Many varieties of fried rice have their own specific list of ingredients. In China, common varieties include
Yangzhou fried rice and
Hokkien fried rice. Japanese
chāhan is considered a
Japanese Chinese dish, having derived from Chinese fried rice dishes. In Southeast Asia, similarly constructed
Indonesian,
Malaysian, and
Singaporeannasi goreng and Thai khao phat are popular dishes. In the West, most restaurants catering to vegetarians have invented their own varieties of fried rice, including egg fried rice. Fried rice is also seen on the menus of non-Asian countries restaurants offering cuisines with no native tradition of the dish. Additionally, the cuisine of some Latin American countries includes variations on fried rice, including Ecuadorian chaulafan, Peruvian
arroz chaufa, Cuban arroz frito, and Puerto Rican arroz mamposteao.
Fried rice is a common
street food in Asia and other parts of the world. In some Asian countries, small restaurants, street vendors and traveling hawkers specialise in serving fried rice. In Indonesian cities it is common to find fried rice street vendors moving through the streets with their food cart and stationing it in busy streets or residential areas. Many
Southeast Asian street food stands offer fried rice with a selection of optional garnishes and side dishes.
Hokkien (or Fujian) fried rice (福建炒飯), a variation of
Chinese fried rice, is from the Fujian region of China; it has a thick sauce poured and mixed over it which can include mushrooms, meat, vegetables, and other ingredients.
Sichuan fried rice (四川炒飯) is a spicy stir-fried rice from
Sichuan which uses
doubanjiang chili sauce with garlic, green onions, and red onion.[3]
Yin-yang fried rice (駌鴦炒飯) is topped with two different types of sauce, typically a savory white sauce on one half and a red tomato-based sauce on the other half. Elaborate versions use the sauces to create a
yin-yang symbol.
Yeung chow (or Yangzhou) fried rice (揚州炒飯) consists of generous portions of shrimp and scrambled egg, along with barbecued pork. This is the most popular fried rice served in Chinese restaurants, commonly referred to simply as "special fried rice" or "house fried rice".
Japan
Chāhan (チャーハン) or yakimeshi (焼飯) is a Chinese-derived fried rice suited to Japanese tastes by the addition of katsuobushi for flavor, prepared with a variety of ingredients.
Omurice is fried rice wrapped inside an egg omelette. The fried rice is generally mixed with a variety of vegetables and meat. Often a variant called "chicken rice" (チキンライス chikinraisu) is used.
Ketchup or some other
tomato sauce is added to make this.
Korea
Bokkeum-bap (볶음밥;
lit. "fried rice") is made by stir-frying
bap (
cooked rice) with other ingredients in oil.[4] A wide range of fried rice dishes are common in
Korean cuisine, often made with whichever ingredients are handy. In Korean restaurants, fried rice is a popular end-of-meal add-on.[5] After eating the main dishes cooked on a tabletop stove, cooked rice along with gimgaru (seaweed flakes) and
sesame oil is often added directly into the remains of the main dishes, stir-fried, and browned.
Kimchi-bokkeum-bap (김치볶음밥;
lit. "kimchi fried rice") is a popular variety of bokkeum-bap, prepared with
kimchi and a variable list of other ingredients.
Southeast Asia
Cambodia
Bai cha (បាយឆា) is the
Cambodian variation of fried rice and usually includes pork, sausages, eggs, garlic, soy sauce, and herbs.[6] There are numerous variations of the dish in Cambodia, including bai cha kapi (បាយឆាកាពិ) made with shrimp and
shrimp paste (kapi).[7]
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore
Nasi goreng means fried rice in both the
Indonesian and
MalaysianMalay languages. It is distinguished from other Asian fried rice recipes through the widespread use of sweet soy sauce (kecap/kicap manis) and ground shrimp paste. It is often accompanied by additional items such as a fried egg, fried chicken, satay, and condiments such as sambal, acar, and krupuk/keropok. It is endemic to Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and is also popular in the
Netherlands.
