I've Been Cooking Rice WRONG My Entire Life ! (the steaming method) 

Haiyaaaaaaaaaa ! If you think I should have bought a Rice cooker instead (I own 2 already) or that I should have used day-old rice leftovers, then 1) watch the video till the end, and 2) Remember that I am trying to make Fried Rice at a Michelin Star Chinese Restaurant level ! At home, I regularly use day-old rice for fried rice, and yes it is amazing and very clever to make the most out of leftovers. But, in this case, using day old rice would be counter productive as I am trying to maximize flavours, and to get as much freshness as possible (tip I got from a Cantonese MasterChef 😉). I am trying to make PERFECT FRIED RICE 🌾😋

as a wise man in an orange polo once said , "Just get rice cooker , and all your problems go away"

I’m glad that I’m not the only one that’s been anticipating Uncle rating this. That been said, I’d genuinely like to try a comparison between leftover and fresh methods head to head. I’m sure the end result come down to mouth-feel

I use a little sriracha for spice and ketchap manis for sweet and oyster sauce for tangy ness thoose three together with a little white pepper and then small splash of sesam oil at the end. The sauce caramelizes and gets real good

I agree. Many recommend day old rice but professional chefs have no time nor do they know the day before what will be ordered. I do cook day old rice when I have left over rice but if not, I cook with cooked rice. Takes less than one hour from start to finish. Jasmine is fine when you just want white rice, but if you're adding soy sauce to a fried rice, any rice works.

Try frying the raw soaked rice in oil then boil them till aldente exactly like pasta and wash the strained rice immediately. Then leave to dry and cool before using. That's how fried rice is made in Bangladeshi Chinese restaurants. It produces perfectly separated grains.

Sometimes people combine lard with rice before stir-frying, which makes it easier to separate and heat up more quickly

"We need to add a little of me to that dish. To infuse it with personality. Where's the French vibe, where's the Alex vibe in all this?" Oh no. He's going to add the mother sauce mayonaise

Fuuuiiyooooohh! Can't wait for the grand finale of this series!

Thank you so much for this!! I just made my first stir fry for my Thanksgiving dinner and everyone was extremely happy and impressed!! 🥰 I told them all about your videos and how much I learned from watching you!

Excellent episode! Now very excited and thrilled about the next one!

Tip of the day: that water you use to wash the rice can be used to water fruit trees or flowers as it has nutrients to boost the Potassium and other nutrients. It works well.

Just bought some fancy pants headphones and I fully appreciate the sound design in your videos man. Nicely done.

Hey ALex, its been couple days since you published thsi I dont know if you can read this but here is a tip/ method; first use wide pan, the amount of rice should not be more than an inch/ 2-3 cm. First rinse the rice, if you are using starchy rice, you can rinse using warm water. Put a little oil in the pot and heat it up, throw in the drained rice in and stir fry it for couple of minutes and keep mixing meanwhile. Later add boiling water, cover the lid and wait for the magic to happen. If done right you should have a fluffy rice that doesnt stick to each other. Cheers and salud

Nobody "squeezes the brain juice" better than Alex when it comes to cooking!

i dont know about you guys, but I'm always excited when alex uploads!

Listening to you makes me feel I understand french, love it😅✌🏼

I would get some better soy sauce, I get some from japan and the difference is noticeable.

You and Sam the cooking guy are the best food vids on RU-vid. Epic! Keep up the good work!

Nice tutorial. Thank you, Alex . Again, thank you.

Have you ever tried a few drops of lemon juice in the rice water? When doing a regular stove cook, it keeps the rice from sticking

J'adore la cinématographie de tes vidéos!

Alex.. that's why you use a good rice cooker. Those heat the pot all around to evenly cook, like steaming. :3

Amazing work, or should I say amazing wok.... Sorry, I had to. That steaming method is what I see rice vendors here in Bangkok use at the market when they are prepping their rice for sale. If you walk through the street markets between meals you will see them with a 3 or 4 tier steamer filled with little metal bowls of rice each portioned out to a single-serving size. And the vendors always have perfect rice.

Finally, alex thought of making his own fried rice and I honestly think one of the best thing of fried rice is customization.

Alex, you figured out the rice...now you need to speed things up significantly. At two minutes in the wok, you're boarder line over cooking everything. Have everything ready to dump and go. Do NOT let the eggs sit still, keep the wok moving!!!!!

Its funny watching you learning how to cook rice when the first video of yours I watched was how to cook sticky rice in the microwave a long time ago

Great video, I'll definitely try this! Must say I really missed watching the pure rice being fryed to perfection by itself! I feel like the eggs specially interferes with the overall result, and I can't be sure if the different rice is the main diferentiator here.

