Bacon Fried Rice

I was recently reading through a People Magazine, for a friend, and in the back was a recipe for bacon fried rice by none other than David Chang.

It initially got my attention, when most recipes in People don’t, because I don’t read People, because I thought bacon fried rice would be perfect for my husband! He doesn’t like fishy fried rice.

David Chang is the chef and host of Netflix’s new food series Ugly Delicious. Most of us are familiar with him as the owner of the Momofuku restaurant group. Perhaps you’ve heard of Momofuku Noodle Bar or the Milk Bar? Now he has his own media empire as well.

In any case, David Chang claims that any fried rice recipe is best made with pre-cooked and cooled rice. “The starches relax so the grains won’t clump up and get mushy.” My Chinese friend confirmed that in her family, extra rice was continually stockpiled just for making fried rice.

The first time I made this rice, I had none leftover, so I simply used sushi rice and followed the recipe. I have to say, it was superb, and the texture was just fine.

This time, I’m using leftover cooked rice.

Bacon and fish sauce? Yes and yes. Try this recipe. It’s superb!

Bacon Fried Rice
By David Chang

4 cups cooked white rice
2 teaspoons grapeseed oil
8 bacon slices, diced
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
6 green onions, sliced

Bring the cooked rice to room temperature; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a shallow pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon, and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Add the onions, and sauté together for 3-4 minutes more, turning down the heat slightly if too much browning occurs.

Add the peas, and stir to combine. Then gently stir in the rice.

Let the rice mixture heat thoroughly over medium heat. Make a well in the middle, and add the eggs. Stir occasionally to make sure they’re cooking, then stir them into the rice. There should be little bits of cooked egg throughout the rice.

Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, and soy sauce.

Just before serving, stir in the green onions; I used chives.

I also added some black sesame seeds.

And then, yes I did, I added an egg!

Of course it was fabulous. Will I continue making this fried yes? You bet.

Regarding the pre-cooked and cooled rice, it was definitely lighter, and the grains separated easily.

And FYI, this is my favorite fish sauce.

 

By Published On: April 3rd, 201888 Comments on Bacon Fried Rice

About the Author: Chef Mimi

As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!

88 Comments

  1. Linda Duffin April 3, 2018 at 6:07 AM - Reply

    Well, that’s bacon and eggs with a difference! Looks delicious, Mimi. Hope you’ve had a lovely Easter. Lx

    • chef mimi April 3, 2018 at 6:52 AM - Reply

      Thanks, Linda.

  2. Travel Gourmet April 3, 2018 at 6:08 AM - Reply

    I’m sure it tastes wonderful – even without shrimp :)

    • chef mimi April 3, 2018 at 6:51 AM - Reply

      I would still add shrimp if I had some! but it’s really good.

  3. Healthy World Cuisine April 3, 2018 at 6:10 AM - Reply

    We make different versions of fried rice, seriously almost every day. Boys love it and adding bacon would make their day.

    • chef mimi April 3, 2018 at 6:51 AM - Reply

      And it’s so good…

  4. Anonymous April 3, 2018 at 6:20 AM - Reply

    Never thought to use bacon. My sons would love this! Ugly Delicious is great. David makes a spam and kimchi fried rice that for some reason sounds amazing.

    • chef mimi April 3, 2018 at 6:50 AM - Reply

      I really need to watch it! Thanks!

  5. Jodi April 3, 2018 at 6:58 AM - Reply

    Oh yum! Can’t wait to try!!!

    • chef mimi April 3, 2018 at 7:05 AM - Reply

      It’s fabulous!

  6. KR April 3, 2018 at 7:04 AM - Reply

    I do not like fish as well, so wonderful recipe for me :) Thank you for sharing!

    • chef mimi April 3, 2018 at 7:04 AM - Reply

      You’ll love it!

  7. Kiki April 3, 2018 at 7:12 AM - Reply

    I was wondering about the fish sauce – your husband doesn’t mind that? Because I don’t eat anything fishy either, and it’s often very difficult to find Asian sauces or curry pastes that don’t have fish sauce in it. Could you just replace it with soy sauce? Or is there a better substitute?
    I have to try this recipe – bacon sounds just heavenly in this fried rice!

    • chef mimi April 3, 2018 at 7:34 AM - Reply

      Now that’s funny, and I hadn’t thought about it. He’s eaten this rice twice, and loved it, and it does have fish sauce in it. He’s a little nuts, though. He used to eat lamb and now he claims he hates it. So I just never know.

  8. Rowena April 3, 2018 at 7:58 AM - Reply

    Huge fan of David Chang, love watching his Ugly Delicious series, and you’ve got Red Boat fish sauce!!! I had it on my Amazon(Italy) list and the next day it was gone and no longer stocked. I’ve heard only positive things about that brand.

