Ginger Fried Rice (薑炒飯)

An irresistibly simple and oddly healthy fried rice

flodesk gif
Prep Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Yields
4 servings
YouTube Tutorial

A Recipe by Daddy Lau

My dad's been cooking Chinese food for over 50 years - as a kid fending for himself in Guangzhou, as the head chef of his own restaurant, and as a loving father in our home.

Hopefully, by learning this recipe, you'll get to experience some of the delicious joy we felt growing up eating his food!

- Randy

A secret recipe

You won't find this on most typical Chinese restaurant menus. Generally speaking, at most restaurants, chefs will happily make custom dishes for you if you ask them to, but these are well-kept secrets.

Unlike most of my dad's cooking, I had no idea his Ginger Fried Rice recipe existed until very recently.

The morning after my wife gave birth to our son Cameron, I called my parents to ask if they could make us food. We were still waiting to be discharged by the hospital, and we were craving something other than hospital food.

I returned to the hospital with a giant tupperware container of Ginger Fried Rice. Kat and I devoured all of it within 5 minutes.

Little did I know, my parents had purchased 5 pounds of ginger in excited anticipation for my wife's homecoming and their new grandson. They were ready to make us all kinds of Chinese ginger dishes and soups.

Basically every week since Cam was born, we've eaten Ginger Fried Rice. It's that good.

Ginger, the superfood

In Chinese culture (and many other Asian cultures), it's traditional for the grandparents of newborns to make meals and soups for the mom that are rich in ginger. It's believed to help newborn moms speed up their recovery.

Ginger has been a staple of Chinese and Eastern medicine for thousands of years, with a myriad of health benefits which have started to become validated by scientific research.

Research papers are dense and can be difficult to digest, but here are some key takeaways:

  • Arguably, ginger's most famous property across cultures is its anti-nausea effect. As a drug, it'd be called an antiemetic, helpful in combating vomiting and nausea. That's why lots of seasickness and motion-sickness pills have ginger! Or why tourist boats often stock up on ginger tea and ginger ale. Since it's been deemed safe by most health providers as safe for pregnancy, ginger (or ginger fried rice!) is also a great option to consider for those suffering from nausea during pregnancy.
  • Ginger is also a great source of anti-oxidants, up there with pomegranates and those berries that your local smoothie shops are fond of calling "superfoods". Antioxidants are vital to protecting your body from DNA damage over time.
  • Although it has not been rigorously proven, ginger seems to have anti-inflammatory effects, helpful to relieve pain from headaches and period cramps.

Despite all these great health benefits, please be aware that ginger is a blood thinner! If you have a health condition where you need to consider blood clotting and blood thinners, ginger is probably not an ingredient you want to overdo.

Check out a quick story summary of our recipe!

Ingredients

Weight: US
oz
g
Volume: US
cup
mL
Servings
4

Main Ingredients

  • 2 oz ginger
  • 3 oz chicken
  • 3 egg
  • 1 tsp salt (

    for eggs

    )
  • 2 cup white rice (

    uncooked

    )
  • 2 cup water
  • 2 stalk green onion
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp salt (

    for cooking

    )

Chicken Marinade

  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 0.50 tsp salt

On peeling ginger

My dad taught me that he doesn't always peel his ginger. You don't have to, as long as you wash it thoroughly before cooking. Not only do you save a bit of time and headache, but you'll get some additional nutrition by leaving the skin on.

Step 1: Cook rice

To save time, prepare and cook the rice first, since it typically takes about 30-45 minutes until it's ready.

Pour white rice (2 cup) into your rice cooker pot.

Wash the rice:

  • Fill the pot with some water
  • Massage and mix the rice around with your hands.
  • Drain the water
  • My dad prefers to repeat this 3 times, for good measure.

Fill the rice cooker with water (2 cup) (a one to one ratio with the rice), and start your rice cooker.

If you don't already have a rice cooker, I highly recommend it. These are the ones that my family use:

  • Hamilton Beach
  • Instant Pot - my wife and I love the Instant Pot. We use it for everything.
  • These links are Amazon affiliate links, which means that if you use our links to purchase these ingredients, Amazon pays my family a small amount for the sale - at no extra cost to you. If you use these links, we really appreciate the support!

If you don't have a rice cooker, you can also boil your rice.

Step 2: Cut chicken

Cut the chicken (3 oz) in three stages:

  • into thin strips
  • into thinner slices
  • into small pieces

Place the chicken into a bowl for the next step.

