Unlock Fried Rice's Inner Umami Instantly With Just A Few Dashes Of This Liquid

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Fried rice is a classic for a reason. The veggie- and protein-studded stir-fried dish is one of the tastiest and easiest ways to use up leftover rice. Plus, it's endlessly customizable. For example, you could enhance fried rice with a crunchy addition or add a savory tinned fish for next-level flavor. One simple and underrated way to upgrade your fried rice is with a splash of an underused umami-packed ingredient that will instantly transform your cooking: fish sauce.

"Fish sauce is my secret weapon for fried rice," Maricel Gentile, chef and owner of Maricel's Kitchen, and author of "Maricel's Simply Asian Cookbook," told The Takeout. "Just a dash deepens the flavor and adds that subtle ocean umami." Fish sauce is the liquid produced by fermenting small, oily fish with salt, and its intense umami flavor takes fried rice to another level with just a few drops. "It is like adding a whisper of anchovy, salty, savory, complex," Gentile explained. Adding fish sauce to fried rice dishes is especially popular in Vietnamese and Thai cuisine, she noted (fish sauce takes Vietnamese food to astonishing heights).

Maricel Gentile recommends adding fish sauce to your fried rice near the end of the cooking process. "The heat helps it blend without becoming overpowering," she explained. Gentile suggests a ratio of about 1 to 2 teaspoons of fish sauce per serving of fried rice — be careful not to go overboard, because fish sauce packs a punch. "Always taste as you go," she advised. "Fish sauce should lift, not dominate."

In addition to supercharging the savory umami flavor with fish sauce, Gentile shared another simple way to sharpen your fried rice seasoning game. "In Japanese cooking, the 'Sa Shi Su Se So' rule guides the order of adding seasonings: sugar, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, and miso," she explained. "This sequence helps flavors build in harmony, letting sweetness soak in first and preserving the delicate aroma of soy sauce and miso at the end." With these expert seasoning tips in mind, you'll be frying up perfectly flavorful, umami-packed fried rice every time.