Spicy Japanese Garlic Fried Rice

This recipe will teach you how to whip up a delicious spicy Japanese garlic fried rice with no fancy Teppanyaki grill top needed. Also known as Chahan (炒飯) or Yakimeshi (やきめし), this dish is a staple in Japanese households.

Growing up in Asian households, fried rice has always been one of our comfort food. It is fast, easy and delicious. It never fails to satisfy us! It's so versatile and can be served alone, or with so many other type of dishes. We love to discover different types of the same dish and loved developing this spicy Japanese garlic fried rice.

What makes Japanese Fried rice different?

The main difference compared to any other fried rice, is the use of short-grain white rice. For example, traditional Chinese fried rice uses the long-grains type. The short-grain white rice gives a chewy texture, which we love!

Chahan vs Yakimeshi vs Hibachi

If you've been looking for a Japanese fried rice recipe, you might've read about these three different types below.

• Chahan: It is a translation of the Chinese 炒飯, which literally means fried rice. Traditionnally, Chahan is cooked in a wok.
• Yakimeshi: This translates to fried cooked rice, and it is interchangeable with Chahan. It seems that the main difference is regional. You could compare it to French people and their Pain au Chocolat vs Chocolatine debacle!
• Hibachi: In North America, we refer Hibachi fried rice as the one that is served in the teppanyaki restaurants. However, Hibachi is actually a small cooking stove that is heated by coal.

More Japanese Inspired Recipes

• Matcha and Milk Japanese Fluffy Milk Bread
• Savoury Steamed Egg Custard (Chawanmushi)
• Spicy Garlic Miso Ramen

Best Rice to Use

Traditionally, this dish is made with short-grain white rice. Leftover cold rice is usually preferred because it will prevent the dish to become mushy once you stir-fry it. However, it is not a must, you can use freshly cooked rice. You could try to cook it with a little bit less water to ensure it is the less soggy possible.

What Pan to Use

You can use any stir-frying pan to make Japanese fried rice, but the best pan to use is definitely a wok. A wok is bigger, and can handle high heat better. It will make cooking less messy and tastier!

What to serve with Spicy Japanese Garlic Fried Rice

It is usually eaten on the side with other dishes, such as soup, and other stir-fried dishes. We recommend to try it with our Egg Tofu with Mushroom Gravy Sauce or our Fried Egg Tofu with Eggplants.

If you're looking for something fast, add a fried egg and you can definitely eat it on its own.

Variations

Like any fried rice, the possibilities are endless! You can add any of your household favorite ingredients and make it a family staple dish.

Here's some of our favourite ingredients to add:

• Carrots and peas
• Ham or Spam
• Shrimp
• Scramble egg or fried egg
• Onions
• Kewpie Mayo

Our Personal take on Japanese Fried Rice

What makes our version a bit more unique than others is the addition of fried garlic chips that gives a burst of strong garlic flavours that leave you wanting for more!

We also added dashi powder, an ingredient idea that we got from one of our favorite Youtube/online chef, Pailin from Hot Thai Kitchen.

We love spicy food and although it is not really in Japanese culture to eat very spicy, we added some cayenne pepper to add some kick! We find it add just the right amount of spice for all the spicy food lovers.

Tips and Tricks

• Use leftover rice and leftover ingredients. This is the perfect recipe to empty out your fridge!
• You can add kewpie mayo to this Japanese fried rice. This will add flavour and it will help separate the grain rice, therefore avoiding mushy and soggy texture. It will also add richness to your dish.

Ingredients

For the Garlic Chips

• Thinly sliced garlic
• Canola oil

For the Fried Rice

• Chopped garlic
• Cooked rice
• Soy sauce
• Sesame oil
• Garlic powder
• Dashi powder
• Hot water
• Canola oil
• Unsalted butter
• Crushed cayenne pepper
• Eggs
• Salt
• Sugar
• Chives, for topping.

Instructions

1. Make your Garlic Chips. To make the fried garlic chips, heat 3 tbsp of canola oil in a small pan over medium heat. Once it is hot (you can check if it's ready by putting in one small slice of garlic to see if it sizzles), throw in the thinly sliced garlic and fry for about 1-2 minutes, or until slightly golden brown. Quickly remove from heat and set aside on a strainer or kitchen paper to cool.
2. Make the sauce for the rice. Dissolve 1 1/2 tsp of dashi powder in 1 tbsp of hot water in a small bowl. Add in the soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic powder and combine well. Set aside.
3. Beat the eggs in a bowl and set aside.
4. Stir-fry the rice. In a large wok or frying pan, heat 2 tbsp of canola oil and 1 tbsp unsalted butter over medium high heat. Once the butter is melted and started bubbling, add in the chopped garlic and stir-fry until the garlic is tender and fragrant. Add in the crushed cayenne pepper and stir-fry for about 15 seconds. Put in the cooked white rice, mix well and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the sauce mixture and mix well until well combined and the rice is uniformly coated with the sauce. Stir-fry for another minute and push all the rice towards one side of the wok or pan.
5. Cook the eggs. Throw in the beaten eggs into the empty side of the pan and let cook for about 30 seconds. Once the eggs are about 3/4 cooked, scramble it and combine with the fried rice and mix well. Season with salt and sugar and mix well. Remove from heat.
6. Serve and enjoy! To serve, transfer fried rice into a large bowl and top with fried garlic chips and chopped chives.