Step 3: Marinate chicken

Add salt (0.50 tsp), cornstarch (1 tsp), and water (1 tbsp) to the bowl.

Massage and mix the chicken around the bowl with your hands, using a bit of strength, until the marinade is fully absorbed.

This helps give the chicken a more tender texture.

Step 4: Mince ginger

Now, let's prepare our almighty ginger (2 oz)!

As I mentioned, you don't need to peel the skin on as long as you wash the ginger thoroughly.

Similar to the chicken, we cut the ginger into thin slices, then thin strips, and finally into small bits.

Step 5: Cut green onion

Chop the green onion (2 stalk) into small pieces, about 1/2 to 1 cm long. The green onion gives the dish more flavor and fragrance.

Step 6: Prepare eggs

Crack the eggs (3 ) into a bowl and add salt (1 tsp). Using a chopstick or fork, mix the eggs until the yolk is evenly mixed.

Step 7: Start cooking eggs

Once your rice is about 4 to 5 minutes away from being ready, set your stove to its highest heat setting.

When your wok or pan feels hot enough, add oil and swirl it around to cover the surface.

Slowly pour in the egg, constantly stirring it around for about 45-60 seconds. You don't need to cook the egg fully, since we'll have plenty of time to cook it later.

Set the egg aside in a bowl for later.

Step 8: Cook chicken

Heat up the wok again and add oil (1 tbsp). Once the wok is hot enough, add the chicken and stir it around for about 60 seconds.

You don't need to cook the chicken fully here, as we'll have plenty of time to cook it as we add the remaining ingredients.

Step 9: Add ginger to wok

Move the chicken to one side of the wok, and add the ginger. Stir it around separately for a few seconds, and then mix it up with the chicken.

Let the ginger cook for about 60 seconds before continuing.

Step 10: Add rice to wok

Hopefully your rice is ready by now! Add the rice to the wok, and spread it out with a spatula and chopsticks. We don't want any clumps of rice here.

My dad is pretty "gentle" with the rice, not making any big or fast moves with his hands.

Cook for about 60 seconds before continuing.

Step 11: Add salt and eggs

Add salt (1 tsp), and mix it around the wok for about 30 seconds. Then, add the eggs and gently mix it all together for another 2 minutes.

Step 12: Add green onion

Add the green onion (2 stalk) and mix it around the wok for about a minute.

Step 13: Plate the dish

Almost done!

As the dish nears completion, start to fluff the rice. You can do this by tossing the rice in the wok, or by repeatedly lifting it upwards with your spatula and chopsticks.

Transfer the rice to your favorite plate or bowl, and tell everyone it's time to eat!

FAQ

Is ginger fried rice healthy? How do I make it healthier?

  • This is probably one of the healthiest fried rice recipes you'll ever eat! It relies on the ginger and chicken for flavor, and both of those ingredients have great nutrients.
  • You can make sure that you make the healthiest version possible by choosing good quality chicken and good quality produce. Our recipe already has very little salt, and you can always reduce it further or omit it if necessary, though the fried rice may come out less flavorful.
  • Rice is pretty hard to fry without oil, so we don't recommend reducing the amount of oil. Instead, choose a good quality oil to maximize the healthfulness of your fried rice.

Why is ginger a post-partum food?

  • In Chinese medicinal tradition, ginger is one of the basic foods known to dispel wind, and childbirth is one of the major events that cause the body to hold a lot of this 'wind'. This makes ginger-based dishes super important for the post-partum menu!

Can I use other meats or proteins for this dish?

  • Yes, of course! To keep the original intent of the dish, which is that it's very easy to digest, you want something light and that pairs well with ginger. Pork and shrimp, for example, would work great for this dish.
  • Tofu is also light, but full of moisture and generally difficult to fry with rice, so if you need to go meatless, use the firmest tofu available to you.

What's the best rice for this?

  • We use Thai jasmine rice, because that's our day-to-day rice. You can use whatever rice you like to eat! Just cook it with a little less water than usual so that it's slightly dry, and it'll fry up beautifully.

