I never use a teppanyaki grill top to whip up this simple, smoky Japanese Fried Rice recipe. A frying pan works just as well! Easy to make, restaurant quality and ready in 15 minutes from start to finish!
I think you’ll agree with me that there’s something magical about eating umami loaded hibachi fried rice at a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant. But, there’s a catch: I don’t know many home chefs that have a teppanyaki grill top at the dining table. Sure, I’d love to have my family applaud my amazing knife skills and spatula tricks as I whip up garlic rice 😂
Well, when I feel like preparing a delicious Japanese fried rice at my place, I just use a frying pan or wok. And there’s good news on the ingredients front too. It’s simple by design. All I use are a few common ingredients to make a homemade fried rice I’d be happy to pay for at a restaurant. It’s flavorful without the fuss.
Table of Contents
Are Fried Rice and Yakimeshi the Same Thing?
Yes!
Yakimeshi (やきめし) literally means fried rice. It’s a rice dish that’s made using leftovers such as eggs, veggies, meats and seafood.
Yakimeshi VS Hibachi Fried Rice
The only real difference between the Japanese fried rice at a teppanyaki spot and the simple fried rice you whip up at home is theater. Being able to flip an 8” chef’s knife behind your back and catch it with your eyes closed is a neat trick – but, c’mon, we’re making dinner here!
How is Japanese Fried Rice Different from Chinese Fried Rice?
Japanese fried rice (yakimeshi), is very similar to Chinese fried rice, except for two main differences.
- Japanese fried rice is made using short-grain rice, while Chinese fried rice uses long-grain rice like Jasmine rice. This means that Chinese fried rice has a firmer and drier texture than Japanese fried rice, which tends to be chewy and slightly sticky.
- When making Chinese fried rice, the egg is added before the rice during the cooking process. Japanese fried rice uses the reverse technique – the rice is added first and the eggs are scrambled after.
Ingredients
Scroll to the bottom of this page for the full recipe and measurements.
- Oil: I always use a neutral oil such as grapeseed oil, peanut oil or vegetable oil.
- Garlic: Just a couple of garlic cloves as aromatics, to infuse the rice with a slight sweet and pungent taste.
- Leek: Leeks are often use in Japanese cooking for their mild and sweet taste. But feel free to use a regular onion or some shallots as well.
- Carrot: A small carrot will do. It adds a little sweetness and a pop of color.
- Day old cooked Japanese short-grain rice: This is important! I always use rice that’s been sitting in the fridge for one or two days. Leftover rice grains have less moisture and give the fried rice a firm and chewy texture.
- Lettuce: Yes, I add shredded lettuce. It gives the dish a mild and refreshing taste.
- Eggs: Adding eggs gives the dish a little moisture and a protein boost.
- Soy sauce: Soy sauce for umami and saltiness.
- Salt and ground white pepper: Add to your liking.
Other Popular Ingredients
This Japanese fried rice recipe is basically a blueprint. You can technically use any vegetable or protein for this recipe!
Here is a list of common ingredients found used in yakimeshi and chahan:
- Vegetables such as green beans, mushrooms, green peas, and celery.
- Proteins such as extra firm tofu, chicken, pork belly, salmon, or shrimp.
- A dash of toasted sesame oil to add nuttiness.
- With a little Japanese kewpie mayonnaise on top for creaminess, and a touch of fruitiness and tanginess.
- Chopped takana (Japanese pickled mustard greens).
- Chopped green onions are the perfect topping to add color and a delightful crunch.
- Low sodium soy sauce to replace regular soy sauce for those watching their sodium intake.
How To Make Fried Rice
- Stir fry the vegetables. PIace a large skillet or a flat bottom wok over medium-high heat and when the wok is hot, add the oil and garlic. Stir fry for 30 seconds and add the leek and carrot. Toss and cook until the vegetables have begun to soften.
- Stir fry the rice. Add the cold rice and gently break it up. Add the lettuce and mix it with the other ingredients.
- Cook the egg. Push the fried rice to one side and add the whisked eggs to the other side. Move your spatula in a zigzag motion to scramble the eggs. Fold the cooked egg into the fried rice.
- Season and serve. Add the soy sauce, a little salt and pepper, and stir fry until all the ingredients are combined and flavor is evenly distributed. Enjoy!
