I finally did something that had been on my to-do list for 16 months. I have no idea why it took me so long, but now that it’s done, I can tell you all about it.
In 2024, I attended the Thanksgiving dinner at the Spray Grange. It was a cozy affair, much like a big family dinner. The Grange supplied the turkey, ham and roast beef and everyone else brought the side dishes. People showed up with their best effort ‒ no Costco or Safeway deli food was in sight ‒ and I had to restrain myself because I wanted to try everything. But that year, I tasted something so delicious I wanted to eat only that, to the exclusion of all else. I piled my plate high with it and even went back for thirds, though I managed to leave room for pumpkin pie.
I tracked down the cook, Mai Edwards, and asked her about . . . the most awesome fried rice I’d ever eaten. She rattled off the recipe, which I hoped to remember, but didn’t. Over the following months, I’d see her every now and then and ask for the recipe, then proceed to forget it again. We finally arranged a phone call, and I rounded up a pen and paper.
This recipe has details that make a big difference. Small things definitely matter! In the past when I’ve made fried rice, I used my favorite rice: a long-grain smoked basmati grown in the foothills of the Himalayas. It was good – you can’t go wrong with that rice – but it didn’t have the same wonderful texture as Mai’s. So when I got the recipe, the first question I asked was “What kind of rice do you use?”
Any medium-grain rice will do but her favorite is Calrose. That rice is grown in California and has a soft and slightly sticky texture that works beautifully in fried rice. Mai gave me some to try and I cooked it the way I usually do: one cup rice to two and a half cups water. The rice made so many bubbles while simmering away, it looked like it was taking a bubble bath. But when the rice cooled, it was one sticky, gluey lump. Where did I go wrong?
I called Mai to troubleshoot. She uses one cup rice to one and a half cups water plus a tablespoon of rice wine vinegar and some salt. She also rinses the rice several times in cold water to wash away the excess starch.
That’s where perfect fried rice begins — not in the frying pan, but in the pot. Next week I’ll tell you what happens next.