Some foods just taste better at a restaurant, like fried rice
From using the right soy sauce to the virtues of a so-called flavor bomb
here's why takeout fried rice is so yummy. Despite what you may think, most restaurants that make your favorite fried rice don't use fancy expensive rice
You can head right down to your local grocery store and pick up a standard bag of long grain white rice to make the dish
However, restaurants still make a point of choosing the appropriate type of rice
First off, they almost always use long-grain or medium-grain rice. Long-grain rice retains distinct grains, while medium-grain has a greater chewiness and maintains its structure after frying
Cooks almost never use short-grain rice because it's a lot starchier and stickier than the other choices
Because it masses together when frying, it doesn't produce the right results. With that said, many of the best Chinese restaurants use a combination of American long-grain and medium-grain Thai jasmine rice to create the perfect texture
On its own, long grain rice can be a bit bland, while jasmine rice is a bit too delicate for the aggressive frying technique
Together, the two create the right blend of texture, flavor, and aroma to make award-winning rice
Luckily, there are brands like Mahatma that already sell the blend of the two kinds of rice, so you don't have to combine them yourself
The first step to obtaining the crisp yet fluffy texture that every person craves is to wash the rice
First, it is important to remove any impurities like sand or husks
Additionally, rinsing gets rid of the extra starch, which is what causes grains to stick together during the frying process
If you want the individual caramelized grains that make this dish so delicious
be sure to rinse first. However, it's possible to overdo it. It's important to get rid of the starch without overhydrating the rice
which can result in mushy and uncaramelized grains. This also means using the right ratio of water for cooking
This is why many people agree that using leftovers is a fantastic option for fried rice
Leftover rice is much drier than the fresh stuff, which allows it to cook well with the other ingredients
However, Michelin star chef Ong Sung Kong recommends always bringing the rice back up
to room temperature before cooking. He told the Michelin guide, it should be barely warm or at least room temperature
when you start cooking. Otherwise, it won't be able to absorb the flavors from frying
It'll be a wasted effort. I know it's fried rice, but it's not fried rice
Not all soy sauces are created equal. When making fried rice, your favorite takeout restaurant doesn't just grab any old bottle of soy sauce and throw it into the dish
There are many types of soy sauces from different cultures, and each one has a distinct profile that looks, tastes, and even feels unique
This is why nailing the right one is the key to obtaining that takeout style taste For example if you use a Japanese soy sauce like Kikoman you get a result that won really match that authentic Chinese takeout taste For example if you use a Japanese soy sauce like Kikoman you get a result that won really match that authentic Chinese takeout taste The four brands most
Chinese restaurants use are Lee Kum Ki, Kunshan, Pearl River Bridge, and Kimlan. These are readily
available in most areas and are preferred by restaurants for their distinct flavors
However, it's important to note that these soy sauces get categorized into light and dark
Although the name is misleading, light soy sauce doesn't mean it has a lower level of
sodium content. It's simply the standard soy sauce used for flavoring and seasoning. However
it doesn't provide a deep color like dark soy sauce. The latter is mainly used for coloring
and doesn't add much saltiness and flavor. It is actually a bit sweet. Restaurants always make
sure to have both light and dark versions to nail that complex, savory flavor
To make chicken fried rice, most restaurants use breast meat. The problem is that chicken
breast is very lean, which means it can dry out really quickly. But whenever you bite into a piece
of chicken, beef, or other meats from a Chinese restaurant, you've probably noticed that they are
always incredibly tender and juicy. This isn't a coincidence. There's a secret tenderizing
ingredient that your favorite takeout restaurant uses every single time. Baking soda. Baking soda
neutralizes the acids, raising the pH level of the meat. This in turn alkalizes the meat's surface
which makes it harder for the proteins to bond together, resulting in super tender meat. This
means that even the leanest cuts of meat come out juicier than most people are used to when they
cook at home. Chinese restaurant chefs use about a teaspoon of baking soda and massage it into the
protein they are cooking. After letting it sit for a few minutes, they move on to marinate the meat
which adds flavor and can also improve the texture. This trick is often referred to as
velveting. It is commonly used for beef and chicken but can even be used for more delicate
meats like fish and shellfish. It's also a great way to make cheaper, secondary cuts of meat much
more delicious. If there's one essential ingredient in a bowl of fried rice that sets the takeout
stuff apart, it's wok hay, also known as the breath of the wok. Basically, it's the irreplaceable
steaming hot aroma and taste that can only be created at the highest temperatures with a wok
Chinese restaurants have high-quality woks and commercial-grade burners that allow them to cook
at high heat. This helps create the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction that browns the
food and unlocks new levels of flavor and aroma. By cooking at wildly hot temperatures with a wok
Chinese chefs are able to harness the Maillard reaction and wok hei in a short amount of time
creating a powerful result that can't be imitated. Of all the techniques that professional chefs use
this one might be the hardest to replicate at home. However, there are certain tricks that
