This super simple fried rice sauce recipe is a weeknight lifesaver, and I bet you already have everything you need to make it.

I always have a jar of this sauce in my fridge because it’s so versatile. It takes less than 5 minutes to make, and it helps me get dinner on the table fast.

You have to try making our easy fried rice with this sauce! It’s also perfect as a quick and delicious sweet soy glaze for other proteins like chicken or tofu.

Key Ingredients

• Soy Sauce: This is the base of our sauce, so you’ll want to use a low-sodium soy sauce or low-sodium tamari. For some extra richness, you can substitute some of the low-sodium soy sauce with a dark soy sauce or mushroom soy sauce (which adds a bit more flavor).
• Brown Sugar: The sugar balances the saltiness of the soy sauce. Brown sugar adds more flavor than regular sugar. Coconut sugar would be great, too! I use a 3:1 ratio of soy sauce to sugar, but when making this sauce, you can always adjust with more sugar to make it sweeter.
• Rice Vinegar: Unseasoned rice vinegar makes the sauce pop. It usually has a green top.
• Sesame Oil: You’ll want to add toasted sesame oil to this sauce. I usually add extra sesame oil when making my fried rice recipe.
• Mirin: This is optional, but it really pulls the sauce together. It’s sweet and fragrant. I also use it when making teriyaki sauce.
• More Optional Ingredients: This is why I love making homemade sauces, you can always make them your own! This sauce is lovely with the ingredients above, but for more flavor, consider a little Chinese 5 spice or chili paste (like sambal oelek or gochujang) to add some heat.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

My Tips for Making and Using Your Sauce

Tip 1: Adjust to your taste. Feel free to adjust to your taste. You can add more sugar or any of the optional ingredients for extra flavor. Remember, the sauce needs to taste strong on its own to season all the rice and vegetables properly. If the sauce seems overpowering, you’re on the right track.

Tip 2: A quick guide to making fried rice. For my favorite recipe, see our homemade fried rice, but here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need to do:

1. Cook proteins such as beef, chicken, pork, and shrimp in a large skillet or wok with some vegetable oil until barely cooked through. Then, remove it and set it aside.
2. Sauté hearty vegetables like onions, mushrooms, and carrots in a large saucepan or wok for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Stir in aromatics like minced garlic, ginger, or the white parts of green onions, along with quick-cooking veggies like zucchini, edamame, or peas. Cook for about 1 minute.
4. Add cold rice. Cook and stir it until it’s heated through and slightly browned.
5. Pour in the sauce, starting with 2 tablespoons and adding more as needed.
6. Add eggs (optional) by pushing the rice to one side of the pan. Scramble eggs in the empty space, then break them up and stir them into the rice.
7. Serve topped with sliced green parts of green onions and sesame seeds.

Tip 3: More ways to use your sauce. This sauce also works as a sweet soy for beef, chicken, pork, tofu, and shrimp. Quickly cook your protein in a bit of oil or butter. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the sauce along with an equal amount of water or broth. To thicken it into a perfect glaze, mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of water. Stir this into the pan and simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the protein.

More Homemade Sauces

Fried Rice Sauce

• PREP
  2 mins
  
• COOK
  3 mins
  
• TOTAL
  5 mins
  

Our family loves fried rice, so we usually have a jar of this easy to make sauce in our fridge. It’s perfect with soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, and sesame oil, but if you have the other ingredients on hand, they really take this sauce to the next level. I highly recommend the mirin!

Makes 1 cup

You Will Need

¾ cup low-sodium soy sauce (190g)

¼ cup brown sugar (50g)

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons mirin, optional

¼ teaspoon Chinese five spice, optional

1 tablespoon sambal oelek chili paste or gochujang, optional

Directions

1Add soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and sesame oil to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar dissolves. If you are adding them, stir in the optional ingredients.

