Succulent pieces of shrimp, perfectly seasoned cuts of char siu, Chinese sausage, and crispy fried garlic combined with aromatic fish sauce make this Vietnamese fried rice recipe the perfect go-to dish when you’re looking for a quick and yummy recipe. You’re never going to want to order take-out fried rice ever again!

What Is Vietnamese Fried Rice?

Traditional Vietnamese fried rice also known as cơm chiên or cơm chiên dương châu (Yeung Chow fried rice) in Vietnamese is Vietnam’s take on fried rice with a lot of similarities to Chinese fried rice. Typically leftover cooked rice from the day before is used due to its texture not being nearly as wet and sticky as using fresh rice. It’s also a great and delicious way of getting rid of leftover rice as well. This rice is then combined with eggs, shrimp, Chinese sausage, frozen vegetables, and char siu (Chinese BBQ pork) as the primary toppings for the fried rice. Some recipes may swap out some of the protein ingredients in favor of adding in Vietnamese ham (chả lụa).

Annatto oil is also added to the rice to give it its distinct yellow color. You’ll almost exclusively see annatto oil being used in Vietnamese-style fried rice.

In addition, fish sauce is used as the primary seasoning agent in authentic Vietnamese fried rice. Fish sauce when eaten alone may be too pungent and strong for most people, however, when fish sauce is combined with other ingredients such as in fried rice, it adds a flavorful aroma to the fried rice that elevates its flavor profile. Soy sauce may or may not be added in as well depending on the recipe, whereas in Chinese-style fried rice, soy sauce is an absolute must in most recipes.

Lastly, Vietnamese fried rice is sometimes topped with fried garlic to give it an extra bit of crunch.

All of these subtle ingredient substitutions and additions has allowed Vietnamese people to create their own version of fried rice which is just as delicious as Chinese fried rice.

Now let’s look at the ingredients you’ll need to make this Vietnamese style fried rice recipe.

Vietnamese Fried Rice Ingredients

Overnight leftover long-grain jasmine rice 450g
Char siu (BBQ pork) 85g
Frozen shrimp 120g (peeled and deveined)
Eggs 4
1 tablespoon of Annatto oil
3-4 cloves of Garlic (minced)
1 piece of Chinese sausage
1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce
1 teaspoon of white sugar
½ tablespoon of chicken powder
1 stalk of Green onions (chopped)
100g Frozen green beans and carrots
1/4 teaspoon of table salt (seasoning)
1/2 teaspoon of table salt for washing shrimp
2 tablespoons of cooking oil (do not use olive oil!)

Ingredient Notes

Overnight leftover rice: To ensure a high success rate while making this recipe and to minimize the chance of the rice sticking to your wok, you’ll want to use overnight leftover rice that has been sitting in the fridge overnight. This helps the rice dry out and separate more easily while stir-frying it. You can of course use freshly cooked rice as well if you have experimented and found the right water to rice ratio to ensure that the rice isn’t overly wet or dry. Also, it is highly recommended to use long-grain jasmine rice for this recipe as that is the type of rice typically used for making fried rice.

Annatto oil: Annatto oil is used to color food and give the food a golden yellow color after it has been mixed in with the ingredients. Annatto oil is available at most Asian grocery stores.

Chinese sausage: Chinese sausage, also known as lap cheong in Cantonese or lạp xưởng in Vietnamese, can be found at all Asian supermarkets. You’ll want to opt for the red-colored version of Chinese sausage which is made out of pork instead of the darker-colored sausage which is typically made using pork or duck liver and has a slightly bitter taste to it.

Shrimp: For this recipe, you can use any size of shrimp, just make sure that you remove the shells and devein it prior to using the shrimp.

Char siu: Char siu, also known as Chinese BBQ pork is marinated pork (usually pork shoulder) that has been roasted and has a sweet and salty taste to it, making it highly delectable. You can either make your own char siu or go to any Chinese BBQ restaurant or supermarket and you’ll be able to purchase some.

Substitutions

Char siu: You can substitute it with some cooked ham or Vietnamese ham.
Chinese sausage: You can substitute it with some hotdogs or regular sausage.
Frozen green beans and carrots: You can substitute it with fresh green beans and carrots. You’ll most likely need to blanch it longer if using fresh ingredients though.

How to Make Vietnamese Fried Rice

Preparing the shrimp:

Remove the shells and devein the shrimp
Add the shrimp to a bowl.
Now add in ½ teaspoon of table salt to the shrimp and mix well. Let the shrimp sit for 5 minutes. This helps get rid of the foul smell from the shrimp and makes them more plump.

Next, wash the shrimp under cold water until the water becomes clear (approximately 4-5 times).

Then put the shrimp in a strainer to let it strain out the water and place it in the fridge until ready to use.

When the shrimp is ready to be used, take it out of the fridge and wrap it with some paper towels or a cloth to dry the shrimp further.

Preparing the rest of the ingredients:

Start off by cutting the char siu into bite-sized cube pieces and set it aside.

Next, cut up the Chinese sausage into thin slices and set it aside.

Now cut up the green onions into thin pieces about 1/4 inch thick and set it aside.
Mince 3-4 cloves of garlic and set it aside.
Now in a bowl, crack 2 eggs and then add in the annatto oil plus white sugar to the eggs and mix everything well together.

