To make fried rice, it is better to use cold rice or leftover rice that has been stored in the refrigerator overnight. Hot or freshly cooked rice contains a lot of moisture and easily clumps together. If using fresh rice, make sure to let it cool for at least 2 hours before cooking to make it drier and less sticky.

The excessive use of oil can make fried rice oily and heavy. Just use enough oil to sauté the spices and rice. Excessive oil can make the rice harder because the rice will absorb the oil.

Before starting to sauté the spices and rice, make sure the pan is really hot. Heat the pan over high heat until it emits thin smoke before adding the cooking oil. This is to prevent the rice from sticking to the pan and to maintain the texture of the fried rice.

After heating the pan and sautéing the spices, stir the rice quickly and not for too long. Avoid pressing the rice with a spatula as it can make it crumble and clump together. Fry the rice until all the ingredients are evenly mixed and the rice is hot.

When sautéing garlic, simply do it until the aroma comes out. Sautéing garlic for too long can make it burnt and affect the taste of fried rice. Add other seasonings and rice after the garlic starts to smell fragrant.

Cook fried rice with high heat to make the cooking process faster and the texture of the rice remains tender. High heat also makes the wok hotter so that the rice does not stick to the surface of the wok. Avoid cooking with low heat as it can make the rice mushy and watery. Source: Diadona.