Adam and Joanne’s Tips

• Storing: Keep this sauce in an airtight container like a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Shake before using.
• Freeze: Freeze this sauce in ice cube trays, dividing it between the ice cube holes. When frozen, pop them out and add to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag.
• Soy sauce: Use a low-sodium soy sauce for this. For extra flavor, consider substituting 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) of it with dark soy sauce or mushroom soy sauce, both of which add a richer taste to the sauce.
• Tips for fried rice: Use day-old, leftover rice or cold rice for the best results. Freshly cooked rice tends to turn out mushier. I like short or medium-grain white rice, such as Calrose or Jasmine rice. Brown rice and quinoa will also work.
• Seasoning: This sauce adds a good amount of seasoning, but we still recommend lightly seasoning with salt as you go along when making fried rice. So, lightly season the protein and the veggies as you cook them before adding the sauce. This way it will turn out just as delicious as your favorite restaurant!
• The nutrition facts provided are estimates.

Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1 tablespoon
/
Calories
24
/
Total Fat
0.9g
/
Saturated Fat
0.1g
/
Cholesterol
0mg
/
Sodium
326.4mg
/
Carbohydrate
5.5g
/
Dietary Fiber
0g
/
Total Sugars
4.5g
/
Protein
0.9g

AUTHOR:

Joanne Gallagher

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This is the only fried rice recipe you need. It’s incredibly fast, takes less than 20 minutes to make, and tastes even better than takeout.

When you need a delicious dinner on the table fast, you’ll want this recipe for fried rice in your back pocket. It’s perfect for using up leftovers and cleaning out the fridge, and thanks to my fried rice sauce, it’s really tasty. Plus, you can use the sauce for stir-fries another day. We use it for this shrimp stir fry.

While this recipe is written for a classic egg and vegetable fried rice, it’s easy to swap the veggies or add extra protein to make it your own. Tips for this are below!

Key Ingredients

• Rice: For the best fried rice, use leftover cold white rice. Hot or freshly cooked rice will become mushy. I prefer short-grain or medium-grain rice, such as calrose or jasmine rice. That said, you can use brown rice or quinoa in our recipe below.
• Aromatics: For restaurant-quality flavor, use fresh garlic, ginger, and green onions. I mince my garlic and use a microplane to grate the ginger.
• Vegetables: You have leeway when it comes to the veggies. I love carrots, zucchini, and peas. Mushrooms are also lovely, as are broccoli florets.
• Eggs: I love egg fried rice, so I usually add eggs to this. They are optional, though! When cooking them, I add a dab of butter to add a bit of extra richness.
• Fried Rice Sauce: When seasoning fried rice, I love using a homemade sauce that combines low-sodium soy sauce with brown sugar and rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oil. It is perfect for this recipe and also great for cooking chicken, shrimp, and tofu.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make the Best Fried Rice

Tip 1: Start with cold rice. Your best bet is to use leftover rice that’s been in the fridge. If you are sitting there with a craving for fried rice, but no leftover rice, make rice, but then spread it onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for about 1 hour. This will quickly cool it down, and dry it out a bit so it doesn’t turn mushy when you cook it.

Tip 2: Use a large skillet or wok. A large pan gives you plenty of room to toss ingredients without them falling out. A hot wok is the traditional choice, but your largest skillet will work just as well (a 12-inch skillet is a good bet).

Tip 3: Give heartier veggies a head start. Fried rice cooks quickly, but to make sure that all the vegetables are perfectly tender, start with hearty vegetables like carrots and broccoli first, giving them 1 to 2 minutes of cooking time before following up with the quicker-cooking veggies.

Tip 4: Adding the egg. I love the egg in this rice. To add them, push the rice to one side of the pan. Then, scramble your eggs in the empty space. Break them up a bit and stir them into the rice. Easy!

Tip 5: Add your favorite protein. You can easily add your favorite protein, such as sliced beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, or tofu. Just cook it in the skillet first, transfer it to a plate, and then make the fried rice as directed. Stir the cooked protein back into the skillet with the rice, egg, and veggies at the end.

More Asian-Inspired Recipes

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Crispy, flavorful Fried Calamari is a delicious appetizer that tastes like something you would order in a fancy restaurant. The calamari is tenderized, breaded, and then fried to golden brown, crunchy perfection. Take it to the next level with marinara sauce for dipping!

What is Fried Calamari?

You’ll find fresh calamari in the seafood department at most grocery stores. We love it so much that we always have to order it if we see it on the menu! It’s also easy to make at home.

You can find fresh calamari at most grocery stores in the seafood department. You can also find frozen squid in the freezer aisle. The key to making sure your calamari is tender is to first soak it in a milk and lemon juice mixture. Then, you’ll bread it with a simple mix of flour, cornstarch, and seasonings. Fry it up in just minutes to a perfect golden brown. Its crispy goodness will have you coming back for seconds and thirds!