Nasi goreng pattaya is Malaysian-style nasi goreng wrapped inside an egg omelette. The fried rice is generally mixed with a variety of vegetables and meat and garnished with
tomato sauce. In Indonesia, the dish is called nasi goreng amplop.
Sambal fried rice found in
Singapore is a variation of fried rice made with
sambal, a condiment based on chilis and
belachan, derived from
Indonesian and
Malaysian influences.
There is also a famous fried rice from
Indonesian called "nasi goreng kambing" meaning "goat/lamb fried rice". It is made with several spices, such as bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, and cumin. It is accompanied with lamb, acar, and krupuk. It is derived from
Arab influences.[10]
Burmese fried rice (ထမင်းကြော်, htamin gyaw) normally uses Burmese fragrant short grain rice (rounder and shorter than other varieties). A popular plain version consists of rice, boiled peas, onions, garlic, and dark soy sauce. An accompanying condiment could be
ngapi kyaw (fried fish paste with shredded flakes) and fresh cucumber strips mixed with chopped onions, green
chili, and vinegar.
Philippines
Aligue rice, also known as "crab fat fried rice" or "aligue fried rice", is similar to sinangág, but with the notable addition of aligue (crab fat paste), which turns the dish a vivid orange-yellow. It can be combined with seafood like shrimp and squid and eaten as is, or eaten paired with meat dishes.[11]
Bagoong fried rice is a type of
Filipino fried rice using bagoong alamang (shrimp paste) as its main flavoring agent. Meat, scallions, as well as green mangoes are optionally additions.
Java rice, also called "yellow fried rice", is a
Filipino fried rice dish characterized by its yellow-orange color due to the use of
turmeric or
annatto. It is commonly seasoned with
pimiento, bell peppers, paprika or tomato ketchup. It is usually eaten with
chicken barbecue (inihaw) dishes.[12]
Sinangág, also called "garlic fried rice", is a
Filipino fried rice cooked by stir-frying pre-cooked rice with garlic. The rice used is preferably stale, usually leftover cooked rice from the previous day, as it results in rice that is slightly fermented and firmer. It is garnished with toasted garlic, salt, and black pepper. The rice grains are ideally loose and do not stick together.[14]
Sinangág is rarely eaten on its own, but is usually paired with a "dry" meat dish like
tocino,
longganisa,
tapa, or
spam. Unlike other types of fried rice, it does not normally use ingredients other than garlic, so it does not overwhelm the flavour of the main dish. When they do use other ingredients, the most common additions are scrambled eggs, chopped scallions, and cubed carrots. Cashews might also be added. Sinangág is a common part of a traditional Filipino breakfast, and it usually prepared with leftover rice from the dinner before. It is one of the components of the tapsilog breakfast and its derivatives.[14]
Fried rice (
Thai: ข้าวผัด,
RTGS: khao phat, pronounced[kʰâ(ː)wpʰàt]) in Thailand is typical of central
Thai cuisine. In
Thai, khao means "
rice" and phat means "of or relating to being
stir-fried". This dish differs from Chinese fried rice in that it is prepared with Thai
jasmine rice instead of regular long-grain rice. It normally contains meat (
chicken,
shrimp, pork, and
crab are all common),
egg,
onions,
garlic and sometimes
tomatoes. The seasonings, which may include
soy sauce, sugar, salt, possibly some
chili sauce, and the ubiquitous nam pla (
fish sauce), are stir-fried together with the other ingredients. The dish is then plated and served with accompaniments like
cucumber slices, tomato slices,
lime, sprigs of
green onion and
coriander, and prik nam pla, a spicy sauce made of
Thai chili,
fish sauce, and chopped garlic.
Curry fried rice is standard fried rice mixed with
curry powder for a spicier flavor.
