The Absolute Best Type Of Rice For Fried Rice

Making a perfect bowl of fried rice is an art unto itself. Ask any experienced chef how they make the classic Asian dish, and they'll offer up a myriad of techniques, recipes, and hacks. There are plenty of ingredients you can add that will instantly upgrade your fried rice, but the first decision you have to make is what type of rice to use. Different countries and cultures gravitate toward different options, but Helen Nguyen, chef and owner of Saigon Social, a celebrated Vietnamese restaurant in New York City, shared her rice of choice with Chowhound.

"This is very controversial," said Nguyen. "My Taiwanese friends would say short-grain, but I personally have always loved jasmine rice. I grew up eating jasmine rice, long-grain. I think that when it's cooked properly, it's great for fried rice."

Other chefs concur with Nguyen's preference for a fragrant, long-grain rice like jasmine or basmati, which separate more easily in the pan than short-grain rice varieties, which tend to be stickier and could clump together. But if you don't have jasmine rice in the pantry, don't fret. Nguyen suggested ultimately any grain of rice will do, saying, "As long as you cook it and you aerate it and let it dry enough, so that on the fry, it's not retaining too much moisture to give it a really nice texture and flavor."

Keeping the rice dry is key to preventing fried rice from ending up soggy and mushy. That's why many chefs recommend using leftover steamed rice that has been sitting in the fridge for a day or two. "It's a lot more forgiving when you're cooking it," said Helen Nguyen. "Whereas when you have something that's really fresh out of, let's say the rice cooker, there's a lot of moisture, and it's really important to let that moisture completely dehydrate."

But what if you're starting your fried rice from scratch? If you have to use freshly cooked rice, Nguyen recommended starting the pan on low heat to slowly dehydrate the rice without burning it. Planning ahead and getting the rice ready the day before, though, will ultimately make the frying process faster and smoother.

"If you wanted to add additional seasonings that have wet components — for example, fish sauce, a little bit of sesame oil, vegetable oil — then the day-old rice is a lot easier to work with once you throw it into the heat," said Nguyen. Just make sure to use sauces or oils sparingly, as using too much is a common cooking mistake that prevents extra crispy fried rice. And if you're really short on time, you can always put away the pan and make fried rice in an instant by breaking out the microwave.