Next, pour the egg mixture on top of the leftover rice plus add in the chicken powder to the rice as well.

Mix everything well together until the rice is evenly coated and looks yellow and set it aside.

Bowl of mixed rice with eggs and annatto oil

In another bowl, crack 2 eggs and whisk it well together and set it aside as well.

Blanching shrimp and frozen vegetables:

Now boil a pot of water and once the water is boiling, add in your shrimp that you prepared earlier.
Blanch the shrimp for about 30 seconds and then immediately remove it from the pot and run it under cold water to stop the cooking process and then set it on a strainer to dry and set it aside.

Now add in your frozen green beans and carrots to the pot of boiling water and blanch the vegetables for about 2-3 minutes until the vegetables float to the top and then remove the vegetables from the pot and run it under cold water to stop the cooking process and then strain it and set it aside.

Running blanched vegetables under cold running water

Cooking everything together:

Now heat up a wok on medium-low heat. Once the wok is hot enough, add in 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the wok. Swirl the oil around the wok to evenly coat it.
Next, add in your minced garlic to the wok and stir-fry it for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until the garlic turns into a golden brown color. Immediately remove the garlic from the wok and set it aside.

Then add in the Chinese sausage and cook it for about 30 seconds before adding in the char siu as well. Cook everything for another 30 seconds and then remove it from the wok.

Now add 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok and swirl the oil around the wok.
Add in the eggs that you whisked earlier to the wok.

Then immediately add in the rice on top of the eggs and mix everything well together, making sure to scoop underneath the eggs and raise the spatula and repeating this motion when mixing.

Cook it on medium-high heat for about 1 minute, making sure to press down on the fried rice and spreading it out so that it evenly cooks the rice and dries it out.

Then add back in the fried garlic that you made earlier and mix everything well together for another 30 seconds.

Now add in your Chinese sausage, char siu, and mixed frozen vegetables. Mix everything well together for about 30 seconds.

Adding in char siu and Chinese sausage to fried rice

Adding in carrots and peas to fried rice

Afterward, add in your blanched shrimp from earlier and continue mixing everything for another 30 seconds.

Then add in your fish sauce plus 1/4 teaspoon of table salt as well to season everything. Continue mixing it for another 30 seconds.
Finally, add in your green onions and mix everything well together for another 30 seconds. Now turn off the stove and remove the wok from the stove. Serve the fried rice while still hot.

Tips

If you’re a beginner or not used to making fried rice, then use leftover rice that has been sitting in the fridge overnight. This will ensure that the rice that you cook will not stick to the wok and will turn out nice and fluffy unless you add way too much water while cooking the rice.
To determine when the shrimp is dry enough, gently touch the shrimp with your fingers and see if it sticks to your fingers. When the shrimp sticks to your fingers then it is dry enough to be used.
For the best texture and consistency when frying rice, let the rice cook in the wok until you start to see the rice “jump up” in the wok.

Common Mistakes Beginners Make

Using overly wet rice to cook fried rice leads to mushy fried rice that sticks to the wok and pan.
Using overly dry rice to cook fried rice leads to a very dry-tasting fried rice dish.

Storage Tips

The fried rice can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Side Dishes:

Some dishes that go well with Vietnamese fried rice include Vietnamese water spinach stir-fry, Cantonese soy sauce chow mein, and Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.S)

Where to Buy Chinese Sausages?

Chinese sausages are sold at most Asian supermarkets, especially Chinese supermarkets.

Where to Buy Annatto Oil?

Annatto oil is sold at most Asian supermarkets.

I Can’t Find Annatto Oil, What Can I Use Instead?

If you can’t find annatto oil then just leave it out. The eggs will also coat the rice and make it yellow as well.

What Is the Difference Between Vietnamese Fried Rice vs Chinese Fried Rice?

The main difference between the two is in the type of seasoning used and toppings. In Vietnamese-style fried rice you’ll often see fish sauce and annatto oil being used. The fish sauce gives the fried rice a nice fragrant smell and taste to it, while the annatto oil gives the fried rice a nice golden yellow color. You’ll almost exclusively see annatto oil being used in Vietnamese-style fried rice and not Chinese-style fried rice.

In addition, you’ll sometimes see Chinese sausage being added to Vietnamese-style fried rice or Chinese-Vietnamese-style fried rice. Some recipes even add in Vietnamese ham. Chinese style on the other hand oftentimes will use soy sauce as the seasoning base along with sugar and occasionally oyster sauce depending on the recipe.

What Type of Rice Should I Use for Making Fried Rice?

Long grain jasmine rice is typically used in Vietnamese and Chinese style fried rice and that is the type of rice I recommend for making fried rice.

Can I Use a Different Type of Rice Instead of Jasmine Rice?

You can, but it’s not going to taste as good.

Can I Use Fresh Rice Instead of Leftover Rice for Making This Recipe?

Yes, you can! However, make sure that the rice is cooked properly and not overly wet or dry. If the rice is very sticky and is cooked with too much water, it will stick to the wok when cooking and also become mushy. That is why leftover rice is recommended for this recipe. As each brand of rice is different, you’ll need to experiment to find the perfect ratio of water to rice but a good starting point to test is a 1:1 ratio.

How Do I Reheat the Leftover Fried Rice?

Just place the leftover fried rice in the microwave and heat it until it’s hot. How long will depend on how much fried rice you’re heating up.

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