Why is my fried rice clumpy?

Your fried rice may be clumpy for several different reasons. The most likely cause of clumpy fried rice is because your rice that has too much moisture. It’s usually recommended to use day old rice, which has less moisture since it dries out in a cold environment. Another important note is that even if you’re using day old rice on softer / wet rice, it may still be clumpy. If you intend to make fried rice, take the normal amount of water you use to make rice, and use 2 tablespoons less. If you want to make fried rice the same day with cooked rice, use 20% less water and spread the rice on a sheet tray to let it cool and draw some of the moisture out.

Can I use frozen rice?

You can use previously frozen rice that has been defrosted. I tried making this with frozen rice straight from the freezer, and end up with clumpy fried rice. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely not the best outcome. However, I HAVE made this with rice that was frozen and defrosted, and it turned out really well.

Can I meal prep this?

Absolutely. Store the fried rice, salmon, and broccoli separately and reheat gently when ready to eat.

Can I use frozen salmon?

I highly recommend defrosting the salmon before cooking. There may be ways to cook salmon directly from frozen, but I find the texture to be best if it’s completely thawed.

Honey Soy Glazed Salmon Fried Rice Bowls

Description

These salmon fried rice bowls hit all the right notes: crispy, savory rice, tender honey soy glazed salmon, and spicy roasted broccoli to round it out. Everything cooks quickly for a family friendly, delicious weeknight dinner.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Fried Rice:

2 cups of cooked day old white rice
2 tablespoons of neutral oil
2 stalks of scallions
Kosher salt

For the Honey Soy Roast Salmon

16 ounces of salmon, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon of honey
2.5 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 stalk of green onion, chopped
1 teaspoon of rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds (optional)

For the spicy roast broccoli

2 cups of broccoli florets
Neutral oil
Kosher salt
Pinch of red pepper flake
Black pepper

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

For the fried rice:

Thinly slice the scallions.
Wet your hands slightly, then begin to break apart the fried rice. You want to use day old rice so that the rice grains don’t clump together. Breaking apart the fried rice before adding to the pan is another trick to ensure the best textured fried rice.
Heat a large pan on high heat. I like to use a cast iron or a pan that can retain heat.
Add the 2 tablespoons of neutral oil and the sliced scallions. Begin to let the scallions fry and become aromatic, about 30 seconds.
Add the rice and a large pinch of kosher salt. Begin to mix together with a spatula or chopsticks. Fry for 3-4 minutes, until all the rice is coated with oil and hot.
Taste, add additional kosher salt as desired, then the fried rice is ready to serve.

For the salmon:

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Make the salmon marinade by combining the soy sauce, honey, chili oil, rice wine vinegar, sesame seeds, minced garlic, and chopped scallions.
Dice the salmon into 1” cubes, then toss this with the marinade.
Add the marinated salmon to a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes at 400 F.

For the spicy broccoli:

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Cut the broccoli florets into 1” sized pieces. Add this to a baking sheet, then drizzle over neutral oil, kosher salt, black pepper, and a pinch of red chili flake.
Roast at 400F for 10 minutes, or until the broccoli is slightly golden brown and tender.

Notes

I typically cook the salmon and the broccoli on the same pan. As long as you cut the broccoli into relatively smaller 1” pieces, it should take just as long to cook as the salmon.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Category: Quick and easy
Method: Stove-top
Cuisine: Asian