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Egg Fried Rice In A Mug

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Did you know that you could cook egg fried rice in a mug? This flavorful fried rice is ready in minutes, perfect for those days when you are feeling hungry and impatient.

Egg Fried Rice In A Mug | healthynibblesandbits.com

Fried rice has a special place in my heart.

When I was about 11 or 12, I was sent home from school because I had some serious girl pains. Ladies, you know what I’m talking about. I was home alone, and there was no ready-made food at my house except for a loaf of bread. I think any teenager would have just scrounged up some pb&j, toasted the bread, and called it a day. I was feeling a bit ambitious.

At the time, I had never cooked on my own. Sure, I helped Mama Lin with random tasks in the kitchen, but cooking from scratch was an “adult” thing to do. Maybe I felt like pretending to be an adult on that rainy day. I can’t remember anymore, but I was determined to cook rice for myself. I had seen my grandmother do it a thousand times. Rinse the rice, set the rice cooker, and ta-da, lunch would be ready. Or so I thought.

Egg Fried Rice In A Mug | healthynibblesandbits.com #glutenfree

It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was in over my head. Goopy would be the best way to describe that rice I made. The pre-teen me didn’t realize that the numbers etched inside the rice cooker bowl actually meant something. They told me how much water I should put in there! Even though I was making my way into uncharted territory in the kitchen, I was so sure that I could just eyeball the amount of water. Enter goopy rice.

Then, genius idea #2 came along—fix goopy rice by making it into fried rice. I was convinced that the heat from a wok would help evaporate moisture from the goopy rice and I would be left with perfectly fluffy fried rice. I’m sorry to report that things really don’t work like that. I was so ashamed by my efforts that I made sure to clean up the kitchen before anyone got home. No reason to turn this episode into a lifelong family joke.

And that, my friends, is my experience cooking fried rice for the first time. If only I had known that I could cook fried rice in the microwave 17 years ago . . .

Egg Fried Rice In A Mug | healthynibblesandbits.com #glutenfree

One of my Christmas presents was this Meal in a Mug cookbook—80 single-serving recipes that you cook in a microwave. The Egg Fried Rice recipe immediately caught my eye because everything about it flies in the face of conventional wisdom. The funny thing is, the recipe actually worked! I changed up the original recipe by adding much more vegetables (of course) and spices—five-spice powder, onion powder, and white pepper. Fried rice just isn’t the same without a ton of spices.

I wonder what Mama Lin would say to this microwaved fried rice. Probably something to the effect of, “You silly American child.”

Egg Fried Rice In A Mug | healthynibblesandbits.com #glutenfree

MASTERING MY MISTAKES / COOKING NOTES

  • All microwaves are different so the cooking time may vary a tiny bit.
  • When you’re microwaving the rice, you’re going to cover the top with cling film. Make sure to puncture a hole in the film! You don’t want to scald yourself when you remove the film. Trust me, it does not feel pleasant.
  • I would use a pretty big mug for this. You are making a small meal, after all. Save the teacups for tea.
  • If you are looking for a regular fried rice recipe, try my 15-minute Egg Fried Rice!
Egg Fried Rice In A Mug | healthynibblesandbits.com #glutenfree

Here’s a video of how to make a gluten-free version of this dish! While you’re at it, subscribe to my YouTube channel!

Egg Fried Rice in a Mug
5 from 1 vote
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Servings: 1 serving
Author: Lisa Lin

Egg Fried Rice in a Mug

This egg fried in a rice is a great single-serving meal for days when you feel too lazy to cook.
Adapted from Meals in a Mug. 
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time3 mins
Total Time9 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked jasmine rice
  • 2 tablespoons frozen peas
  • 2 tablespoons chopped red pepper
  • 1/2 stalk of green onion, sliced
  • small pinch of mung bean sprouts
  • small pinch of shredded purple cabbage
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder

Instructions

  • Place the rice into a large mug. Lay the peas, red pepper, green onion, mung bean sprouts and cabbage on top. Cover the mug with cling film. Using a knife, puncture one or two small holes through the film. This step is important! You don’t want to scald yourself. Microwave on high for 1 minute 15 seconds.
  • In the meantime, beat the egg and mix in the seasonings (soy sauce, sesame oil, onion powder and five-spice powder). Pour the egg mixture into the mug, and stir with the vegetables and rice
  • Cover the mug with cling film again, and microwave for 1 minute 15 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds. Take the mug out of the microwave, and give everything a good stir. Let the fried rice stand for a minute to finish cooking. Use a fork to fluff up the rice and serve.