    • chef mimi April 3, 2018 at 7:59 AM - Reply

      Oh no! That’s where I bought mine! I need to check the show out – I’ve only heard good things!

  9. Bill April 3, 2018 at 8:04 AM - Reply

    Once of the best uses for leftover rice. I’ll confess, we often make more than we need just so we can have something like this the next day. (Okay, or pudding, depends :).) And I’ll add my vote, Ugly Delicious was great — we loved it.

    • chef mimi April 3, 2018 at 8:21 AM - Reply

      I guess I don’t make that much rice, unless it’s risotto. But I might start making some just for fried rice! I need to check out the show, thanks.

  10. Craving4More April 3, 2018 at 9:23 AM - Reply

    Momofuku is rather amazing, as is Red Boat Fish Sauce, and are YOU! I definitely learned a great lesson about cooling the rice here – and, just in case you might be wondering, the starch in cooled rice is digested and metabolized differently (and more effectively) than the carbohydrate is fresh rice (same with potatoes!)

    • chef mimi April 3, 2018 at 11:57 AM - Reply

      Fascinating! I could practically drink fish sauce.

  11. WhollyCupcake April 3, 2018 at 11:20 AM - Reply

    What a great idea putting bacon in the fried rice

    • chef mimi April 3, 2018 at 11:56 AM - Reply

      Even if you love it with shrimp, this is so good!

  12. Liz @ spades, spatulas, and spoons April 3, 2018 at 11:20 AM - Reply

    Sounds delicious! My husband is allergic to shrimp so this would be a great addition to the repertoire. I will look for the Red Boat Fish Sauce, maybe Amazon??

    • chef mimi April 3, 2018 at 11:56 AM - Reply

      Oh perfect! I got mine on Amazon, and I just checked and it’s still available!

  13. anotherfoodieblogger April 3, 2018 at 11:29 AM - Reply

    Oh gosh yes, would love this with bacon!! And yes on the fish sauce, it always adds that great hint of umami.

    • chef mimi April 3, 2018 at 11:55 AM - Reply

      LOVE that stuff!

  14. Kim Bultman April 3, 2018 at 4:47 PM - Reply

    Mimi, I just looked up Red Boat fish sauce on Amazon and they offer several varieties from “extra virgin fish sauce” (?) to bulk to Phamily to plain ol’ fish sauce and premium. (The premium bottle looked most like yours.) Since I’ve never tried fish sauce before (gasp!) I take my friends’ recommendations seriously! Does it contain msg or soy sauce? Unfortunately, both are no-no’s in my book. (Tamari subs well, but I can’t abide by monosodium glutamate.) Any hints you may have are appreciated. By the way, your fried rice does indeed look fabulous!!!

    • chef mimi April 3, 2018 at 6:23 PM - Reply

      I have the extra virgin, whatever that means. No MSG, no soy, just fermented fish. Whatever you do, when you get it, don’t smell it, just use it. It’s sort of like super stinky cheese. It tastes so much better than it smells…

  15. canelakitchen April 3, 2018 at 5:44 PM - Reply

    This rice looks really delicious !

    • chef mimi April 3, 2018 at 5:49 PM - Reply

      It is! It truly is!

  16. Angela@grapegravy​ April 3, 2018 at 8:57 PM - Reply

    Looks amazing! I love making fried rice with my leftover rice.

    • chef mimi April 3, 2018 at 9:03 PM - Reply

      Ha! See, I’d never heard that before! Live and learn.

  17. FrugalHausfrau April 3, 2018 at 11:26 PM - Reply

    What a great idea, coz who doesn’t have a little bacon around. I usually have some stuck in the freezer…I don’t really eat it but do use it in recipes and this looks like a winner! I watched the show…I was a little surprised about Chang’s attitude towards some foods. So open about so many but then there was this bit of snobbishness about some things. I suppose that’s what the show’s about, though.

    • chef mimi April 4, 2018 at 7:27 AM - Reply

      Aren’t we all like that, though? I mean, I feel like an adventurous eater, but when I’m in Peru next year, I won’t be eating grilled guinea pigs. And, I totally look down on velveeta. It’s so much about how I was raised, not by an American. My birthday dinner was always brains in a white sauce in pastry shells!!!

      • FrugalHausfrau April 4, 2018 at 10:31 PM

        I normally HATE Velveeta – we didn’t grow up on it, but I used to eat Velveeta grilled cheese sandwiches at a friend’s house and I have to have it for those. With ketchup, lol~!! So then I have got to figure how to use the rest of that jiggly cheese log!! Wow, brains!! My Mom tried to get us to eat tongue once, from this huge cookbook, Great Dishes of the World, I think it was! My brother was suspicious and clued us all in. lol. Poor mom! I think I’d try the guinea pig if someone would take it off the stick and de-bone it!

