If you love fried rice, you absolutely MUST try this version with bacon and garlic. Bacon. Garlic. HELLLLOOOO!!!! Simple and delicious, you’ll be whipping up a batch of this every single time you have ANY leftover rice!
With an asian Mama, I GREW UP on fried rice! Fried rice was always my mom’s way of cleaning out the fridge. We’d have leftover rice and then she’d go through the fridge and see what veggies and other items we had to use up that she could throw in with the rice.
This “cleaning out the fridge” method for fried rice yielded some interesting concoctions–most of them pretty darn good 🙂 My “method” is — if you like an ingredient, chances are it’ll be pretty delish thrown in with fried rice!
Two of my faves: bacon and garlic. Do they work in fried rice? You better freaking believe it!!
How do you make fried rice?
The method of making fried rice is super simple:
- Saute veggies and/or protein.
- Add rice and sauce.
- Stir fry quickly until rice is heated through.
- Serve!
What gives fried rice its flavor?
In this recipe there’s no arguing that both the bacon and the garlic share the spotlight. However, the SAUCE cannot be overlooked! I see so many fried rice recipes where the “sauce” or flavoring is simply soy sauce!
Now, you know Iike to keep things SIMPLE. However, when making fried rice, you need more than soy sauce to kick up the flavor. My favorite combination for the sauce is a trifecta: soy sauce, hoisin sauce and a touch of sesame oil.
These three are all rich flavors that combine both sweet and salty for the ideal sauce!
What is hoisin sauce?
Hoisin sauce is a deep rich, thick sauce that is on the sweet side. Think of it as Asian BBQ sauce! It is technically a fermented soy bean paste with other ingredients mixed in (such as sugar, chilis, salt, vinegar). Every “brand” has their own formula, just like BBQ sauce.
It is on the sweet side, so it pairs perfectly with the soy sauce to create that sweet/savory flavor. There is quite a bit of salt in hoisin sauce, which is why I recommend using low sodium soy sauce.
I love hoisin sauce in fried rice not only for the rich flavor, but because it gives the rice that deep golden brown color which looks as amazing as it tastes!
These days, hoisin sauce can easily be found in all major grocery stores in the Asian section. Heck, I can even find it at Wal-Mart!
What other ingredients can you add to bacon and garlic fried rice?
Honestly, this recipe needs nothing more but if YOU MUST KNOW, here are other things you could add:
- A sunny side up egg on top. This really takes it over the top! If you have never tried rice with a runny egg….you haven’t lived!
- Chicken: More protein, why not??
- Veggies of any kind: going back to my mom’s “cleaning out the fridge” method, anything goes! Some of my faves are red bell pepper, peas, cilantro…people seem to love carrots too, but I’m not a fan 🙂 Basic rule–if you like it, add it!
What are some tips for making fried rice?
- Leftover or day old rice works best for fried rice! Next time you make rice, double the recipe so you can have extra for this recipe!
- If you can’t find hoisin sauce, substitute the same amount of brown sugar. The sweet/salty combo for the sauce is excellent!
- Stir, stir, stir! This rice comes together super quickly! Just keep stirring everything so all the flavors are well distributed.
- Yes, you read it right, this recipe calls for **SIX** cloves of garlic! If you loathe chopping garlic as much as I do, grab this garlic chopper! It’s worth every penny and it’s the easiest garlic chopper I’ve ever used. HUGE plus for me, this garlic chopper can just be rinsed and thrown into the dishwasher!
OTHER RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE:
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Bacon and Garlic Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked rice
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp hoisin sauce see note
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- scallion and sriracha sauce for garnish!
Instructions
- Stir together sauce ingredients: soy sauce, hoisin and sesame oil. Set aside.
- Heat large skillet to medium high heat; add chopped bacon.
- Cook bacon for 4-5 minutes until just crispy; remove from skillet. Leave enough bacon grease (about 1 tablespoon) in the skillet and discard the rest.
- Add onion and cook for one minute until translucent, then add in garlic.
- Cook garlic for 30 seconds, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
- Add rice and sauce to the pan, stirring continuously until sauce/garlic/onions are well mixed. Continue to stir until rice is hot and sauce has fully coated the rice.
- Stir in reserved bacon. Top with scallions and sriracha (if desired) and serve!
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