pour the soy sauce around the edges of the skillet, then stir-fry to incorporate it. Return the cooked egg to the skillet, along with the nuts, if using, tossing to incorporate. Stir-fry until the egg is just warmed through. Serve right away. NOTE: Toast the nuts in a small, dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan a few times to avoid scorching. Let cool completely before using. Adapted from a recipe by cookbook author Grace Young. Tested by Becky Krystal. Nutrition information per serving (1 cup) based on 4, using canola oil and cashews: Calories: 360; Total Fat: 23 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Cholesterol: 95 mg; Sodium: 580 mg; Carbohydrates: 33 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Sugars: 3 g; Protein: 9 g.  | Dessert | 🎧 "Lovefool" by The Cardigans.
📰 "What extreme heat does to the human body" by Ruby Mellen and William Neff in The Post.
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👀 All about corn.
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