I am not an Asian grandmother, so my recipe is not gospel. I used to be a chef and learned a lot from people I worked/studied with.
It's always a little different, but the basics are: long grain white rice of your choice (jasmine, basmati, etc., NOT minute rice), egg, green onion (garnish), soy sauce (in the rice a little, garnish to taste), sriracha (garnish to taste, it can be spicy), mixed vegetables (peas & carrots, optional), protein of your choice (optional), cabbage (optional). We tend to kitchen-sink it, as it becomes a one pot meal for our 7-person household.
The rice gets cooked the day before and let cool. Leave it out overnight, cover it with a towel to keep out the bugs, but it needs to dry out a bit. This is the most critical step.
I cook everything separately, and throw it in a mixing bowl, the rice is cooked last, so you can get a nice crisp on some of it and it will soak up all the flavors and crispy bits from the previous items you cook. Do it to taste, which is probably the most irritating thing you hear from a chef, until you realize what your taste is, then it makes sense. Remember you can always add more salt (soy sauce), but you can't ever take it back. Mix it up after everything is cooked and have at.
We also add garlic, regular onion, whatever works for that day. You only need a little oil in the bottom of the wok for each item that gets sautéed, and have some water on the side just in case something is cooking too fast and might burn. He's a little blue, but I appreciate Uncle Roger's attitude toward fried rice, .
Have fun!
