Lard Fried Rice Classic Chinese

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Lard fried rice is a beloved Chinese comfort classic, especially in Shanghai and the Yangtze delta, where home cooks and street vendors keep a jar of rendered pork fat specifically for fried rice. The lard coats each grain with a silky, savory richness that vegetable oil cannot replicate, while the screaming-hot wok creates lightly crisp edges and that signature wok hei fragrance. Served with a runny fried egg or a few pickles, it is the soul of old-school Chinese home cooking.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (estimated)

• 480 kcalCalories
• 22 gFat
• 7 gSaturated Fat
• 55 gCarbs
• 2 gFiber
• 2 gSugar
• 14 gProtein
• 720 mgSodium
• 280 mgPotassium
• 60 mgCalcium
• 2 mgIron
• 6 mgVitamin C
• 80 mcgVitamin A

Ingredients

For the fried rice

• 3 tablespoons rendered pork lard
• 3 cups day-old cooked jasmine rice, cold and broken into loose grains
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup diced char siu or Chinese roast pork (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

Directions

1. If your rice is very clumpy, break it apart with wet hands or a fork so every grain is loose before it hits the wok.
2. Place a wok or large carbon-steel skillet over high heat until it just begins to smoke, then add the lard and swirl to coat. Heat until the lard shimmers and smells fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Pour in the beaten eggs and let them puff for a few seconds, then break them into bite-size curds with your spatula and stir for 15 seconds.
4. Add the garlic and scallion whites and stir-fry for 15 seconds until aromatic but not browned.
5. Add the cold rice and toss vigorously, pressing and lifting to coat every grain in the hot lard, for about 2 minutes until the rice is heated through and glossy.
6. Splash the soy sauce around the rim of the wok (not directly onto the rice) and add the Shaoxing wine, white pepper, sugar, and char siu if using. Toss for another 2 minutes, letting the rice sizzle against the hot metal.
7. Taste and season with salt, then fold in the scallion greens and give one final toss for 20 seconds. Serve immediately while the rice is still crackling.
8. Plate into warm bowls and top each serving with a freshly fried sunny-side-up egg if desired, letting the yolk run into the rice.

Cook’s Notes

• Day-old, refrigerator-cold rice is essential; freshly cooked rice has too much surface moisture and will steam into a sticky clump.
• Get the wok genuinely hot before adding lard. If the lard smokes heavily the moment it hits the pan, it is too hot and will taste acrid.
• Cook in two batches if doubling the recipe. Crowding the wok drops the temperature and prevents the grains from crisping.
• A pinch of MSG or a splash of chicken stock powder dissolved into the soy sauce deepens the umami without altering the classic flavor.
• For a Shanghai-style finish, top each bowl with a spoonful of sweet, dark soy-braised pork (红烧肉) so the juices soak into the rice.

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