Plant-based Egg Fried Rice Recipe!
I’m so grateful that you guys are here to learn how to make my plant-based egg fried rice recipe. This is hands down the best fried rice recipe you will find online! No need to look further. This is what you were looking for!
When I shared this picture on my Instagram, people said, “egg is not plant-based.” I guess it’s a good thing that I did a great job creating this plant-based egg fried rice recipe that people can’t even tell the difference! 😁
The taste of this fried rice is unreal, SO GOOD!! It’s an absolutely wholesome meal that will make you happy, fulfilled, and satisfied.
You can make basic fried rice without an egg substitute. It will still be fantastically delicious. I can’t wait to share this recipe with you, so let’s jump into it!!
When you stir fry, always prep all your ingredients before starting cooking. This helps you stir-frying properly over a smoking hot wok/skillet with the highest heat you have.
Chop 3 to 5 cloves of garlic, chop about 1 tsp fresh ginger and chop 4 to 5 green onions. Separate white/light green part & dark green part because they will go into the wok different timing.
Also, small dice 1/4 cup of carrot and 1/4 cup of your choice of vegetable. I’m using asparagus today because that’s all I had in my fridge (and they were going bad!! I had to use them, lol), but you can use chopped green beans, green peas, corns, or any other vegetables you prefer to use.
Alright, here is the “Egg” part. 😁
There are many egg substitutes nowadays, but I believe this scrambled tofu is the best for wholesome fried rice. I like to use medium-firm tofu when I make scrambled tofu because extra firm tofu tastes like overcooked egg. lol
Mash down 1 block (14 oz) of firm tofu with the side of your knife. Mash fine if you like fine scrambled egg (tofu) or mash roughly (that’s what I did) if you like a chunky egg (tofu).
Heat a large wok or a skillet over high heat, add 2 tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add smashed tofu, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp black salt (Kala Namak), 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
You might have heard about black salt (Kala Namak) before. It’s a type of salt but has a pungent smell- as you guessed, the pungent smell is identical to egg smell. It’s so crazy. So if you like your scrambled tofu to have an eggy taste, this is the way to go! If you don’t have it, no worries, substitute it with regular salt.
Stir fry the tofu and the seasonings all together until the tofu is coated evenly with the seasonings and slightly brown edges, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the wok and set aside.
This scrambled tofu is delicious by itself with some simple salad, avocado, and toast for breakfast or brunch! Don’t forget your mimosa if you’re having brunch! Oh, also super delicious with savory oatmeal with some chili oil… ah, heaven!
Rinse the wok (or skillet) quickly with hot water to remove the turmeric stain. If you skip this, your entire fried rice will be tinted by a turmeric yellow color. If you don’t mind that, you can definitely skip rinsing it.
Also, if you’re using a carbon steel wok or skillet, make sure to season it before use. Just dry your wok completely, then wipe the entire wok with a little bit of oil (I always use avocado oil because it has a high smoke point. It’s higher than peanut oil.) Heat the wok over high heat until it smokes, then turn off the heat and let it cool. That’s it! Can you tell the difference between the two pictures above- the first one and the last one?
It shines like a diamond, which meant’s the wok is ready to rock and roll!
Heat the wok over high heat, add 2 tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add chopped garlic, ginger, and white & light green part of green onion. Stir fry until you can smell the beautiful aroma, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add diced carrot and asparagus, then stir fry 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Add 3 cups of cooked and cold rice. My favorite rice for fried rice is Jasmine rice. It’s so fluffy but firm enough to hold its shape. It stir-fries so well. Also, it has a beautiful aroma that makes a bowl of lovely fried rice.
Today, I used brown jasmine rice to make my fried rice a bit more healthy and wholesome.
Add 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp yondu, a pinch of msg if you like to.
Msg is totally optional. I like to add the umami bomb flavor. Don’t take my msg away from me! Lol! 😂
I often used yondu for the convenience and flavor (it’s fantastic!) even before I became plant-based. Yondu is fermented vegetable seasoning from Korea, and it’s such a fantastic fish sauce and vegetable/chicken bouillon substitute. It’s gluten-free too! Get a large bottle if you like to follow my recipes, especially my new plant-based recipes. I will be using A LOT of yondu. I got 3 large bottles stocked up in my pantry! 😂
Make sure to add soy sauce around the edge of the wok, not directly into the rice. This way, some part of soy sauce will burn and create a beautiful smoking flavor into your fried rice.
Stir fry rice until every single grain of rice is coated evenly with soy sauce, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat, stir in the scrambled tofu and the remaining dark part of green onion. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with sesame seeds, and it’s done!
You can serve and enjoy this fried rice as it is since this fried rice is fully packed with protein, veggies & healthy grain. If you want to, you can pair with my Orange Chicken-less Cauliflower, Mapo Tofu, Chinese Smashed Cucumber, or/and General Tso’s Tofu!
Enjoy!
Plant-based Egg Fried Rice
- Total Time: 8 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp cooking oil (I always use avocado oil), divided
- 1 block (14 oz) of firm tofu, smashed
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp smoked paprika or paprika
- 1 tsp India black salt (Kala Namak), optional (You can substitute with regular salt)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- Pinch of salt & pepper
- 3 to 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp chopped ginger
- 3 to 5 green onion, chopped, separate white/light green part & dark green part
- 1/4 cup small diced carrot
- 1/4 cup small diced asparagus, green beans or peas
- 3 cups cooked and cold brown or white Jasmin rice (you can substitute with any grain you prefer)
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp Yondu, Korean fermented vegetable extract, optional
- Pinch of msg, optional
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat a large wok or a skillet over high heat, add 2 tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add smashed tofu, turmeric, smoked paprika, black salt, garlic powder, onion powder and pinch of salt and pepper. Stir fry all together until tofu is coated evenly with seasoning and slightly brown edges, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside.
- Rinse wok quickly with hot water to remove turmeric stain. Dry and season it with oil if needed.
- When wok is ready, heat over high heat, add 2 tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add garlic, ginger and white & light green part of green onion. Stir fry until you can smell beautiful aroma, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add diced carrot and asparagus then stir fry 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add rice along with soy sauce, yondu, msg if you are using it. Make sure to add soy sauce around edge of wok, not directly into rice. This way, some part of soy sauce will burn and create a beautiful smoking flavor into your fried rice. Stir fry rice until every single grain of rice is coated evenly with soy sauce, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Turn off heat, stir in scrambled tofu and dark part of green onion. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with sesame seeds and it’s done! You can serve as it is since this fried rice is fully packed with protein, veggies & healthy grain. You can pair with my Orange Chicken-less Cauliflower, Mapo Tofu, Chinese Smashed Cucumber or/and General Tso’s Tofu! Enjoy!
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
4 comments
It’s very hard to watch your videos the last few months. Why do I have to sign up now every time. It discourages me from watching your videos. It used to be easy and fun. Now it’s frustrating and I give up.
I was so happy to hear you went plant based, I’m vegan and I’ve been a huge fan for years. I made this recipe tonight and as always this recipe was amazing.
YAY! I’m so glad I could help out! I hope my future recipes are just as helpful (:
What other recipes can you use Yondu? With is be a good substitute for soy sauce, fish sauce, or things to make kimchi with?