Tava
pulav or tawa pulao is a fried rice dish from Mumbai.[15][16]
Nepal
Bhuteko bhat (भुटेको भात) is a
Nepalese version of fried rice generally eaten with
Achar; However, curry and dhal may also be served alongside it.[17]
Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan fried rice (
Sinhala: ෆ්රයිඩ් රයිස්), (
Tamil: வறுத்த அரிசி) is a
Sri Lankan variation of the original Chinese version. However,
basmati or other native varieties of rice are used and Sri Lankan spices are also added to it.[18][19]
Nasi goreng (
Sinhala: නාසි ගොරේන්) is a popular fried rice dish widely eaten throughout the country. It entered Sri Lankan cuisine through cultural influences from the
Malay and
Indonesian cuisines.[20]
Pacific
Hawaii
Hawaiian fried rice is a common style of fried rice in
Hawaii usually containing egg, green onions, peas, cubed carrots, and either
Portuguese sausage or
Spam, or both, and is sometimes available with kimchi added. It is normally cooked in
sesame oil.
Americas
Arroz frito is a denomination used in the
Spanish speaking world, meaning "fried rice", with adjectives describing the Chinese-inspired varieties, e.g. arroz chino, arroz cantonés, or local specialties arroz chaufa/chaulafán/chaufán/chofán, arroz frito tres delicias.
Chaulafan is the name for Chinese fried rice in
Ecuador. In Ecuador and Peru,
dark soy sauce is preferred in fried rice. Meats typically used are pork, beef, chicken or fish/seafood (e.g. shrimp).
Cuba
Arroz frito (Cuban fried rice) is very similar to "special fried rice". It can be found alongside typical criollo dishes in many
Cuban restaurants. This dish features ham, grilled pork, shrimp, chicken, and eggs, along with a variety of vegetables. Some restaurants add lechón (Cuban-style suckling pig), lobster tails, or crab.
Chinese Cubans are responsible for the dish's introduction.
Dominican Republic
An estimated 30,000 people of Chinese origin live in the
Dominican Republic. Migration from China began in the second half of the 19th century. Fried rice alongside fried chicken (chicarrón de pollo) has been the biggest influence. Dominican fried rice is known as chofán. The dish is made with leftover white rice, celery, peppers, onions, carrots, peas, soy sauce and ham, chicken, eggs or shrimp sautéed in vegetable oil.
Peru
Arroz chaufa is a popular name for Chinese fried rice in
Peru, belonging to the chifa kitchen. In
Chile, it is called arroz chaufán. The most common varieties are made using the same ingredients used in China. Some exotic versions may use dried meat, beef tongue, alligator, or lizard in place of more traditional meats. In some regions, the rice is replaced with quinoa or pearled wheat, while in others the rice is mixed with noodles. Aeropuerto is a big Peruvian arroz chaufa dish containing
fried noodles and many other additions.
Puerto Rico
Arroz mamposteao is a kind of fried rice in
Puerto Rico. It was brought to the island by Chinese immigrants and is usually made with leftover rice and typically Asian ingredients such as bean sprouts, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, combined with popular Puerto Rican ingredients such as red beans, sweet plantains, squash, bacon,
longaniza, and variety of vegetables. Puerto Rican fried rice is usually garnished with sesame seeds, avocado, cilantro, cheese or
aioli. Left over stew beans can also be added. The beans are typically stewed in
sofrito, tomato sauce, spices, pork, potatoes and other ingredients.
Ghanaian fried rice is one of the more contemporary dishes and can be found in almost every Ghanaian restaurant. It is usually made with Jasmine rice, long grain, or basmati rice. The rice is stir-fried with vegetables(carrots, spring onions, peas, green and red bell peppers), eggs, meats of choice(chicken, beef, shrimp), and spices like chili, curry powder, and salt. The sauces mixed with Ghanaian fried rice are usually soy sauce and chicken broth.
Nigeria
Nigerian fried rice is made with long-grain rice, diced fried cow liver (optional) or shrimp, protein ( chicken, pork, or shrimp), vegetables (such as carrots, peas, green beans, onions, and chillies), herbs and spices (such as thyme, pepper, and curry powder), and so on. This dish was created by the
Yoruba people and spread as a Nigerian staple.
Tanzania
Tanzania fried rice is made with long-grain rice, protein (such as beef liver, chicken, or shrimp), vegetables (such as carrots, peas, green beans, onions, and chillies), herbs and spices (such as thyme, pepper, and curry powder), and so on.