Notes

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Amount Per Serving: Calories: 344, Total Fat 9g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 616mg, Cholesterol: 186mg, Total Carbohydrate: 53g, Dietary Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 4g, Protein 15g
Did you make this recipe?Tag @hellolisalin or leave a star rating and comment on the blog!
Egg Fried Rice In A Mug - easy meal in 10 minutes! @healthynibs

Lisa Lin Head Shot

Hey, there! I’m Lisa Lin

Here, you’ll find well-tested Asian recipes, pantry guides, and recipes from my sassy mother, Mama Lin. Through my recipes and cooking videos, I hope to honor the food and traditions that surrounded my Chinese American upbringing.

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    • Lisa says

      Thanks, Kelly! That’s funny, heather also commented that her microwave just broke, too. Hope you find a new one soon!

      Reply

  8. Connie @ Sprig and Flours says

    Desperate times calls for desperate measures! I did a double take to make sure I was reading this right. Fried rice in a mug has got to be the coolest mug recipe ever. When I’m in pain and hungry, I’ll do anything for a quick meal…I’d probably try making fried rice in my shoe if that was the only thing available!

    Reply

  9. Min says

    Haha I like how pre-teen Lisa used to do things around the kitchen ;). If it makes you feel any better, I would’ve done the same thing with “goopy” rice. Now, I’ve been making individual mug cakes but def not fried rice! Very cool! Now the question is, do I have a large mug? I’m sure I do somewhere….somewhere

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      I’ll send a large mug to you if you don’t have one! Seriously, we have waaay too many mugs around m apartment. We collect at least one from every city we travel to!

      Reply

    • Lisa says

      When I was making this in the microwave, I just felt like it was going against everything my mom had taught me! I’m sure you’ll feel the same when you’re making it!

      Reply

    • Lisa says

      YES! There’s also a sticky toffee pudding recipe in that meal in a mug cookbook (it’s actually a pudding this time). We’ll cook that together, too!

      Reply

    • Lisa says

      Thanks, Amy! Fried rice was always one of my favorites, too. My mom would only make it if there was a huge amount of leftover rice from the night before. I remember always crossing my fingers and hoping that it would be fried rice night!

      Reply

      • Fuji says

        Lisa, here’s a Cheat, it’s TRUE, you can’t fry todays rice, or goopy rice. But you can cheat by putting fresh cooked or goopy rice in the freezer for a couple of hours until it hardens. That way, you don’t have to wait for “yesterdays” rice like we did in the past. Looks like I’ll be trying your recipe…..Thanks….

        Reply

  16. Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine says

    I love this idea for a quick dinner for 1! When Alex isn’t home, I usually just have yogurt and fruit for dinner 🙂 I am too lazy to cook for myself– it somehow isn’t so much fun when no one is around to appreciate it!

    Funny story about your first attempt at cooking! My brother and I were always creating (terrible) meals when my parents weren’t home! We didn’t care how they turned out– just top with maple syrup??!

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      It’s so true, Michelle! Whenever I’m home alone, I just throw salad greens in a bowl, make some toast, and call it a meal! I get so lazy cooking for myself sometimes.

      That’s so funny (and awesome) that you and your brother would cook together. Yes, maple syrup saves all kitchen disasters!

      Reply

    • Lisa says

      When I think back to that day, I can’t help but laugh about the ridiculous cooking decisions I’ve made. Mushy rice doesn’t really dehydrate when it’s cooked on a wok!

