How to cook rice (Thai style / Chinese takeaway style)

Although there are a wide variety of instant rice packs available nowadays, the fragrance and texture of freshly cooked rice is far superior.  It’s much more cost effective too and with the method detailed below you’ll find, I hope, that you achieve perfect results every time.

I use Green Dragon jasmine rice to accompany Thai / Chinese takeaway style dishes.  The absorption method described below is fool-proof and takes less than half an hour, including the time it takes to wash the rice before cooking.  Another great advantage to cooking it this way is that the final step sees the rice put to one side to rest for 10 minutes, leaving ample time to prepare an accompanying stir fry dish.

For egg fried rice, simply cook the rice the day before and your cooked and cooled rice will be perfectly ready the next day to be transformed into Chinese takeaway style fried rice.

It’s easy to increase the quantity of rice cooked simply by ensuring the ratios are kept the same (1 part rice to 1.5 parts water) – so for every portion of rice needed, 100g of jasmine rice with 150ml of water will give perfect results.

Jasmine Rice (absorption method)
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
12 mins
Resting Time
10 mins
Total Time
27 mins
 
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Chinese, Thai, Chinese Takeaway
Keyword: rice, jasmine rice, steamed rice
Servings: 1 portion
Ingredients
  • 100 grams jasmine rice
  • 150 ml water
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl or pot, cover the rice with water and mix gently by hand. Drain off the cloudy, starchy water. Repeat this process twice more until the water is clear. Pour the rice through a sieve and rinse once more, then add the drained rice to a pot.

  2. Add the water to the rice and heat on full heat until boiling. As soon as the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to the lowest possible available, cover with a lid and cook for 12 minutes.

  3. After 12 minutes, switch off the heat and leave the rice covered for a further 10 minutes.

  4. Gently fluff up the rice with a fork and pour into a serving bowl to serve alongside your favourite Chinese or Thai stir-fry dishes. If the rice is intended for later use as fried rice, pour the cooked rice on to a plate and cool quickly before covering and placing in the fridge for 24 hours.

Recipe Notes

This absorption method works every time.  To make more than one portion at a time, simply increase the volume of ingredients whilst sticking to the 1 part rice 1.5 parts water ratio.

Green Dragon Thai jasmine rice is aromatic and is used widely in the takeaway industry.  It’s perfect for both plain cooked jasmine rice and egg fried rice. 


With your rice cooked and ready to eat, you can pair it with your favourite Thai / Chinese takeaway style main course.  If you’d like to use your cooked rice to make egg fried rice, spread the cooked rice on to a plate, cool it as quickly as possible (you can fan the rice for a minute or two to speed this up), cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, your rice will have dried out and should be ready to turn into egg fried rice using the recipe detailed below.

Egg Fried Rice
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Chinese, Chinese Takeaway
Keyword: rice, jasmine rice, fried rice, egg fried rice
Servings: 1 portion
Ingredients
Rice prep
  • 1 portion jasmine rice cooked, cooled and refrigerated for 24 hours
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 1 pinch msg
  • 1 dash dark soy sauce
  • 1 dash light soy sauce
Egg prep
  • 1 egg
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 1 pinch white pepper
  • 1 pinch msg
  • 1 dash sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon water
Time to cook!
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
Rice prep
  1. In a large bowl, combine the cooked and cooled jasmine rice, vegetable oil, sea salt, msg, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce. Use a fork to mix the ingredients well, pressing down on any clumps of rice to separate.

Egg prep
  1. In a small bowl, combine egg, sea salt, white pepper, msg, toasted sesame oil and water. Mix well.

Time to cook!
  1. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a wok over a medium heat. Add the whisked egg mixture and cook for 20-30 seconds until the egg is just beginning to set.

  2. Add the prepared rice mix. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, tossing and stirring the rice often to ensure it heats evenly.

  3. Increase the heat to high and stir-fry for a further 1 minute. Pour the rice into a serving tray or bowl and serve with your favourite Chinese stir fry dishes.

Recipe Notes

If you like a darker fried rice, simply increase the amount of dark soy sauce added to the rice before cooking.  Green Dragon Thai jasmine rice is aromatic and is used widely in the takeaway industry.  It’s perfect for both plain cooked jasmine rice and egg fried rice.

4 thoughts on “How to cook rice (Thai style / Chinese takeaway style)

  1. Love the post, I also have green dragon rice but in my rice cooker it comes out too sticky I’m washing properly so I must be using too much water, will the ratio you mentioned work in a rice cooker.?

    1. Thanks Alex – I have to be honest and say I’ve never used a rice cooker although I have been tempted to get one over the years. I use a small pot with a lid and the results are so consistent using the quantities I mentioned that it comes out perfect every time – I’d definitely give it a try with those quantities in your rice cooker. Let me know how it goes!

  2. I saw your story in BBC and really touched by your journey becoming a more confident person due to doing something you enjoy and make friends on the way. Well, as an ethnic Chinese mother (I work full time but love cooking for my family) I want to check your Chinese food ? so I checked this fry rice recipe. Overall the way you cooking is right but pls omit MSG in any ingredient as they are not healthy instead you may find chicken or vegetable stock powder in supermarkets. For frying eggs, no need to add water. For my family, I add chopped ham, sweetcorn and peas too to have nicer mixed colour and more vegetable.
    I think I’ll buy some of your books for myself and for children who are leaving for universities or move out.
    I hope one day you will overcome your fear and comfortable enough to have cookery workshop or going to school to inspire people or children similar issues like you.
    All the best and take care

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