Vegan Option
Most of this recipe is already vegan-friendly aside from the scrambled eggs. Therefore for vegan fried rice, I either skip the eggs completely – or add a protein like tofu, tempeh, or vegan egg scramble.
Best Rice to Use for Japanese Fried Rice
When whipping up Japanese fried rice at home, I try to follow two rules.
- I use rice that is at least a day old (and preferably refrigerated). That’s because some evaporation occurs when the rice cools down, that results in fried rice that holds its texture and is less mushy once I reheat it. And for the times I only have freshly cooked rice to work with, I just spread it out on a baking sheet and pop it into the fridge (uncovered) for a couple of hours so it dries out quickly.
- Use short-grain Japanese rice for traditional yakimeshi. Proper short grain rice results in an almost chewy experience. But if you prefer the texture of hibachi fried rice which is a little less sticky, choose medium grain rice. Brands such as Nishiki, Botan, and Kokuho are all medium grain.
Best Pan for Fried Rice
If you ask my Japanese mother how to fry rice, she’ll tell you that any old pan is fine. And she’s right… up to a certain point. The best pans to use are the deep ones such as a wok or a deep skillet, and that’s because it makes tossing the rice and veggies at high heat much more easy, and less messy.
Bonus: If you have a gas range, the cooking flame will also heat the sloping sides of your wok, which is excellent for making fried rice.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the microwave – or in a pan on the stovetop with a little cooking oil.
- Season reheated leftover fried rice with a little salt and white pepper for that fresh out of the wok flavor.
Other fried rice recipes you might love:
- Egg Fried Rice
- Shrimp Fried Rice
- Filipino Garlic Rice (Sinangag)
- Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap)
- Omurice – Japanese Omelette Rice
Frequently Asked Questions
There may be too much moisture in the rice grains already. Freshly cooked rice is plump with moisture and needs some to dry out in the fridge before making fried rice. This issue is only compounded when adding liquid ingredients like soy sauce. There’s nowhere for that additional moisture to go unless the rice is fairly dry to begin with.
I use shredded lettuce in my fried rice because that’s how my mom makes it. I love the wilted crunch it brings – and that it’s a magnet for whatever flavors I’m using. Actually, shredded lettuce goes well in tons of Asian dishes like vegetarian laksa, red coconut curry soup and hiyashi chuka.
Sure! If you decide to cook the egg separately from the fried rice, just make sure to pull it before it’s fully cooked (like 85%) and set it aside. You can add the cooked egg to the fried rice as one of the last additions and cook it that last 15% with everything – so it’s properly incorporated into the yakimeshi.
Did you like this simple recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Print
Japanese Fried Rice (Yakimeshi)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
- Category: Rice
- Method: Stir Fried
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
No Teppanyaki grill top needed to whip up this simple and savory Japanese Fried Rice recipe. Yakimeshi can be made in a skillet and be ready to serve in just 15 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small leek or onion, finely chopped
- 1 small carrot, finely chopped
- 300 grams 1-2 days old cooked Japanese rice that was kept in the fridge
- 1 cup lettuce, shredded
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- salt and ground white pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil and garlic. In a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil and garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
- Cook the veggies. Add the leek and carrot and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft but still yielding a crunch.
- Add the rice. Add the day-old rice and gently break it up until it’s no longer clumpy. Add the lettuce and mix it in with the rice. Toss well.
- Cook the egg. Push the rice to one side of the pan and add the whisked eggs to the empty side. Move in a zigzag motion to scramble the eggs, using a spatula and fold the cooked eggs into the rice.
- Season, mix and serve. Add the soy sauce, salt, and pepper, and toss the rice until the seasoning is evenly spread through the fried rice. Turn the heat off, transfer the fried rice to a plate and serve.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 183
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 191mg
- Fat: 4.4g
- Saturated Fat: 1.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 29.3g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 6.1g
- Cholesterol: 94.8mg
Questions and Reviews
This was absolutely delicious! Accompanied it with pork fried dumplings. Will keep this to make again.
Thank you Mirra! 🙂
This looks amazing! What kind/brand of soy sauce would you recommend for the most authentic flavor?
