How to Make Egg Fried Rice

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★

Essential Ingredients and Tools

Cold cooked rice
Eggs
Ham
Cucumber
Carrot
Cooking oil
Salt
Pepper powder
Light soy sauce
Scallions (green onions)
Cooked meats such as Dengying beef shreds, luncheon meat, Chinese sausage, or braised pork... (optional substitutes)

For the rice preparation, you can refer to How to Make Rice.

Determine how many servings you plan to make before starting. One serving is sufficient for 1-2 people.

Total quantities:

Use the above parameters to calculate the required proportion of raw materials.

Break up the cold rice into small pieces using a spatula in advance.
Slice or cube the ham, carrots, cucumbers, etc., as needed.
If you have cooked meat on hand, prepare it for better flavor.
Separate the egg whites and yolks. Beat each separately in a large bowl. Note: Do not add salt at this stage.
Heat a wok over high heat until it starts to smoke. Add cooking oil, then pour in the egg whites. Once they solidify, remove them from the wok and set aside.
If there is enough oil, add the egg yolks directly. If not, add more cooking oil and heat it over high heat.
Once the egg yolks solidify, reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the ham, cooked meat, carrots, cucumbers, and other prepared ingredients. Stir-fry for 10 seconds until fragrant.
Add the egg whites back in. Stir-fry for 5 seconds, then quickly add the rice. Stir-fry over high heat to ensure every grain of rice is coated with egg.
During the stir-frying process, break up any clumps of rice. This step takes longer; continue until the rice is fully broken down and evenly mixed.
Reduce the heat to low. Add salt, pepper powder, and light soy sauce.
Stir-fry further until well combined. The dish is nearly done when you see the rice grains "jumping" in the wok.
Finally, add the scallions and stir-fry for another 10 seconds.
Turn off the heat and transfer to a bowl.

Technical Summary
Using overnight cold rice yields the best results. If you don't have cold rice, you can cook fresh rice and cool it rapidly in the refrigerator. However, achieving a "distinct grain" texture will require longer stir-frying.
To achieve the "distinct grain" texture, the rice must be fried until dry. Overnight rice is preferred because it has already lost some moisture.

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improving the process outlined in this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull Request.