Fried Rice of the World
China fried leftover rice with egg, shrimp and ham. Every country it reached made its own: Indonesia sweetened it, Peru's chifa cooks added ginger, Hawaii added Spam, and America's takeouts darkened it with soy. Here is every style, step by step.
Yangzhou Fried Rice (Young Chow Fried Rice)
China's most famous fried rice: day-old rice stir-fried with egg, shrimp, ham, roast pork, onion and peas, seasoned with salt, a pinch of sugar and Shaoxing wine instead of soy sauce, and finished with crisp lettuce and scallions.
Thai Crab Fried Rice (Khao Pad Pu)
Jasmine rice stir-fried with golden garlic and marbled egg, seasoned with fish sauce, soy and a little sugar, toasted in the wok, topped with sweet lump crab and served with cucumber, lime and chili fish sauce.
Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice with Shrimp and a Fried Egg)
Cold rice fried with shallots, garlic, shrimp paste, coriander and cumin, shrimp, snow peas and bean sprouts, darkened and sweetened with kecap manis and sambal, then topped with omelet strips and a fried egg.
Chahan (Japanese Fried Rice with Chashu Pork)
Japanese short-grain rice stir-fried with fluffy egg, diced chashu pork belly and green onion, seasoned with soy sauce, white pepper and sesame oil, then packed into a rice bowl and turned out as a neat dome.
Kimchi Bokkeumbap (Korean Kimchi Fried Rice)
Steamed rice stir-fried with sour, well-fermented kimchi, its red brine and gochujang, finished with toasted sesame oil and topped with green onion, shredded gim, sesame seeds and a fried egg.
Arroz Chaufa (Peruvian Chinese Fried Rice)
The fried rice of Peru's chifa restaurants: chilled rice stir-fried with garlic and ginger-marinated chicken, ham, squares of thin omelet and green onions, seasoned with soy sauce and served with lime and ají.
Thai American Fried Rice (Khao Pad American)
Thailand's idea of an American plate: ketchup fried rice with carrots, peas, corn and raisins, molded into a dome and crowned with a sunny-side-up egg, with crisp fried chicken drumsticks, blooming hot dogs, tomato and cucumber around it.
Omurice (Japanese Omelet Rice)
Ketchup chicken rice with onion and peas, wrapped in a soft, custardy butter omelet, turned out seam side down into a neat football shape and finished with a zigzag of ketchup.
Chinese-American Pork Fried Rice
The takeout classic: jasmine rice darkened with soy and dark soy sauce, honey, sesame oil and Shaoxing wine, tossed with a full pound of red-edged char siu, onion, bean sprouts, scrambled egg and scallions.
Hawaii-Style Spam Fried Rice
Diced Spam fried until the edges crisp with ginger, onion and carrots, then tossed with rice, Shaoxing wine, soy and fish sauce, egg, peas and scallions, the local-style fried rice of Hawaii.
Hibachi Fried Rice (Japanese Steakhouse Garlic Butter Fried Rice)
The flat-top fried rice of America's Japanese steakhouses: freshly boiled long-grain rice fried until it sizzles and pops with soft egg and scallions, glazed with soy sauce and mirin and finished with garlic butter.
20-Minute Leftover Fried Rice
The weeknight method: leftover rice toasted in two batches in a smoking-hot wok, then tossed with onion, carrot, garlic and scallions, a little soy and sesame oil, one egg and a handful of frozen peas.
Hibachi Chicken Fried Rice, Inspired by Benihana
Inspired by, not official: jasmine rice fried with browned chicken, carrot, onion, garlic and soy sauce, crisped in a well of melting butter, then finished with scrambled egg, sesame seeds and scallions, the way the steakhouse chicken rice tastes.