Yellow Curry Fried Rice with Potatoes

This simple curry fried rice is bursting with flavor! It is loaded with carrots, broccoli, and potatoes and topped with a fried egg. If you’re looking for a quick comforting meal on weeknights, this fried rice is it!

It is no exaggeration when I say that I cook fried rice all the time—several times a month at least. Fried rice is something that anyone can cook without a recipe. Just throw some vegetables, protein, rice, and seasoning into a wok, stir, and you’ll end up with a dish that is filling and comforting to the soul.

I came up with this yellow curry fried rice one day when I was trying to finish off leftovers in the fridge. My husband kept saying how much he enjoyed the fried rice so I knew I had to share the recipe.

I use the word “recipe” lightly in this instance because you can modify it however you want to. I have cooked this curry fried rice with green beans, bell peppers, corn, tofu, and chicken. All the different variations tastes wonderful. Feel free to use the recipe below as a guideline and make any substitutions that suit your taste.

COOKING NOTES FOR THE CURRY FRIED RICE

• Choosing the curry powder: Any kind of Indian-style mild yellow curry powder works well for this recipe. Trader Joe’s has a great curry powder blend. If you are local to Sacramento, the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op sells a good all-around curry powder in their bulk spices section.
• Using day-old rice: Traditionally, fried rice was a dish that people cooked to repurpose leftover rice from the night before. That’s why most fried rice recipes call for day-old rice. If you don’t have leftover rice on hand, cook a big batch of rice (about 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups of rice) and spread it over plates or a large baking sheet to cool. Let the rice dry out for an hour. Freshly cooked rice has too much moisture, so it’s not ideal for fried rice.

MORE FRIED RICE RECIPES

EASIEST EGG FRIED RICE

PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE

COCONUT LIME BUTTERNUT SQUASH FRIED RICE

Yellow Curry Fried Rice with Potatoes

• Author: Lisa Lin
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

• 8 ounces yukon potatoes, diced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 2 1/2 tablespoons canola or olive oil, divided
• 1 cup diced yellow onions
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced ginger
• 2 to 3 Thai chiles, sliced (optional)
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 8 ounces broccoli, cut into small florets
• 3 cups cooked day-old rice
• 2 stalks of scallions, sliced
• 2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 large eggs

Garnish

• sliced scallions
• red pepper flakes
• chili oil

Instructions

1. Add the diced potatoes to a saucepan and fill it with water, about an inch above the potatoes. Add about 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt to the water and bring it to boil. Let the potatoes simmer for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, until they are fork tender. Drain the potatoes.
2. Heat a wok or large sauté pan with 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes, until they start to soften. Add the garlic, ginger, and chiles (if using), and stir with the onions until they are fragrant, about 15 to 20 seconds.
3. Next, add the carrots, broccoli, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. If the wok or sauté pan is very dry, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water. This will keep the vegetables from burning. Cover the wok or pan and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the cooked potatoes, rice, scallions, yellow curry powder, and soy sauce to the wok or pan. Stir until the rice takes on a nice yellow color. Taste the fried rice and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
5. In a separate large nonstick pan or skillet, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Fry up the 4 eggs. It takes me about 4 to 5 minutes to cook the sunny side up eggs.
6. Serve the rice in 4 bowls and add a fried egg in each bowl. Garnish with additional sliced scallions, red pepper flakes, and chili oil, if you like.

Notes

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Amount Per Serving: Calories: 445, Total Fat 16.7g, Saturated Fat: 3.3g, Cholesterol: 186mg, Sodium: 778mg, Total Carbohydrate: 61g, Dietary Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 4g, Protein 13.7g

• If you don’t like eggs sunny side up, you can just scramble them in the nonstick pan and stir the scrambled eggs into the fried rice. I would still cook the scrambled eggs separately. When you add 4 eggs over the rice at once, it can take a while for the eggs to fully cook, and you’ll end up with overly moist fried rice.