Hi Tess! I personally like Yamasa (my mother, who is Japanese, also agrees 😉 ), which is very easy to find 🙂
I know that feeling of being transported back to being a kid. I actually made an old favorite my grandmother would make just the other day. I don’t share it often cause I come from a poor family with some interesting tastes. My grandmother has always called the dish Tuna Wiggle but its like a Tuna chowder. You take cream of chicken soup, thin it out with milk to your desired thickness. Add a can of tuna and peas. Warm it through then serve with crackers. I don’t eat it often these days but for some reason craved it the other day.
That sounds like something I would love! Tuna wiggle sounds great!
We make almost the same thing, but with cream of mushroom and we usually ate it over noodles( if we had them). I always just thought of it like tuna casserole.
Can you make this lovely recipe without eggs as I am vegan but love this idea. Ann. Thank you.
Hi Ann! Yes you can! If you’d like to add some protein to it I recommend using firm tofu, drained and diced into very small cubes 🙂
My mother is Japanese & we had & still do, many delicious meals! In my fried rice I also like to include sliced cabbage (any kind), sliced celery, edamame, bean sprouts, water chestnuts & lots of scallions on top. Of course it all depends on what I depends what I have in my fridge & pantry. Sesame seeds sprinkled on top add another flavor layer.
Thank you for sharing this Linda! I also love to add shredded cabbage to my fried rice, so yummy! 🙂
To Ben’s wife….
I spent eight months in Japan during 1955. Being a sailor, after a hard night of drinking (or not) my buddies and I would finish in a bar where mama-san served bowls of fried rice. I have never had fried rice as good in the US. I remember the egg, onion and green peas. The aroma and flavor was something to behold. I remember the dish being very white and not reflecting the brown cast of soy sauce. I seem to remember a sprinkle of peanuts. I could be wrong there. I plan to try this recipe. The very thought of it is nostalgic. Thanks…
Wow this is very tasty and yummy recipe, Fried rice is one of the favorite and yummy recipe for all of us especially for all Japanese. Thanks for sharing this article with all of us
These fried rice is just amazing and tasty and I love this yummy and tasty recipe. I hope all the readers will enjoy this lovely reading. I will try this tasty recipe in my own kitchen..
Thanks for sharing this article to us
Absolutely lush.
We’re going on an Asian diet in our house, so really enjoying trying these dishes and I’m enjoying cooking again.
Can you freeze this?
Hi Karen! Yes, you can freeze fried rice 🙂 I recommend freezing the rice in individual portions in airtight storage containers. Wait until the fried rice is room temperature and you can freeze it then 🙂
Love this recipe. Inside of vegetable oil, I use sesame oil. It really adds a more authentic flavour to the rice.
My Aunt Peggy would make this and add left over pork loin or either fried pork chops. Delicious!@
I’ve been making fried rice for most of my life, and never put lettuce in it! My mom would often use lettuce in miso soup, but not fried rice…I will have to try that! I often put takana (pickled mustard greens) in mine. Was served fried rice with takana in Japan when I went in the 80s…so good.
Delicious
Can’t wait to try this recipe but wondering what kind of lettuce should I buy that would be best for this?
Hi Diane, regular iceberg lettuce is what I use for this recipe. The crunch is really nice!
Thanks for interesting site and great recipes! My tip for making fried rice of freshly cooked rice: Rinse it under cold water before frying, so it will behave quite nicely.
What is Japanese rice? It it just regular long grain white rice? Thank you!
Hi Cindy, Japanese rice is short grain white rice you can find either on Amazon or at a Japanese or Asian grocery store. 🙂
How much rice is 300 grams? If I use a measuring cup to measure out cooked rice, how much should I use?
Hi Julie! 300 grams should be about 1 – 1 1/2 cup 🙂
This is soooo good!!
Where can I get the glass container that is used in photo of separated ingredients? It’s like a glass bento box.
Hi Welfe! Here’s the link for the glass containers, they are a little heavy but really well made! https://www.amazon.com/Glass-Meal-Prep-Containers-Compartment/dp/B07JKXQFXG/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=glass+storage+lunch+containers+with+lids+3+compartment&qid=1551363131&s=gateway&sr=8-8
I never tried the Japanese fried rice recipe before. But this sounds delicious. I always love to try some new recipe. This time I found you with this yummy recipe. I will try it for sure.
Awesome recipe – Just like they do it at Tomo’s
Thank you