Welcome to Cantonese food world, thats a proper dish mate.

Venant de la part d'un Taiwanais (la Mecque de la cuisine chinoise) : Rien qu'à la vidéo, je peux voir que ton riz sauté a l'air tout à fait légit ! Félicitations ! Si tu veux utiliser des ingrédients bien français, un bon jambon (fumé ou pas), ça cartonne dans le riz sauté. Des courgettes, ça peut le faire aussi. Pourquoi pas une petite larmichette de vin blanc au lieu de l'alcool de riz lors de la sautée. Par contre, on va ptet éviter les fromages ^^.

Super talented

keep up the home work Alex

Good job

ALEX , JUST PUT A DASH OF OIL AND A TABLE SPOON OF LEMON JUICE IN THE RICE AT THE BEGINNING

What about cutting the green onion on the diagonal? 💖🌞🌵😷

Having watched this, it explains why most Chinese restaurants I go to the fried rice is bland and just meh and tasteless... Then you find this one place and it's just out of this world. Simple ingredients, very tricky technique

I'd eat all that rice, the burned crispy bits are the best bits!

Alex is baaaaaaaaaaaack 🥳

Want to know a lazy hack I have found for the rice you need? Find an Asian restaurant/takeaway by you where the day after the white rice is a dry. This restaurant makes the rice you need. When you want to make fried rice go buy their white rice and you have the rice pretty close to what you need. Or we all know that you have extra white rice after anyway, so order some food and use the excess the next day for fried rice.

I wonder if boiling the rice like pasta would give a similar result like how you cook basmati.

I always let the cooked rice rest for a day. Then it is dry and perfect for frying

don't handle the rice too much after cooking, your might squash and mush the grains together and increase stodginess. At least that's what my mum used to tell me haha

I loved this so much. You always see cooks on RU-vid act as if they are offering us food or feeding us a bite by gesturing with the food toward the lens. Since the lens is our eye, it's as if you tried to feed your child by shoving food into their eyeball. The illusion would work much better if you slid the spoon or fork _under_ the lens. Just sayin'.

Adding salt to cooking rice definitely changes its texture. Not sure if it’s better or worse for fried rice

le "C'est mortel, PUTAIN !!" il m'a tué😂🤣

Porra, se vier aqui pro Brasil esse maluco vai ficar louco. Arroz Tio João de 1 semana na geladeira com ovo mexido.

You shouldn't use basmati rice for fried rice, it's very dry and hard. You should be using Thai fragrance rice or Thai Jasmin rice that will be wonderful. And ahhhh get a rice cooker lol!

Why not try using Camargue Rice? Can't get more local than using rice grown in France. Why not use duck egg and duck fat to up your fat and egg flavour? Just some ideas :D

Google Plus? When was this made?

Very nicely done 👍👍👍👍😋😋😋😋

Any seasoning secret here? Chicken powder? Scallion or chicken oil? How about the wok hei? I tried cooking with high pressure burner and still doesnt produce such aroma

hey alex...le riz que tu as mis dans ton wok...il etait froid ou chaud? ca prend du riz froid pour faire le meilleur riz frit...demande a oncle roger,il va te le dire :)

Haiyaaa, no MSG?

warning, do not steam the rice, for several hours, before steaming rice. 4:58.

Here my thought why Alex fail in first batch so the method he use is very very classic in south east Asia and why he fail that 1 things It's he forget to stop mid way basicly you just need to make it Shimmer to half water then stop the fire stir the rice then this is what me and my mom always use put a plate bettwen fire and the pot close the lid then wait and if you want to adding more taste like salt,oil,scallion,ect just add at second stage and enjoy your good rice It's called in Indonesian by name liwet rice

Didn't know Ceb can cook

A better shirt would be 'Wok Smarter'. You should have them made, and send me one.

You got everything set up except your seasoning station, most cantonese/chinese stirfry dishes is finished within 1-2 minutes in the wok. That is why every second is crucial when you have the wok on the heat, and you cant waste it on locating your seasoning container, opening the lid of said containers, slowly sprinkling your seasoning. Having everything accessible quickly is the key of mastering stir fry dishes with the wok. Great content, love your dedication and all the best with your recovery with your knees

Alex: We need to put a little of 'me' in that dish Me: Omg he's going to put ramen in rice

"Every grain of rice is nicely separated!" *Immediately sees rice ball rolling in the bowl*

when a michelin chef texts you his recipe how he cooks rice.... life goals achieved i guess :P

Alex's parents' backyard is the perfect place to lay back for a sunny afternoon.

