Hawaiian Fried Rice recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret ingredient in fried rice? ›

The mirin will not only deglaze the pan, picking up the savory bits left by the chicken, but it will also impart a gentle, sweet undertone to the pan-fried vegetables. Of course, you can always add mirin directly to the rice as you're frying the rice. This would be akin to adding salt, soy sauce, or MSG.

Short- and medium-grain rice brands most often used in Hawai'i are CalRose, Kokuho Rose, and Nishiki, but here's where to source premium-grade white and brown Koshihikari rice.

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.

Signature flavor

You can even mix in things like garlic powder, ginger root, or Sriracha sauce and chili pepper for a bit of a kick. Gluten Free Tip: to make your dish Gluten Free, instead of soy sauce, use tamari or coconut aminos for great flavor without the gluten.

Sesame oil.

I do not recommend omitting or substituting the sesame oil in this recipe. It is key to the authentic flavor of this dish.

Thirdly, the right order is to pan fry eggs, then followed by rice. Many people make the mistake to put in rice first, then pour in whisked eggs. This would make the rice soggy and mushy by absorbing the egg mixture.

Nobody likes clumpy fried rice. If you are cooking your rice from raw in order to make fried rice, make sure to rinse off excess starch first. A quick dunk and shake in a bowl of cold water, or a 30-second rinse under a cold tap while agitating the rice, is plenty.

Saimin, Hawaii's national dish, is a soup with thin wheat noodles and a dashi broth with shrimp, pork and eggs. Japanese, Chinese and Filipino cultural influences come together in a flavorful blend served hot and eaten with chopsticks.

Why is black rice called 'forbidden' rice? Black rice (also known as forbidden black rice or emperor's rice) is used in traditional Chinese medicine. It was once reserved only for the wealthy and powerful to ensure their health and long life. No one else was allowed to eat it.

What is a Hawaiian dish called? ›

Some modern Hawaiian dishes. From top left, clockwise: tripe stew (ʻōpū kū), rice (laiki), ʻopihi poke, laulau, squid lūʻau, pipikaula shortribs, kālua puaʻa (kālua pig), and poi in the center.

The fine, long grains of jasmine rice with its delicate flavour are perfect for fried rice. Precook the rice at least 30 minutes, but preferably one day, before making fried rice and keep it uncovered in the fridge.

Dark mushroom soy sauce is what gives this fried rice its rich brown/caramel colour. This soy sauce doesn't add much to the saltiness but is used to give dishes that nice caramel brown colour. Dark mushroom soy sauce also adds a hint of umami to a dish, but not much saltiness.

The usage of rice

But in Chinese rice, it is suggested to use leftover cooked rice to avoid the rice from being sticky. In Fried Rice, most quick-service restaurants (QSRs) use long-grain white rice like Basmati, whereas Jasmine Rice is used in Chinese Rice.

Nicely textured fried rice.

To ensure that your rice is nicely fried, mix a bit of mayo in it before frying. The oil in the mayo will coat the rice so that it does not stick together.