Summary

Print Recipe
Made With Lau
madewithlau.com/recipes/ginger-fried-rice
Ginger Fried Rice (薑炒飯)
An irresistibly simple and oddly healthy fried rice
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Total Time: 30 min
  • Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

Main Ingredients

  • 2 oz ginger
  • 3 oz chicken
  • 3 egg
  • 1 tsp salt (

    for eggs

    )
  • 2 cup white rice (

    uncooked

    )
  • 2 cup water
  • 2 stalk green onion
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp salt (

    for cooking

    )

Chicken Marinade

  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 0.50 tsp salt

Step 1 - Cook rice

↑ Jump to details

To save time, prepare and cook the rice first, since it typically takes about 30-45 minutes until it's ready.

Pour white rice (2 cup) into your rice cooker pot.

Wash the rice:

  • Fill the pot with some water
  • Massage and mix the rice around with your hands.
  • Drain the water
  • My dad prefers to repeat this 3 times, for good measure.

Fill the rice cooker with water (2 cup) (a one to one ratio with the rice), and start your rice cooker.

Step 2 - Cut chicken

↑ Jump to details

Cut the chicken (3 oz) in three stages:

  • into thin strips
  • into thinner slices
  • into small pieces

Place the chicken into a bowl for the next step.

Step 3 - Marinate chicken

↑ Jump to details

Add salt (0.50 tsp), cornstarch (1 tsp), and water (1 tbsp) to the bowl.

Massage and mix the chicken around the bowl with your hands, using a bit of strength, until the marinade is fully absorbed.

Step 4 - Mince ginger

↑ Jump to details

Cut the ginger (2 oz) into thin slices, then thin strips, and finally into small bits. You don't have to peel the ginger skin beforehand as long as you wash it thoroughly.

Step 5 - Cut green onion

↑ Jump to details

Chop the green onion (2 stalk) into small pieces, about 1/2 to 1 cm long.

Step 6 - Prepare eggs

↑ Jump to details

Crack the eggs (3 ) into a bowl and add salt (1 tsp). Using a chopstick or fork, mix the eggs until the yolk is evenly mixed.

Step 7 - Start cooking eggs

↑ Jump to details

Once your rice is about 4 to 5 minutes away from being ready, set your stove to its highest heat setting.

When your wok or pan feels hot enough, add oil and swirl it around to cover the surface.

Slowly pour in the egg, constantly stirring it around for about 45-60 seconds. You don't need to cook the egg fully, since we'll have plenty of time to cook it later.

Set the egg aside in a bowl for later.

Step 8 - Cook chicken

↑ Jump to details

Heat up the wok again and add oil (1 tbsp). Once the wok is hot enough, add the chicken and stir it around for about 60 seconds. You don't need to cook the chicken fully here.

You don't need to cook the chicken fully here, as we'll have plenty of time to cook it as we add the remaining ingredients.

Step 9 - Add ginger to wok

↑ Jump to details

Move the chicken to one side of the wok, and add the ginger. Stir it around separately for a few seconds, and then mix it up with the chicken.

Let the ginger cook for about 60 seconds before continuing.

Step 10 - Add rice to wok

↑ Jump to details

Hopefully your rice is ready by now! Add the rice to the wok, and spread it out with a spatula and chopsticks. We don't want any clumps of rice here.

Cook for about 60 seconds before continuing.

Step 11 - Add salt and eggs

↑ Jump to details

Add salt (1 tsp), and mix it around the wok for about 30 seconds. Then, add the eggs and gently mix it all together for another 2 minutes.

Step 12 - Add green onion

↑ Jump to details

Add the green onion (2 stalk) and mix it around the wok for about a minute.

Step 13 - Plate the dish

↑ Jump to details

Start to fluff the rice. You can do this by tossing the rice in the wok, or by repeatedly lifting it upwards with your spatula and chopsticks.

Transfer the rice to your favorite plate or bowl, and tell everyone it's time to eat!

Step 14 - Take pictures
Whip out your camera (1). Begin taking photos (1,000,000). Pick your favorites!
Step 15 - Share and tag us on Instagram @madewithlau #madewithlau!
Did you have fun making this recipe? We'd love to see & hear about it. (Especially my dad. He would be THRILLED!)

Enjoy!

My wife and I have been eating this basically every single week since we gave birth (it's been 11 weeks now, at the time of writing.)

It's so good. Giving birth not required!

Now, hopefully, you can create your own memories with this dish with your loved ones.

Also, I cordially invite you to eat with us and learn more about the dish, Chinese culture, and hang out with our adorable son.

Cheers, and thanks for cooking with us!

Feel free to comment below if you have any questions about the recipe.