Over 25 years of Exec Chef experience at high end restaurants in the States. Boston, Dc etc. This is one of your best successes to date so far Alex!! Rice is easily one of the most poorly handled ingredients across all cuisines. Perfection of the “simple” tasks within all food prep is what separates the good from the great!! Bien joué!

Remember: BALANCE, above all else! Avoid making the finished dish heavy/dense/cloying with too many ingredients. The (freshness of the) rice is supposed to be the star of the dish, while everything else is supposed to compliment it. That being said, you might also consider any one or more of the following to really personalize your own fried rice. *Protein:* some sliced slivers of saucisson sec (French salami). Not too much though. Par cook them first in the wok to render some of the fat. Remove from the pan and set aside, but keep the fat. If there isn't enough rendered fat, you may need to add some oil to make up the difference in volume needed. *Eggs:* Okay, not so humble by suggesting this..... but I dare you to add a Jacques Pepin-inspired omelet to the finished rice dish. The stir-fried egg is one thing.... but adding a classic French omelet will lend a slight dimension of creaminess you normally wouldn't find in fried rice. it could be revolutionary. it's up to you whether or not you want to include green onions in it or not. *Aromatics:* leeks, sliced thin, but on a bias. Garlic. *GARLIC.* _But treat the garlic right..._ that's all I have to say about that! You might also consider some zested fresh citrus rind... a little goes a long way! *Herbs:* use your homemade fresly-dried herbs, mid-way through cooking. Or... add a chiffonade of fresh leafy herbs at the end of cooking, just before serving. *Vegetables:* Definitely acceptable and needed if you think your fried rice will come out heavy, as properly-cut vegetables will lighten the dish. Think hard about this and plan ahead! Vegetables like celery, celery leaves, carrots, carrot tops, fresh green beans (julienned). *Acids:* Think vinegars, wine vinegars, citrus fruit juice (ie. lemon, lime, orange, etc). If it comes down to it, you might even consider the brine from a jar of cornichons. *Sweetness:* Yes, don't underestimate alternative sources of sugar to balance the savoriness of the fried rice. *Spice:* Get the best peppercorns you can find. You can also think of adding hot sauces to the fried rice at the moment you add the soy sauce (that is.... if you opt to use soy sauce, which you don't, actually). Plot twist: Add some Tare.... like, from the Ramen series. It would be COMPLETELY unexpected.

When Alex said, "Where's the Frenchness in there?" my brain immediatly went "So, you're gonna make it with butter?"

Bleeps the f-word when he says it. Doesn't bleep "putain" - some of us English people know you said a naughty word Alex!

I just tried this steaming method for cooking rice, and it is hands down the best rice texture I've ever had. Bravo, 10/10

08:56 Alex singing Jacque Pepin shows how satisfied he is with the result

God I love these videos- They are useless to me, someone who is not this deep into cooking... Despite every meal I have eaten being homemade, but I have slowly been enjoying every single video you make. From the first to the latest. Keep going :D

Fried the egg first - egg acts like nonstick magic for the rice. In fact, it acts like nonstick magic for anything you fried next. Source - Mum and Dad who has a Cantonese Restuarant Edit: I had written this halfway when he tried to naked fry the rice, and turned into a biscuit

French influence on fried rice: escargot fried rice, clarified butter for the oil, garlic and chive garnish. bet it will be good

I have been cooking *insert any food* wrong my whole life. Let's be real that's 99 % of us.

Everyone saying that he should use butter to make it more french when surely garlic is the obvious choice...

does... does alex just walk around saying "jacque pepin" when he's happy?

I am Chinese, seeing the title, I am like"WTH, there is another way to cook rice other than steaming?'

Yo Alex! You need a ‘’Wok Smarter’’ T shirt! That’s what you’re doing 😆

Filipino here, our family cooks rice by boiling it. We wash the rice 2-3 times and use our finger to measure for the water. Next the pot goes on the stove on medium heat. When it boils, we lower the heat and cook it for 15 minutes. Then that's your rice, boiling works fine!

for everyone saying you need day old rice....how do you think restaurants cook their fried rice? Reckon they're only using the stuff from yesterday? Cook your rice properly and it's good to go

I love it when you’re happy with an outcome and you’re French comes out. I know you’re going to knock it out of the park and make the dish your own next week when Chef Samuel shows up.

first 5 minute, seeing Alex cooking rice in a pot Me: abort Abort ABORT

Uncle Roger should review this series after Alex perfects his fried rice. Edit: He already did one :D

Making it more French should be easy. Just replace the oil with butter.

