Din Tai Fung Fried Rice
January 25, 2023
Chinese Fried Rice Main Dishes Recipes Seafood Wok
Whenever I go to Din Tai Fung, I always gravitate to their fried rice (in addition to their soup dumplings, of course!). Din Tai Fung Fried Rice is unique because it has the lighter color compared to your normal run of the mill Chinese takeout fried rice, which usually seasons the rice with soy sauce.
After making this dish a couple times now, I really enjoy how fluffy and flavorful the fried rice is when seasoned very simply. The color is absolutely beautiful and the succulent shrimp are a perfect compliment to the dish! On top of that, it comes together in about 20 minutes, so it’s perfect for a weeknight meal!
Watch the Din Tai Fung Fried Rice Recipe Video Below!
Ingredients for Din Tai Fung Fried Rice
Making Din Tai Fung Fried Rice is extremely easy and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, but it brings a ton of flavor! Here is what you’ll need:
- Shrimp – I used larger U10-15 shrimp here, but any size will work
- White Rice – I prefer long grain white rice that has been dried out uncovered in the fridge for this recipe (such as jasmine) due to the lower moisture content of the rice compared to short grain rice. On home stoves, this will result in fried rice that isn’t mushy!
- Scallions
- Eggs
- Kosher Salt
- White Pepper
- Baking Soda
- Sugar
- Chicken Bouillon powder
- MSG (optional)
- Neutral Oil
INGREDIENTS TIPS
USE DAY OLD LONG GRAIN WHITE RICE
I’ve made fried rice many times (some amazing, some very mushy), but drying out the rice uncovered in the fridge for a least a day will help reduce the moisture content in the rice. Using long grain rice helps even more, as long grain rice has less moisture content than short grain rice.
MSG
As always, this is optional 🙂
NEUTRAL OIL
My favorite neutral oil is avocado oil, but you can also use canola or vegetable oil! I don’t use olive oil when cooking Chinese food for two reasons: 1. It has a low burning point and 2. I find that the flavor profile does not usually go with the dish.
CHICKEN BOUILLON POWDER
Din Tai Fung Fried Rice is a much lighter color due to not using soy sauce as a seasoning ingredient. Chicken Bouillon Powder helps bring the flavor while keeping the lighter color in the overall dish.
Cooking Din Tai Fung Fried Rice: Recipe Instructions
This Din Tai Fung Fried Rice is incredibly easy to make and comes together in about 20 minutes! It doesn’t require a lot of ingredients and I love how simple but delicious the end result is.
Cook Your Shrimp
The first step in this recipe is to marinate your shrimp. For this fried rice, we’re using a very simple marinade consisting of kosher salt, white pepper, baking soda, and neutral oil. The baking soda will help firm up the shrimp and keep them crisp.
After marinating the shrimp, cook them in a pan over medium high heat with 1 tbsp of neutral oil for 2-3 minutes or until just cooked through. You don’t want too much color on them if you’re going for that signature Din Tai Fung Fried Rice look!
Sauté Scallion Whites and Cook Eggs
After the shrimp are removed, heat another 3 tbsp of oil to the pan and saute the scallion whites for a few seconds until fragrant. Then immediately add 4 large eggs and use your ladle or spatula to break them up and scramble them. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes until the eggs are about 70-80% cooked through and still slightly soft.
Add the White Rice
Immediately add the day old white rice and mix thoroughly until the egg and scallion is mixed in with the rice. Continue cooking over high heat until the rice is relatively dry and you are able to see the rice grains separating in the pan. This can take anywhere from 3-4 minutes depending on the heat of your stove. Add the seasonings and give it another good mix.
Add back Shrimp and Scallion Greens
Once the fried rice is nicely seasoned and dry (always taste and season according to your preference), add back your cooked shrimp and scallion greens. Give it another good mix to incorporate and your fried rice is done!
Serve immediately with and enjoy!
RECIPE TIPS
SUCCESS IS IN THE PREP!
For a recipe that comes together extremely quickly, the key to pulling this recipe off successfully is having your ingredients prepped and in bowls right next to your wok or pan! Have your rice, shrimp, seasonings, and aromatics ready and easily accessible during the cooking process.
ADJUST THE PROTEIN TO YOUR LIKING!
While this dish traditionally uses shrimp, you can also do this with sliced chicken or steak!
If you liked this recipe, check out some of the most popular Chinese Take-Out recipes on the blog!
Din Tai Fung Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups white rice day old dried out in fridge uncovered; uncooked measurement, recommend long grain rice
- 4 scallions chopped, whites and greens separated
- 4 eggs large
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp msg optional
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 4 tbsp neutral oil avocado or canola
Shrimp Marinade
- 1/2 lb shrimp I used large U10-15
- 1 tsp neutral oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Clean and devein shrimp and marinate with kosher salt, white pepper, baking soda, and neutral oil for 15 minutes.
- In a wok or pan over high heat, add 1 tbsp of neutral oil and cook the shrimp for 2 minutes or until just cooked through and remove.
- In the same pan over medium high heat, heat 3 tbsp of neutral oil and fry scallion whites for 15 seconds.
- Immediately add 4 large eggs and scramble, combining with the scallion whites. Cook for 45 seconds or until the eggs are about 75% cooked through (soft and slightly runny).
- Turn the heat to high and add the day old white rice. Mix to incorporate the eggs, scallion and rice and continue cooking until the rice is dry and separated, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add salt, sugar, white pepper, msg, and chicken bouillon powder, then mix thoroughly into the rice until incorporated. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
- Add back the cooked shrimp and scallion greens, toss and cook for another minute and enjoy!
Amazing recipe! This came out perfect when I made it last night for my family. This will be on the weekly rotation!
I love how you list the ingredients. Every recipe I’ve tried has turned out great, and I’m not even a really good cook so that’s saying something.
Thank you and keep up the good work!
Thank you so much, Lisa! I appreciate your support and glad you’re enjoying the recipes!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I also made beef and broccoli last night and it was so good. I’ll be cooking more of your recipes and post my thoughts. Thanks again!
Thanks, Mel! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this for lunch along with the Din Tai Fung Cucumbers!!! I just so happened to have everything on hand and it was perfect!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it Vanessa!
Absolutely love this rice. I accidentally added too much pepper but it was still amazing.
I’m so glad it turned out great! Even with the extra pepper 🙂
Super delicious – I’m allergic to shrimp so I replaced with peas. Delicious with sriracha!