Crispy Fried Rice Waffles

Prep: 1. mi0s

Cook: 10 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 2 Servings

If you love crispy rice, then say hello to the best way to reheat leftover fried rice! While you usually cook the rice over direct flame to create the crispy scorched layer on the bottom of the pot, this recipe from my cookbook Indulgent Eats at Home uses the waffle maker to easily make crispy rice with a fun presentation. It works even better when the rice is cold, so it makes reheating leftovers just as easy as using the microwave, but with the benefit of getting crispy rice.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable, canola or peanut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 ounces lap cheong, cut lengthwise then chopped
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed in water then drained well
3 cups cold day-old rice
1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce (substitute with light soy sauce)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 large eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cooking spray or oil spray
2 to 4 cups leftover fried rice
Fried egg and garnishes, as desired

Instructions

Make the Chinese sausage fried rice. Heat a wok over medium-high heat, then add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the lap cheong and peas, and stir-fry until heated through, about 2 minutes.
Break up the rice into individual grains with clean hands before adding it to the wok, then add the sauces and sesame oil in a ring around the sides of the wok to evenly distribute it and sprinkle on the white pepper. Stir-fry until the rice is uniformly colored.
Make a well in the center of the rice, pushing the rice to the edges of the wok. Add the eggs into the well, using a spatula or wooden spoon to break the yolks and scramble the eggs, cooking while stirring just the egg occasionally to form small, fluffy curds (with the bonus of crisping up the surrounding rice at the same time). Once the eggs are mostly cooked, mix everything together, allowing any uncooked egg to coat the rice.
Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve as is or transfer to a tray to cool if you want to make the waffles. If you want the rice to be extra crispy, it should be cold before it goes into the waffle maker — let the fried rice cool at room temperature before storing in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Make the waffles. Preheat the waffle maker until the light indicator shows that it’s hot. Spray the cooking surface with cooking spray or oil so the fried rice waffles will easily slip out when cooked.
Pack the rice into a bowl or other round container—this will make it easier to add to the waffle maker. Flip the rice container onto the center of the waffle maker, jiggling the container to reveal a mound of rice, then use a spoon to shape it to fill the waffle maker. Close the top down—for deep grooves and a crispier texture, use force to press down on the waffle maker as much as possible to compact the rice. If you want to keep a middle layer of fluffier rice, press down just enough to flatten the rice and leave an imprint of the waffle maker.
Cook for at least 4 minutes. You can lift the top to check on how the rice is crisping up. Once you’ve achieved your desired crispiness, open the waffle maker and put a plate directly onto the waffle, then carefully flip to transfer the waffle onto the plate. If your waffle maker doesn’t allow you to flip one side over, then use tongs to lift the fried rice waffle out and slide a plate underneath it.
Serve immediately, using a fork to listen to the crispy exterior and topping with a fried egg and garnishing as desired.