Ingredients You’ll Need For Crispy Fried Calamari

The ingredients for this calamari recipe are simple. Other than the calamari, you probably already have what you need! It’s all about the ratio of flour to cornstarch to get that delicious crispiness. Exact measurements can all be found below in the recipe card.

• Calamari Rings: You can use either calamari rings that are sold already cleaned (seen below) or whole squid, which you cut into tubes before use.
• Milk and Lemon Juice: Soaking the calamari in a mix of whole milk and lemon juice will make it tender and also help the breading adhere to it.
• Flour/Cornstarch: For the breading, you’ll need a mix of all-purpose flour and cornstarch for golden brown crispiness. The flour is what will fry up golden brown and the cornstarch will give the exterior that crispy crunch.
•  Dried Dill: Gives the perfect complimentary flavor to the squid.
• Paprika: Adds a nice peppery flavor that gives a bit of heat.
• Salt & Pepper: To taste!
• Oil: Vegetable oil for frying.
• Lemon Wedges: Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over the top for brightness in every bite.

How to Make Fried Calamari

Frying crispy calamari is much easier to make at home than you might think! The steps are simple, and the calamari only takes about 3 minutes to fry!

1. Prep: Prepare the calamari rings by thawing them if they are frozen. Pat the rings dry and place them into a bowl.
2. Coat with Milk and Lemon Juice: Pour the milk and lemon juice over the rings and stir to combine and coat the rings evenly in the milk mixture.
3. Mix: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, dill, paprika, and pepper.
4. Dredge in Flour Mixture: Remove the rings from the milk mixture, allowing excess liquid to drip off. Then, toss them in the flour mixture. Next, place the breaded calamari rings onto a plate or sheet pan. Meanwhile, prepare a second plate or sheet pan by lining it with paper towels.
5. Fry: Heat about an inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot carefully place the battered calamari into the hot oil and fry them for about 3 minutes until they are golden brown.
6. Finish Frying and Serve: Once you finish frying the calamari, place them onto a paper towel-lined plate or sheet pan. Work in batches until you’ve cooked all the calamari, then serve it fresh with lemon wedges.

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Delicious crab fried rice comes together in just 25 minutes with simple ingredients and tons of flavor! It combines the sweetness of lump crab meat with the savory flavors of classic fried rice for an endlessly satisfying dish that’s sure to become a family favorite!

Fantastic Fried Rice Recipe

I LOVE fried rice! And my blog can back that up! I have lots of recipes and variations on the classic. I recently found out that crab meat is an excellent source of protein. It has a similar amount of protein per gram as other meats but is lower in fat. I knew I had to make a recipe using crab meat and wanted to stick to my go-to comfort food, fried rice!

Ingredients Needed for Crab Fried Rice

How to Make Crab Fried Rice

Make mealtime a breeze with this easy crab-fried rice recipe! With the extra protein from the crab meat, this dish works as the main course, or you can serve it as a side to an Asian-inspired meal!

1. Cook the Veggies: Preheat a large skillet or wok to medium heat, then add the sesame oil, onion, and carrots. Cook until tender. 
2. Add Garlic: Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Stir-Fry: Add the cooked white rice to the veggie mixture. Stir and fry the rice and veggie mixture until warmed through and combined. If you like your rice to be more crispy and golden, you can cook it longer.
4. Scramble the Eggs: Create a hole in the middle of the rice and veggie mixture, then add the slightly beaten eggs. Using a spatula, scramble the eggs as they cook. Once cooked, you can then mix the eggs into the rice mixture.
5. Add: Season with onion powder, salt, and pepper, then add the drained crab meat to the wok. Stir to combine. Then, stir in the soy sauce and squeeze the juice of a lime. Toss to combine. Garnish with green onions and lime wedges, and enjoy!

More Delicious Crab Recipes

If you love the flavor of crab as much as I do, be sure to check out all my crab recipes! Here are a few family favorites that are easy and taste amazing!

Salads

Crab Salad

10 minutes

Appetizers

Crab Rangoon

50 minutes

Appetizers

Air Fryer Crab Cakes

20 minutes

Dinner

Sushi Bowl

20 minutes

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