Adding the Alex touch: Use clarified butter instead of oil and sprinkle croissant flakes on top? :)

I love how this channel has turned into "it really makes a difference how you prepare what goes into your food" :D

6:08 Persians be like: what's the matter with that? everyone loves tahdig

My mom always uses the steam method to cook rice. It's the best and every grain has structure. My family, which is from Guangdong province, or Cantonese region, uses Thai jasmine rice from what I remember. Thai jasmine rice is very fragrant.

Was everyone as focused on the reflection in the first mins and thinking "yep he's talking to his parents wall". Or is it just me

I went down this rabbit hole of making fried rice half way through the pandemic and ate fried rice for literally 5 months perfecting it lmao 🤣

Another important tip: When washing rice, make sure the water is transparent which means you will have to rinse the rice 3-4 times to get rid of as much starch as you can. Then, after washing, don't let the rice sit in its own wetness, that will make the rice sticky and won't fried-rice well.

Hey Alex, I have a recommendation for your fried rice. Slowly fry strips of red onion until just starting to crisp. Put them aside and then lay them on top of the rice just before serving (spring onion 'inside' and the red onion 'outside'. Sometimes this is done with Biryani but many people don't realise, it's a perfect match for egg fried rice too!

One of the problem with "isolating the variables" is that plain rice fries differently than rice with eggs. Vegetables and protein fry differently when they're alone in the wok than when they are mixed with other ingredients which might also be high in oil and certainly have a high water content.

Alex, you always do an incredible work with you videos! I’m amazed at the use of the Hero’s journey in the structure of all of your videos

I opened a birthday card up once and rice poured out everywhere… It was from Uncle Ben.

When he mentioned “wok hey”, I was shook. As Chinese as I am, I never had wok-heyed fried rice at home because our fires aren’t as strong. And yet, he cooked wok-heyed fried rice!

I have a suspicion that this steaming method is what the expensive rice cookers do. I use an instant pot pressure cooker for rice and it works wonderfully. So much better than boiling it in a pan or the cheap rice cooker I used to use.

European things that might go well with Cantonese egg fried rice: Truffle - seriously, the butane gas smell of truffle will perfectly complements the nutty delicately smoky wok hay aroma. Fish roe - might not match bite-texture wise, but that ocean aroma usually complements egg fried rice really well, most Cantonese chef typically just use shrimp, crab meat, or scallop. Smoked fish - rarely known in China, but used a lot in Europe, seriously goes very well with the wok hay smell, and may even accentuate it. The British did their kedgeree egg curry fried rice using smoked haddock, and that thing is a marvelous treat. Wild European mushrooms - much more flavourful than ours, especially the delicately delicious porcini mushroom and the morel with its seafood-like characteristics Chorizo - I like their smoky and savoury taste much better than the Cantonese lap cheong, which is sweet Pté - full flavoured earthy liver té, which I don't like, but I would imagine the strong taste would complements the well rounded aroma of wok hay Fancy Chinese restaurants loved to use the following well-known variants: Salted fish - maybe because we don't know better about smoked fish "XO" sauce - dried scallop, red chilli pepper, Jinhua ham, dried shrimp, garlic and canola oil. just Google this sauce, it is not Cognac for sure. This sauce simple elevates them to the right direction Chewy or crunchy seafoods that goes well with wok hay - shrimps, scallops, squids, clams, or crab meat Asparagus - for some reason (probably for that crunchy bite texture and that aromatic nutty taste) Crunchy tofu skin - anything soy that went well with soy-sauce based dish Crunchy fried / baked laver seaweed / nori - again, for that ocean smell that goes so well with wok hay Shaoxing wine - for flambé trick show off Chinkiang vinegar - the taste that awarded so many Singaporean bok chor noodle hawkers their Michelin stars

I've started using a microwave rice-cooker on my quest to make perfect sushi-rice and I believe it is pretty much steaming the rice as you want. You add rice, water & salt and since its microwave heated it is also heated from all sides at the same time with no part really transferring the heat. The pot fills with steam after a while and you can then influence the hydration by either letting it sit until the steam sets or opening it up and letting steam evaporate off the hot rice. You should look into it, basically just a plastic pot & extremely simple and convenient

Interesting facts about the steaming method: Here in Taiwan, back in the ancient times, people steam their rice only at special days for celebrations because it tastes better. Nowadays, we steam the rice EVERY DAY because the work is done by a RICE COOKER and it tastes really good.

"Gotta keep it seperated." If only he could hav cleared that sample.

Literally laughed out loud during the steamed glasses part