Why is my rice gloppy?

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.

Do I have to use the lettuce?

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 .

Can I cook the egg separately?

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.

Japanese Fried Rice - Yakimeshi

Name: Japanese Fried Rice (Yakimeshi)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Japanese
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

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

Units Scale

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

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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