      • chef mimi April 5, 2018 at 7:20 AM

        Yeah, they look pretty pitiful on the skewers, looking like little guinea pigs…

  18. neil@neilshealthymeals.com April 3, 2018 at 11:36 PM - Reply

    I’d totally forgotten about using pre-cooked or left over rice to make fried rice. I used to do that and now I just heat up any left over rice as a side for the next day’s meal. No more though. Thanks for the reminder and for this delicious recipe Mimi!

    • chef mimi April 4, 2018 at 7:24 AM - Reply

      It did make a difference, which I wasn’t aware of. The first time I made the recipe I made this like a pilaf, using uncooked rice and beef broth. It was really good, but definitely not the same texture.

  19. heather (delicious not gorgeous) April 4, 2018 at 12:17 AM - Reply

    ahhh i love fried rice!!! it’s always good, no matter what you add (: i basically add fish sauce to everything lol, including fried rice (; have you added kimchi to fried rice yet? highly recommend if you haven’t!

    • chef mimi April 4, 2018 at 7:22 AM - Reply

      I bet it’s good, but I have no good source for kimchi. I could make it, but my husband would probably move out!

  20. StefanGourmet April 4, 2018 at 2:29 AM - Reply

    I bet you can make your husband eat a lot just by putting bacon in it. Even fish sauce apparently! Think I will stick to the little shrimp, which we love, but this does look great.

    • chef mimi April 4, 2018 at 7:22 AM - Reply

      I thought about adding the little shrimp to my own serving of bacon fried rice, but all I can get is canned shrimp, so I’ll just eat this for now!

      • StefanGourmet April 4, 2018 at 2:47 PM

        I can get them frozen, so you can probably order them online.

  21. Rose smith April 4, 2018 at 3:02 AM - Reply

    This is a great idea and bacon fried rice looks yummy and wonderful!

    • chef mimi April 4, 2018 at 7:21 AM - Reply

      It’s truly a wonderful dish. A great recipe!

  22. silviamagda April 4, 2018 at 5:02 AM - Reply

    So good! I love fried rice.

    • chef mimi April 4, 2018 at 9:06 AM - Reply

      It is so good, and this recipe is also good. Different, but really good!

  23. David @ Spiced April 4, 2018 at 6:56 AM - Reply

    This sounds delicious! I love fried rice, and bacon makes everything taste better! :-)

    • chef mimi April 4, 2018 at 7:19 AM - Reply

      I’m actually not one of those bacon freaks, but it is wonderful in this fried rice. Truly!

  24. Jeff the Chef April 4, 2018 at 7:49 AM - Reply

    You are such a good friend to read People for someone! Never heard of bacon fried rice, but what a great idea! I’ve tried a handful of Momofuku recipes, and they’re always amazing.

    • chef mimi April 4, 2018 at 8:20 AM - Reply

      I am a good friend! I like real fried rice, but this is fun. And boy it was good with an egg on top… I need to check out that cookbook.

  25. kitchenriffs April 4, 2018 at 9:58 AM - Reply

    You can actually freeze leftover rice if you don’t have enough to make a batch of fried rice. Anyway, what a neat recipe! Who doesn’t like bacon? Love that egg garnish, too. This is perfect fare for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

    • chef mimi April 4, 2018 at 10:07 AM - Reply

      Good to know! I wouldn’t have thought it froze well at all. As I’m reading your comment, I just finished a breakfast of this fried rice, but with an avocado. It’s truly delicious!

  26. grumpytyke April 4, 2018 at 11:10 AM - Reply

    Sounds wonderful and something I will definitely try when we finish our current ‘veggie’ period, ie after this week. I often have some cooked rice ‘left over’ from making curry and never know what to do with it. Fish sauce? I often use it in place of salt – doesn’t seem to give a fishy taste at all.

    • chef mimi April 4, 2018 at 2:58 PM - Reply

      What’s your brand of fish sauce? I saw Anthony Bourdain visit a fish sauce factory once on a show, and there were giant vats of rotting fish that were stirred occasionally. Can’t imagine any fish sauce not being fishy! But it is good! Definitely make a fried rice next time you have extra rice – it’s a great texture!

  27. Shanna Koenigsdorf Ward April 4, 2018 at 11:41 AM - Reply

    YUM. You should watch ugly delicious soon

    • chef mimi April 4, 2018 at 2:54 PM - Reply

      I’ve got them downloaded!

