Din Tai Fung Fried Rice

4.99 from 56 votes

This Din Tai Fung style fried rice is easy to make at home but just as good as the restaurant! It's a simple egg fried rice with shrimp, scallions, and flavorful seasonings that are perfect for a weeknight meal.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

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!

Notes

Shrimp: Because one of the signatures of this dish is the large whole shrimp on top of the rice, I used U10-15 shrimp here. However, any size will work (and won't compromise the taste)! Just make sure your shrimp is raw. While it won't be exactly like Din Tai Fung's Fried Rice, you can also use a different protein if you prefer.

Rice: Din Tai Fung uses Nishiki medium grain rice but I prefer long grain white rice for this recipe because it has a lower moisture content than medium or short grain rice. In my opinion, Jasmine rice is the ideal rice for this dish.

Use leftover old rice (rice that was cooked previously and refrigerated for at least one day). OR You can cook rice in preparation for this dish and lay it out on a baking sheet uncovered, in the refrigerator overnight. This will help dry out the rice.

White Pepper: It has an earthier flavor than black pepper and more heat. If you enjoy cooking Asian food at home, I highly recommend buying some for your pantry. You can substitute with black pepper.

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.

MSG: As you know, I like to use MSG in moderation as a flavor enhancer. This is always optional.

My go-to neutral oil is Avocado Oil but you can also use Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil.

Success is in the Prep! This recipe for Din Tai Fung Fried Rice comes together extremely quickly once you start cooking - therefore, my KEY tip would be to have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go BEFORE you start cooking. This will prevent you from having to stop in the middle to prep ingredients for the next step, which can lead to overcooking or even burned food. I like to have everything separated and in individual bowls on the counter next to my wok or pan, so it is all easily accessible during cooking.

How to Plate Just like Din Tai Fung!

If you want to plate your Din Tai Fung Fried Rice just like the restaurant, set aside your cooked shrimp and DO NOT add it back into your cooked fried rice. Instead:

- Take a medium sized bowl and place your cooked shrimp on the bottom of the bowl.

- On top of the shrimp (on the bottom of the bowl), pack in your fried rice.

- Make sure your fried rice is packed in tightly - this will help the rice take on the shape of the bowl. You are essentially using the bowl as a mold.

- Once you are confident your fried rice has been packed in, take a flat plate and place it upside down, on top of the bowl (like a lid).

- Flip your plate and bowl on to a flat surface. The plate should now be on the bottom.

- Remove the bowl gently - you may need to shimmy it around to help the rice 'release' from the bowl. Voila - you should now have a similar presentation to how Din Tai Fung plates their Fried Rice!

Nutrition