Granny’s Soya Egg Fried Rice In 5 Minutes
Got leftover rice from last night?
Looking for a quick, easy, and healthy dinner after a long day?
Try this Soy Egg Fried Rice—it’s simple, delicious, and ready in minutes!
Fried rice is one of the most common dishes you’ll find in Asian restaurants. At these restaurants, fried rice is often fancy, loaded with ingredients, plenty of oil, and cooked over big flames to create a special aroma. Does that make you feel like you can’t make delicious fried rice at home? Don’t worry! The truth is, the most delicious fried rice is the simplest—like a basic egg fried rice you make yourself. You’ll never get tired of it!
Simple, yet not so simple, Soy Egg Fried Rice is quick and easy to make. This dish combines the fragrance of eggs with the rich flavour of soy sauce. The key to making it delicious is all about timing—knowing exactly when to caramelise the soy sauce. Just a few seconds can make all the difference. This Soy Egg Fried Rice is simple, but so good you’ll want to make it again and again.
This dish is special to me because it’s one of my favourite foods made by my grandma. After moving to Australia, I missed her soy egg fried rice so much. I tried many times to recreate it, experimenting with portions and perfecting the steps. Now, I’ve streamlined the recipe so it’s easy for anyone to follow. I’d love to share it with you, so you can enjoy it too.
You might wonder, why does a simple egg fried rice recipe need such a long post? A good-smelling soy egg fried rice that makes everyone want more—well, all the secrets are in these details, after many rounds of experimenting. For a good soy egg fried rice, the rice needs to be firm and dry, but not too dry, and it can’t stick together. In this recipe, our sense of smell is key to knowing when to move to the next step and timing everything perfectly.
With my tips, you can make perfect Soy Egg Fried Rice in just 5 minutes. It only uses 5 ml of oil, and if you use multigrain or brown rice like I do, it becomes a healthy, low-GI dish with great protein.
Try this simple yet flavorful Soy Egg Fried Rice—you’ll never get tired of it!
Difficulty: simple
Health features: Good protein from eggs, healthy carbohydrate from rice
Time: 5 minutes
Serve: 1
Ingredients
Rice (leftover rice from the night before): 150g (1 bowl)
Egg: 2
Soy sauce: 10 ml (adjustable according to personal preference)
Olive oil: 5ml
Tips for choosing ingredients
Rice: You can use white rice, medium-grain rice, brown rice, multigrain rice, jasmine rice, or basmati rice. Avoid sticky varieties like sushi rice or sticky rice—they’re not ideal for fried rice. Leftover rice from the previous day works best because it’s drier and keeps the grains separate, which is key for good fried rice. If you only have freshly cooked rice, that’s fine too, but this recipe is a great way to use up leftovers.
Soy sauce: The type of soy sauce you use is important because it affects the flavour of the dish. Stick to regular soy sauce, as flavoured soy sauce or soya sauce for specific functions can change the taste. Different brands have unique flavours, and some are saltier than others. For soy egg fried rice, I recommend Kikoman, Wan Jia Shan, or Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce, which are popular in Asian supermarkets. If you’re in Australia, you can find soy sauce at Coles or Woolworths, but Asian supermarkets usually offer better prices and more options. If you’re not sure how to pick your first regular soy sauce, check out my previous post - Must-Have Condiments for the Asian Cuisine - for tips to help you choose!
Olive oil: Use olive oil or any mild cooking oil. Avoid strong-flavoured oils, as they can overpower the taste of the soy egg fried rice.
Quick Steps Snapshot
Heat the pan: Add 5ml of oil and heat on high (for stainless steel) or medium (for non-stick) flame.
Scramble the eggs: Crack the eggs into the pan and stir to scramble into medium-sized chunks.
Add the rice: Once the eggs release their aroma, add the rice and stir to combine.
Caramelise the soy sauce: Lower the heat or turn off the flame if the pan is too hot, then create space in the pan and add 5ml of soy sauce.
Mix the rice and soy sauce: When the soy sauce bubbles and caramelises, quickly mix it with the rice and eggs. Turn on the flame to medium heat if you turn it off just now.
Stir-fry: Stir for 10-15 seconds until the aroma of fried rice is strong, then turn off the heat.
Serve: Enjoy a healthy and aromatic soya egg fried rice!
Detailed Step-By-Step Guidance
1. Add 5ml of olive oil to the pan and heat on high flame (stainless steel pan)/medium flame (other non-stick pans).
I use a stainless steel pan. To make it non-stick, heat the pan on high flame until you see the oil starts to form lines. This should take around 3 minutes. Then, turn off the flame for 30 seconds to 1 minute to let the pan cool slightly. After that, switch the flame to medium heat, and the pan is ready to stir-fry the eggs! For more details and a video on making a non-stick stainless steel pan, check out my post - Say Goodbye to Sticking Stainless Steel Pans with Easy Tips.
If you're using a non-stick pan, you do not need to worry about this step. Just heat the oil with a medium flame.
2. Set the heat to medium, then crack the eggs directly into the pan. Stir quickly to scramble them into medium-sized chunks.
There’s no need to beat the eggs in a bowl first, but you can do so if you prefer.
3. When the fried eggs release their aroma, it’s time to add the rice to the pan. Stir thoroughly and continue cooking until you can smell the combined aroma of the eggs and rice.
It’s important to wait for the eggs to release their fragrance before adding the rice, as the signature flavour of soy egg fried rice comes from the blend of egg and soy sauce.
If you’re using leftover rice, it might clump together. Use your spatula to press and separate the rice gently. A key to great fried rice is ensuring the grains are firm and separate—not wet or sticky.
Mix the rice and eggs thoroughly, but avoid breaking the scrambled egg chunks too much. This way, you’ll still get bits of scrambled egg in every bite.
4. Caremalise soy sauce: lower the heat to low. Create a small space in the centre of the pan and add 10 ml of soy sauce.
If you’re using a stainless steel pan or feel the pan is too hot, you can turn off the heat before adding the soy sauce. This prevents the soy sauce from burning as soon as it hits the pan.
The soy sauce is added in the centre to keep the rice from soaking up before we have a chance to caramelise the soy sauce.
You can adjust the amount of soy sauce to suit your taste. The amount in this recipe is on the lighter side, as I prefer it healthier and less salty. If your soy sauce is particularly salty, you might want to reduce it to 5 ml.
5. Once you see lots of bubbles in the soy sauce, quickly mix in the rice and egg. Steps 4 and 5 should only take 2-3 seconds.
When the soy sauce starts bubbling, you'll smell the caramelised aroma, which is different from the smell of raw soy sauce.
As soon as you notice the caramelised soy sauce aroma, mix it with the rice and egg immediately to prevent the soy sauce from burning. If the soy sauce is over-caramelised, the aroma will change.
6. Use medium flame and continue stir-frying for 10-15 seconds to bring out the full aroma of the egg, rice, and caramelised soy sauce. You’ll notice the smell of the egg-fried rice becoming stronger—that’s when you should turn off the heat.
Turn the flame to medium heat if you turn it off now.
7. Ready to serve! I love pairing it with boiled broccoli or other green vegetables for a balanced and nutritious meal.
Try Today! My Favourite Granny’s Soya Egg Fried Rice in 5 Minutes 😋
I hope you enjoy this soy egg fried rice. It’s one of my favourite recipes from my granny and my go-to easy, quick, and healthy dinner. Fried rice is such a big part of Taiwanese cuisine and other Asian food cultures, and I’m excited to share more fried rice recipes with you in future posts. I’d love to hear from you!
Leave a comment below and let me know which fried rice recipes you’d like to see next. Your suggestions are always welcome! 😊