you can do to imitate the smokiness, such as adding toasted sesame oil to garnish your final dish
Monosodium glutamate also known as MSG is one of the most delicious yet misunderstood ingredients out there It a white odorless powder that enhances the flavor of dishes by adding a satisfying umami taste So why does it have such a bad reputation In the 1960s
a doctor wrote a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine noting that he got sick
after eating at a Chinese restaurant. He went on to say that the culprit was either alcohol
sodium, or MSG. This created a wave of backlash and misinformation not only against the ingredient
but also against Chinese immigrants and their cuisine. After decades of controversy
several highly respected health authorities, including the Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Association, all deem MSG to be safe for consumption
The truth is, MSG is a fantastic flavor enhancer, and Chinese restaurants know it
It provides way more flavor while only containing a third of the sodium of table salt
It activates the taste receptors on your tongue by packing an umami blast of savoriness with every bite
Ultimately, you get a long-lasting aftertaste that seems to coat your palate
When it comes to the best takeout fried rice, restaurants always build a powerful combination of aromatics and seasonings
To begin, they'll use a foundation that includes garlic, shallot, ginger, scallions, onion, and chili peppers
These ingredients infuse flavor into the oil and transport it to every other ingredient in the wok
When it comes to seasonings, people who attempt to cook fried rice at home often make the mistake
of drowning it in soy sauce, resulting in a salty, mushy mess by the end. In reality
restaurants use a combination of light and dark soy sauce, as well as a sweet element like sugar
to balance everything out. They use the right amount to flavor the dish while keeping the rice
dry enough to caramelize. Speaking of caramelization, another technique restaurants use is to pour the sauce around the side of the wok rather than directly on top of the ingredients
This allows the liquids to sear independently, resulting in the intense, smoky, wok hay flavor of fried rice
At the same time, it helps the wok maintain a consistent temperature to avoid steaming the ingredients
Getting that browned soy sauce flavor from the edge of the wok significantly contributes to that addictive takeout taste
They gave us plain rice instead of fried rice. No fair! I soul-cycled this morning. I'm entitled to a pile of fat rice
It's no secret that eggs make pretty much everything better. Although there are hundreds, maybe thousands of different iterations of fried rice
you'll typically find egg included in most. Besides the obvious purpose of adding delicious and nutritious protein to the dish
they play a more important role in the dish as well. According to the Michelin Guide, the egg mixture added to the fried rice
coats every single grain of rice to give them a beautiful golden hue. It may seem like a relatively unimportant ingredient in the dish compared to the rice veggies seasonings and aromatics but that far from the truth No matter how it is utilized it adds a delicious richness and color that can be replaced
If you've ever tried to improve your cooking technique, you've probably heard of Mijon Place
For the uninitiated, it means having all of your ingredients and dishes prepared and ready to go before you begin cooking
Although it's important for cooking in general, it's especially important for fried rice
The process of cooking fried rice goes by lightning fast. If restaurants don't have everything they need while cooking over a volcano-sized flame in a heavy wok
the ingredients will burn up and quickly go to waste. This means that cooks chop, measure, and set apart every single ingredient they need before service
because there's literally no time during the cooking process to prep more ingredients
Once they get going, chefs can handle the wok and flame while throwing in ingredients like it's second nature
I picked the peas out of my fried rice and the rice. I just want carrots
You've probably seen videos of expert chefs maneuvering heavy walks over powerful flames
with ease, masterfully tossing in ingredient after ingredient until a beautiful, steaming
dish seems to appear out of thin air. They truly create the essence of what a one-pot
meal should be. But it's important to note that these master chefs can only do this because
of the wok and the extremely high temperatures their burners reach. Chinese restaurants have
special wok stoves that seem to have the power of a jet engine when shooting out a flame
To put this into perspective, most Chinese restaurants have wok burners that reach well
over 100,000 BTUs, which is about 10 times as hot as the typical stove you find in homes
They also have round openings that cradle the wok perfectly. If you're trying to replicate it at
home, chances are you'll need to cook all of the ingredients separately in order to make sure you
cook them through properly. Cooking food in small batches ensures every ingredient is just right
bringing you closer to the inimitable flavor of takeout fried rice. The best takeout restaurants always make sure to finish off with powerful flavor enhancers that
make the dish taste even better. One ubiquitous ingredient in Chinese cuisine is Shou Xing wine
This rice wine is a key ingredient when it comes to creating that authentic takeout flavor
When added to fried rice, it infuses depth, flavor, and hints of acidity and sweetness
It's used near the end of the cooking process to deglaze the fried rice
but it is essential for brightening the dish and tying the flavors together
Another great ingredient used to finish fried rice is toasted sesame oil
It brings an incredibly fragrant, nutty flavor that further enhances the complexity of the dish
The smokiness is a great additive and substitute for the wok hei that comes from the powerful burners and woks of a Chinese restaurant
These ingredients bring additional complexity to the dish that takes it to the next level