Stir together scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, charred potato, and rice to make this satisfying one-pan meal that tastes way better than takeout! {Gluten-free adaptable}
If you share my love of potatoes, you’ll like this easy potato fried rice recipe!
Although Chinese restaurants often serve fried rice as a side dish, you can definitely make the dish more prominent and serve it as a main. For example, this fried rice contains more goodies than your average egg fried rice. It is loaded with bacon, potato, ham, and green peas, making the dish into a full meal.
Not only is it easy to make, but you can also cook it ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Simply heat it up in the microwave when you’re ready to serve.
If you’re hosting a small Chinese dinner party, fried rice is a great dish to add to your menu to elevate your guests’ dining experience.
This dish is perfect for your weekly meal plan as well. It contains a bit of carb, protein and vegetables, so it makes a delicious and healthy meal.
Four tricks to make the best potato fried rice
(1) Cook the bacon over low heat to render all the fat. Use the bacon fat to cook the potatoes and garnish the fried rice with crispy bacon.
(2) Cook the beaten egg half way through, and add the rice on top. This way you get both scrambled egg pieces and crispy rice that is coated with egg. Double yum!
(3) Use PLENTY of green onion. It is a key ingredient to make the rice fragrant. You can use regular onion as a substitute, but green onion always works best for fried rice.
(4) If you want the rice to be even more outstanding, use more oil and eggs. For 3 cups of rice, use 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil and 4 eggs. This is the best way to make crispy rice without making the dish very dry. Even better, cook everything in a wok for that heavenly smokiness.
More fried rice recipes
- Shrimp Fried Rice (扬州炒饭, Yang Zhou Chao Fan)
- Chinese Olive Fried Rice (橄榄菜炒饭)
- Easy Kimchi Fried Rice
- Jambalaya Fried Rice
- Mongolian Beef Fried Rice
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
Potato Fried Rice (土豆炒饭)
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 slices bacon chopped
- 1 cup diced potato 1/3-inch or 1-cm cubes
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce *Footnote 1
- 3 eggs beaten
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 1 cup diced ham or other leftover meat (chicken, beef, or shrimp)
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
- 4 green onions chopped, green and white part separated
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add 1/2 tablespoon oil and bacon to a large nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until the bacon turns dark brown and crispy. Turn to medium low heat if the pan starts to smoke. Transfer bacon to a plate and reserve the bacon fat in the pan.
- Add potato. Cook and stir until the surface turns golden brown. Add 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce. Stir a few times until the surface turns dark brown and the inside tender. If the potato isn’t cooked through, add 2 tablespoons water and immediately cover the pan. Let steam for a minute. Transfer the potato to the plate with the bacon.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and pour in egg. Cook until the bottom is set but the top side is still raw. Add rice on top of egg and spread it with a spatula, so the rice is coated with egg mixture. Use a spatula to break the rice into smaller morsels.
- Add frozen peas, ham, and green onion. Sprinkle cumin powder, white pepper powder and the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce.
- Stir and cook until the rice is well separated and the green peas are cooked, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add cooked potato back into skillet. Stir for another minute to mix everything well. Use a spoon to taste the rice and season with more salt if necessary.
- If you like your rice a bit crisped, turn off heat and let the rice continue cooking with the residual heat for 1 to 2 minutes without moving. Fluff with spatula.
- Serve hot as a light main or side.
Notes
- You can use soy sauce to replace light soy sauce. It results in a dish with darker color, but it does not affect taste. Use tamari for gluten free option.
Potato in fried rice? Never would have thought of this! But it’s a great twist
Looks very yummy love how the potatoes turned out and it’s nice to see another version of a fried rice
This is just dreamy! I consider fried rice as one of the ultimate comfort foods and love it when it is loaded with veggies and rich with flavors. I don’t think that I have ever had potato mixed in, that is definitely a novelty for me! Have to try your recipe Maggie!
Hi Maggie,
I just stumbled on your blog,and LOVE IT, your recipes,and your detailed explanations,plus your mouthwatering pictures keep me coming back,again and again,Thank you for all the great recipes.
Danae
Yesssss! Thanks for sharing this, Maggie! I used to order potato fried rice from a small but busy restaurant when I studied in China. I would eat this sometimes several times a week for lunch, although it was meant to be a side. People always looked at me a bit weird when we would come in and order a big container of this, and only this….silly 老外. Thank you!
I thought this recipe was wonderful but I’m torn on the cumin. It’s a tad overpowering so maybe next time I’ll add less than the recipe suggests. Otherwise, great easy dish!
Hi Erica, thanks for the feedback! I really love cumin flavor so I’m a big heavy hand on cumin sometimes. Yes, definitely try the recipe with less cumin the next time if you think it’s too much 🙂