      Reply

  24. MJ Strong says

    Is it possible to print your receipt? The fried rice looks so good and so simple for a 1 person home. I like the egg on top of a lot of dishes!

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      Hi MJ! Absolutely. If you scroll to the recipe, there should be a “print” button right underneath the photo. Just click on it, and it will bring you to a printer-friendly version of the recipe. Hope you enjoy it!

      Reply

    • Lisa says

      Hi Terence, the rice would be cooked already. I used microwave-ready rice that’s sold in a bag. I just need to heat it up for about 5 to 6 minutes for it to be ready to eat.

      Reply

  28. Jake says

    Hi Lisa!
    After reading this recipe I quickly decided that I had to try it out. Even though I didn’t have all the spices or vegetables listed, I made something that turned out good, with peas, corn, carrots, soy sauce and five-spice powder. Delicious, filling and gluten-free. I’ll most definitely make this again sometime.
    -Jake

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      Jake, you’ve made my day! Thank you so much for trying out this recipe and for letting me know how it turned out for you! I love when my readers tweak my recipes to suit their tastes, and I’m glad you were able to do so here. Hope you have a wonderful day!

      Reply

  30. Hannah N says

    I feel extremely dumb for asking this, but if I get instant Minute rice and go to cook it in the microwave like your recipe, do I need water? About how much? I’d be following your recipe exactly. You didn’t mention water lol! I plan on trying this tomorrow.

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      Hi Hannah! Not a dumb question at all! I didn’t any water to the rice. Just heat the rice quickly, add vegetables, microwave, mix in the egg, microwave, and you should be set!

      Reply

  32. Andi says

    Did you all know that you can freeze raw eggs (out of their shells) for up to a year? I have recently discovered this, and it has saved my life, meal prep wise! I am a busy working mama (of kiddos who are the definition of Hangry), so I try to make all of our meals as quick and easy as possible. My plan is to mix all the rice ingredients in one bag, and all the egg ingredients in another, and freeze them for use when needed! Load them into the lunch bag in the morning, by lunch time they should be thawed, and ready to cook in my mug! I’ll let you know how that works out.

    Reply

  34. Sarah says

    I love this! I’m a sucker for fried rice and was in the mood to have some, when I saw this I HAD to try it. I’m so glad I saw this too, me, being 12 years old, have a lot less experience than your 12 year old self had! Both my parents work, so I’m home with my little brother and older sister, I of course, inherited the cooking of dinner/lunch from my mom. This is easy and fast (Not to mention delicious) good thing everyone likes fried rice, because I’ll be keeping this recipe!

    Reply

  35. Jill Roberts @ WellnessGeeky says

    This is absolutely magnificent, scrumptious, delicious, super yummy egg fried rice mug. Combination of taste, I like a balanced diet, a variety of protein and vitamin supplements so that they will have good health. Thx for sharing Lisa!

    Reply

  39. Rebecca says

    Aaaah I’m so glad I found this. I’ve never been to a Japanese restaurant until recently, and now I’m HOOKED! My oldest son does not like it, and it’s too expensive to just waste money when he’s not gonna eat it, so I have to try to fit it into my lunch breaks which makes them go about a half hour over so I can’t do that often either… But now I can have it here at work on lunch anytime!!!! Just got to find a YUM YUM recipe to taste like our local hibachi place and I’ll be in fried rice heaven. 🙂

    Reply

  44. Eva says

    I love Cakes,veggies,and food in mugs! For me it’s very simple to do and saves from discarding food as I admit to wasting a lot! Thank you for your many recipes ! I intend to start following and making a lot of different ones! I’m a senior and the mugs recipes are big enough in size

    Reply

  47. Rafael says

    Thanks for sharing these egg fried rice in a mug, kind of unique and interesting one . Never tried in a mug recipe . Will love to try this amazing and delicious one

    Reply

  48. Sami says

    Could I sub the egg for something else? Or just remove it from the recipe? Would it affect how the fried rice cooks at all?

    Reply
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