The rice you find at the Chinese restaurant is usually Jasmine, but you can steam most regular white long-grain rice varieties.
The answer: high heat, expert tosses, and something known as 'wok hei. ' As J. Kenji López-Alt writes for Serious Eats, expert cooking with a wok (and the gas range it requires) is one of the main reasons that fried rice from a Chinese restaurant tastes so much better than what you can make at home.
In Fried Rice, most quick-service restaurants (QSRs) use long-grain white rice like Basmati, whereas Jasmine Rice is used in Chinese Rice. If you love rice unconditionally, you should definitely try out Fried Rice varieties (available in veg & no-veg) from Hong's Kitchen.
Generally speaking, short/medium-grain japonica rice is preferred in Northeast China whereas long-grain indica rice is preferred in the South.
Nutrition-wise, both jasmine and basmati contain just trace amounts of fat and will give you a little protein boost, but basmati has a lower glycemic index (around 57-67 to jasmine's 68-80 range), meaning it raises blood sugar more slowly and creates a better effect of fullness.
Jasmine Rice From Thailand
Arguably the most common rice variety across Asia, the medium-grain rice stands out for its distinctive floral fragrance, which alludes to its sweet-smelling jasmine flower.
Rice selection
Long grain white rice is the best to use as it holds its shape and stays separate when stir-fried. Plus, it's less sticky compared to short-grain rice. Jasmine is my top choice because it has a light floral aroma, is not too sticky when cooked, and is slightly dry in texture.
Rice: Use any long grain or medium grain thin rice. Any rice labelled as long grain, basmati or jasmine work well to make fried rice. Avoid using short fat grains as they have more starch content and likely to turn sticky after cooking.
Rinsing rice before cooking is an Asian practice to remove dirt, dust and excess starch; but it's actually optional. However, we recommend cooking with a little less water if you rinse, because, without the starch to absorb the bit of extra water, your white rice may turn out too mushy.
There are a few different seasonings that make fried rice taste just right. The most important sauces to add are soy sauce, oyster sauce, and fish sauce in fried rice. All three add unique flavors to rice, but it can be easy to go overboard. Make sure you add small amounts of each and regularly taste the rice.
Composition. Glutinous rice is distinguished from other types of rice by having no (or negligible amounts of) amylose and high amounts of amylopectin (the two components of starch). Amylopectin is responsible for the sticky quality of glutinous rice.
IMPORTANT NOTE: if you want it to taste like true restaurant style, you need to put the rice only in a pot over high heat and stir it around for about 5 minutes or so before cooking. it helps the grains of rice to stay separate (more like restaurant style) and less sticky.
Take Chinese congee as an example. Congee is a porridge cooked and eaten during breakfast, it's bland and creamy. So, going back to the question in the title, Arborio rice is a great option for this recipe as it has a great amount of starch.
Lo mai fan is a traditional rice dish originating from China. It's often served as a part of dim sum meals. Chinese sticky rice, as it's also known, is made with a combination of glutinous rice, shiitake mushrooms, shrimps, soy sauce, Chinese sausage, scallions, salt, pepper, sugar, and sesame oil.
Boiled rice tends to produce a firmer, more distinct grain, and works better with long-grain varieties such as basmati. Steaming turns out stickier rice, which works well for sushi or dishes that might be eaten with chopsticks, and recipes that generally call for shorter-grain rice, such as Spanish Valencia or Calrose.
White basmati rice is the most popular type used in Chinese restaurants. Basmati rice cooks quickly and has a fluffy texture. Basmati rice pairs well with stir fry dishes, curries, and other flavorful dishes.
What is the best rice to use for fried rice? Long grain rice, such as basmati or jasmine, is a good choice because it is light and fluffy. This type of rice will absorb the flavors of the other ingredients in the dish without becoming too mushy.
The fine, long grains of jasmine rice with its delicate flavour are perfect for fried rice. Precook the rice at least 30 minutes, but preferably one day, before making fried rice and keep it uncovered in the fridge.
When used to make fried rice, jasmine rice may beat out basmati rice because of its ability to crisp up without breakage. Because basmati is a longer, drier, less starchy grain, it tends to break when stir-fried.
Basmati rice is a North Indian variety of rice grown in the foothills of the Himalayas. This rice can be described as having a nutty flavor with a hint of floral notes. Many chefs and home cooks like working with basmati rice because it has a long grain that is slightly tapered at the end.
The most widely consumed rice in Japan is a cultivar of Japonica rice, a short-grain rice with a firm texture. Compared to its long-grain counterparts such as jasmine and basmati, Japonica rice is characterized by its plump shape and sticky texture that makes it easy to pick up with chopsticks.
Thai Jasmine Rice is Thailand's most popular and well known type of rice. Primarily grown in Thailand and other countries in Southeast Asia, this rice is of a long-grain variety but has a softer and stickier consistency once cooked compared to other types of long grain rice.
Mepssal, or uncooked short grain rice, is the kind of rice Koreans use for all their meals. It's also called “sushi rice” in Western grocery stores. It's stickier than long grain rice, and can be found in all Asian grocery stores.
Soaking basmati rice helps the rice expand to its full length. Make sure the water boils and then immediately turn it down – don't let too much water evaporate. Tight lid is important. Use foil if you don't have a tight seal.