  28. sallybr April 4, 2018 at 7:19 PM - Reply

    That is a very intriguing recipe, but I know we would both love it…

    saving for the future….

    • chef mimi April 4, 2018 at 9:55 PM - Reply

      It’s not the original, but it’s damn good!

  29. Tandy | Lavender and Lime April 5, 2018 at 2:08 AM - Reply

    Every time I see a recipe for fried rice I think I have to try it. And this weekend I must make a serious effort.

    • chef mimi April 5, 2018 at 7:20 AM - Reply

      Try it with the precooked rice. It does make a textural difference! I’d never heard that before.

  30. Gerlinde April 5, 2018 at 9:31 AM - Reply

    My husband loves fried rice, I have to try your recipe when I get home.

    • chef mimi April 5, 2018 at 9:43 AM - Reply

      It’s so good! Have fun!

  31. Ron April 5, 2018 at 10:15 AM - Reply

    Everything’s better with bacon! Great recipe and wonderful detailed instructions.

    • chef mimi April 6, 2018 at 9:56 AM - Reply

      I’m not a bacon freak, but I do love recipes with just a little bacon, like this one. It’s a wonderful recipe.

  32. Our Growing Paynes April 5, 2018 at 1:25 PM - Reply

    Well now, this probably would get me to eat fried rice! It looks amazing.

    • chef mimi April 6, 2018 at 9:56 AM - Reply

      I’ve already made it 3 times!

  33. sugarlovespices April 6, 2018 at 4:37 AM - Reply

    I have to tell my husband about that fish sauce. He loves it and puts in many Asian dishes he cooks, but I’m not sure which brand he gets, As for the fried rice, we both love it, and with leftover rice is superb. He would love the bacon in it!

    • chef mimi April 6, 2018 at 10:00 AM - Reply

      I would imagine that if the fish sauce is from either Vietnam or Thailand, it will be good. The ingredients, if you can read them, should only be fish and salt. If you have access to an Asian grocery store, then whatever you can get there the product will be excellent! And this recipe is excellent, even without the little shrimp!

  34. Emma April 6, 2018 at 9:19 PM - Reply

    My fella would love this dish, he is a bacon fanatic. No good for me, being vegetarian but he would still love to see it on the table.

    • chef mimi April 6, 2018 at 10:56 PM - Reply

      Oh no! Sorry! Well, not so sorry…..

  35. chezlerevefrancais April 7, 2018 at 7:36 AM - Reply

    Absolutely delicious! I always use cooked rice for Indian and Chinese dishes too.

    • chef mimi April 7, 2018 at 9:14 AM - Reply

      Interesting!

  36. Abbe@This is How I Cook April 7, 2018 at 1:55 PM - Reply

    Love David Chang and this rice! Perfect way to satisfy yourself and your husband! And it has bacon…

    • chef mimi April 7, 2018 at 5:29 PM - Reply

      Yes, yes, and yes!

  37. Susan (@savoringtime) April 8, 2018 at 9:33 AM - Reply

    Pork fried rice with just a different cut of pork! Love this recipe and can’t wait to try it! So glad you picked up that People magazine :-)

    • chef mimi April 8, 2018 at 9:46 AM - Reply

      You’re so welcome. I’m a good friend like that…

  38. Culinary Flavors April 10, 2018 at 6:20 AM - Reply

    Perfect way to use any leftover rice!

    • chef mimi April 10, 2018 at 1:39 PM - Reply

      It’s just so good!

  39. Marie April 12, 2018 at 9:52 AM - Reply

    I need to check out “Ugly Delicious” on Netflix! I like David Chang and the concept of the show a lot. Also, I love fried rice. It’s such a childhood comfort food for me. Love the addition of bacon and peas! Yum.

    • chef mimi April 12, 2018 at 10:13 AM - Reply

      It’s a great recipe. I finally started Ugly Delicious, and it’s fun!

  40. kathryninthekitchen April 12, 2018 at 6:02 PM - Reply

    I’m glad you are enjoying ‘Ugly Delicious’… I binged on it and loved every moment. I started watching it on the treadmill but had to stop as it gave me so many ideas which I had to write down :-)

    • chef mimi April 12, 2018 at 9:55 PM - Reply

      Ahahahahahahahahahhaahhaha! That is too funny. I can totally relate.

  41. Rosemarie Malin May 8, 2018 at 6:51 PM - Reply

    I grew up eating bacon fried rice – my mom made it all the time. It wasn’t until I was an adult and eating out in Chinese restaurants that I discovered there was more to fried rice than just bacon.

    • chef mimi May 8, 2018 at 7:15 PM - Reply

      Wow! Really? That’s so very cool!

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