For The Love of Crispy Bits

Use your oven and a preheated sheet pan for the crispiest fried rice you'll ever enjoy.
Use your oven and a preheated sheet pan for the crispiest fried rice you’ll ever enjoy.

Raise your hand if you covet those cooked grains of rice that turn golden and ever so crispy on the bottom of the pan.

Then, “Sheet Pan ‘Fried’ Rice” is made for you.

Because this is fried rice that’s cooked not in a wok or saute pan on the stovetop, but in the oven on a sheet pan that’s preheated until it’s blazing hot.

That means far more surface area for the rice to come in contact with to turn exceptionally toasty and crunchy.

This genius recipe is from “Hot Sheet” (Harvest), of which I received a review copy.

The cookbook was written by Olga Massov, an editor at the Washington Post’s Food section; and Sanaë Lemoine, a novelist and former cookbook editor, who worked at Martha Stewart and Phaidon Press.

As the title implies, this book is all about recipes made on a sheet pan, one of the hardest working and most useful pans in our kitchens.

Its indispensability is demonstrated in dishes such as “Giant Buttermilk-Cornmeal Pancake with Blueberries,” “Chaat Masala ‘Nachos,’ ” “Roasted Duck with Salted Maple Butter,” “Oven Paella with chicken, Chorizo, and Shrimp,” and “Strawberry Snacking Sheet Cake.”

This fried rice, like all best ones, starts with day-old fried rice that has been refrigerated. It’s mixed with a little oil, light soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt, then carefully added to the hot sheet pan in one layer.

After roasting in the oven for 15 minutes, scatter over a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. Yes, the kind your mom always kept in the freezer. And nope, you don’t even have to thaw them. The hot oven will do all the work.

Cook beaten eggs right on the sheet pan, too, to create the fluffy bits of egg omelet.
Cook beaten eggs right on the sheet pan, too, to create the fluffy bits of egg omelet.

Once the veggies are warmed through, use a spoon or spatula to create an empty space in the center of the sheet pan. That’s where you’ll pour in beaten eggs, and then slide the pan back into the oven for a couple minutes until they’re cooked through. Finally, using a spatula, break up the egg omelet into small pieces, and toss to combine with the rest of the fried rice.

Fried rice is ready to be served with the egg incorporated.
Fried rice is ready to be served with the egg incorporated.

Unlike your typical Chinese restaurant fried rice, this version is highly seasoned. You stir together dark soy sauce, honey, Chinese black vinegar, and freshly grated ginger to create a garnishing sauce to spoon over as little or as much as you like. Sliced scallions, furikake, or chili crisp can be offered on the side for further embellishment.

I sliced up some lap cheong Chinese sausage for this fried rice that takes well to adaptation.
I sliced up some lap cheong Chinese sausage for this fried rice that takes well to adaptation.

Fried rice is the ultimate “clean-out-the-fridge” dish. This version is no exception. You can add to it whatever you like or have on hand. Think bacon or ham or leftover rotisserie chicken or a few sliced spears of asparagus. I had a few leftover Chinese sausages (lap cheong) and green garlic stalks, so I added them to the hot pan at the same time as the frozen veggies.

Serve with scallions, honey-soy-vinegar sauce, and whatever other garnishes you like.
Serve with scallions, honey-soy-vinegar sauce, and whatever other garnishes you like.

This is fried rice that can be a meal unto itself. It has more crispy bits than not. In fact, if you prefer a more equal mix of softer grains to crispy ones, just reduce the baking time so that the rice isn’t quite as browned.

It’s also an ideal way to make fried rice for a crowd. Just double the recipe and use two sheet pans in your oven for a rocking fried rice party.

You're sure to want seconds.
You’re sure to want seconds.

Sheet Pan “Fried” Rice

(Serves 4 to 6)

For the rice:

2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed

1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese light soy sauce

3/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 to 5 generous cups leftover cooked rice

One 16-ounce bag frozen mixed vegetables (no need to thaw)

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

1 to 2 tablespoons honey, to taste

1 to 2 teaspoons Chinkiang vinegar, to taste

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

For serving:

Thinly sliced scallions (optional)

Furikake (optional)

Chili crisp (optional)

Make the rice: Position a rack in the middle of the oven, place a half-sheet pan on it, and preheat to 450°F (230°C).

In a large bowl, whisk together the neutral oil, light soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt. Add the rice and toss to combine. The rice should be evenly coated in the oil but will have some darker clumps where the soy sauce penetrated and white clumps where it didn’t — that’s okay. Remove the hot sheet from the oven, set on a heatproof surface, and carefully transfer the rice mixture to it. Spread out in an even layer and return to the oven. Roast for 15 minutes, or until the rice starts to crisp up and turn light golden.

Remove the pan from the oven, add the frozen vegetables, and carefully — the pan will be searing hot — stir to distribute. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes, or until the rice is rich golden brown and the vegetables are tender.

Remove the pan from the oven and push the rice and vegetables out to the sides, creating an empty space in the center. Pour the eggs in the space and return the sheet pan to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked through and opaque. Remove from the oven and break up the egg, stirring it into the rice and vegetables.

Make the sauce: While the rice and vegetables are roasting, in a small bowl, whisk together the dark soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and ginger until combined. Taste and adjust the sweetness and/or acidity to your liking, as needed.

To serve: Divide among shallow bowls and drizzle with the sauce. Top with scallions, furikake, and chili crisp, if you like.

From “Hot Sheet” by Olga Massov and Sanaë Lemoine

More Sheet Pan Recipes to Enjoy: Sheet-Pan Pancakes

And: French Onion Sheet Pan Chicken

And: Honey-Mustard Sheet Pan Chicken with Brussels Sprouts

And: Sheet Pan Honey-Chipotle Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

And: Sheet Pan Soy Sauce Chicken with Pineapple and Bok Choy

And: Toad-In-A-Whole Sheet-Pan Kimchi Hash Browns

Print This Post



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *