Easy Vietnamese Fried Rice (Cơm Chiên) Recipe

Let Vietnamese fried rice (Cơm chiên) dispel your misunderstanding of fried rice as an oily, greasy dish. You will be hard-pressed to find a wonderful combination of succulent sausage, nutty rice, refreshing vegetables, and savory seafood like the deep flavor profile this recipe boasts.

While the description sounds complicated, this rice delight is fairly fast to whip up. Why should you order takeouts while you can prepare a cheaper and tastier homemade dish like this one? Let’s get to work and scroll down to learn the specifics of this recipe!

What Is So Special About Vietnamese Fried Rice (Cơm Chiên)

Fried rice is such a ubiquitous dish that there are countless versions of it all over the world. So what makes the Vietnamese-style one stand out? It is probably the inclusion of aromatic rice, the extensive use of vegetables that characterizes Vietnamese cooking, and the seasoning.

Like other dishes from this Southeast Asian country, Vietnamese fried rice requires a few sauces for full-flavored goodness. Though the iconic Vietnamese fish sauce (nước mắm) is missing from this recipe, feel free to add it to intensify the flavor.

Of course, there is no fixed recipe for fried rice: you can leave out anything you don’t have or add some ingredients that are available in the fridge. That is the beauty of the dish! But I’m certain that this recipe captures the spirit of what a Vietnamese specialty should look and taste like.

Vietnamese people often cook fried rice for breakfast. You can do so, too, but this special recipe is scrumptious enough to be the main dish for any time of the day. Just cook it and see for yourself!

Tools

Before setting out to make this easy yet addictive dish, take a few minutes to gather the following kitchen gadgets.

• Chopping board and knife: for preparing the ingredients. Use different sets for raw and cooked ingredients.
• Skillet: It can be replaced with a wok. Choose a large one in case you want to cook for many people and vice versa.
• Spatula: for stirring the rice and other ingredients during the cooking process.

Ingredients

Fried rice is a versatile dish: you can adjust the ingredients according to what you already have. But you can use the following list as references to create an all-around dish with diverse flavors and plenty of nutrients.

• Starch: This recipe uses cold white rice, but you can opt for brown one for a healthier choice. Typically, refrigerated leftover rice works best, but you can also use fresh rice as long as you leave it in the fridge for a few hours first.
• If you can get your hands on Vietnamese aromatic rice varieties, such as jasmine rice, ST24 rice, or Japonica rice, that will be fantastic! Otherwise, any type of long-grain rice will do.
• Proteins: are provided by shrimp, sausage, and chicken eggs. In case you want to toss in a few pieces of ham or bacon, feel free to do so, though that isn’t exactly the Vietnamese way.
• Vegetables: The main ingredients are corn kernels, string beans, cowhorn peppers, and carrots. You can see that they all have a firm, crunchy texture that makes the fried rice more interesting to enjoy.
• Don’t hesitate to add more vegetables, provided that they are just as firm.
• Sauces: Oyster sauce, soy sauce, and chili sauce are responsible for the savoriness of the dish. Do you have some Vietnamese fish sauce lying around? Add it in at the end of the cooking for even more richness.
• Olive oil: to fry the rice. You can replace it with other choices with a high smoking point, such as coconut oil or avocado oil.
• Cashew oil: to give your fried rice an appealing amber-hued color.

Follow These Easy Steps For The Most Delicious Vietnamese Fried Rice

I guarantee it will only take you about half an hour to prepare this wonderful dish. Don’t believe me? Set the timer and find out the truth right away!

Step 1: Prepare The Ingredients

Deseed and julienne the cowhorn pepper. Dice the carrots, string beans, and sausage.

Clean the shrimp before deveining them and removing their head. Next, chop them into small pieces.

Step 2: Cook The Eggs

Heat some olive oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 chicken eggs to the skillet and cook for 2 – 3 minutes or until they achieve your desired level of runniness. Break them apart with a spatula. Plate them and set aside.

 Step 3: Cook The Rice

Clean the skillet, then add olive oil and heat it again. Pour in cold rice and cook for 5 – 10 minutes. Stir them well to prevent the rice from getting burned.

Mix the rice with some cashew oil and continue to stir well. When the color has set, add oyster sauce and soy sauce to the rice, plus seasonings to taste. Cook for a few more minutes and set aside.

Step 4: Cook The Other Ingredients

Clean the skillet. Stir-fry the vegetables in olive oil over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add chopped shrimp and cook for another 3 – 5 minutes.

Finally, add the cooked rice, scrambled eggs, sausage cubes, and julienned cowhorn peppers to the skillet. Season with brown sugar, soup powder, black pepper, and chili sauce. Stir well to mix, then turn off the heat. Plate and serve.

How To Store Vietnamese Fried Rice

Vietnamese fried rice is highly suitable for meal prep. You can cook it and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 – 5 days at most. Whenever you want to savor its diverse flavors, a few minutes of reheating on the stovetop or microwave is enough.

This dish is also great for long-term storage. You can freeze it for 3 months as long as it is kept in a freezer-friendly bag.

Light Up Your Day With Vietnamese Fried Rice

Do you want an energy boost delivered in the most delicious and easiest way? Vietnamese fried rice is the answer to your prayer. You can conveniently change the recipe with anything you have, but remember to keep the Vietnamese spirit of balance in taste and nutrition.

Can you tell me and other readers how your fried rice attempt went in the comment section? If you have a question to ask or a great tip to share, don’t be afraid to do so. Before you go, please share this post on your social media. Thank you, and see you later!