Ingredients

• 4 cups cold cooked rice, from about 200 g raw600 g
• 2 tbsp oil30 g
• 2 eggs, beaten100 g
• 300 g chicken breast, diced small300 g
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed8 g
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated10 g
• 1 cup frozen peas150 g
• 1 carrot, diced small70 g
• 2 tbsp soy sauce30 g
• 3 spring onions, sliced40 g

Method

1. Use rice cooked the day before and refrigerated. Fresh rice is too wet and will turn to porridge — this is the one non-negotiable part of the recipe. Break up any clumps with your hands.
2. Heat a wok or your largest frying pan over the highest heat you have until it is genuinely hot. Add half the oil, then the beaten egg. Let it set for a few seconds, scramble it roughly, and tip it back out onto a plate while still slightly underdone.
3. Add the rest of the oil and the chicken. Spread it out and leave it for 2 minutes without touching it so it colours, then stir and cook for another 2 minutes until done. Move it to the plate with the egg.
4. Add the carrot and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds.
5. Add the rice. Press it against the base of the pan and leave it for a minute at a time between stirs — you want some grains to toast and pop. Keep going for about 4 minutes.
6. Return the chicken and egg, add the peas, and pour the soy down the side of the pan rather than over the rice so it sizzles as it hits the metal.
7. Toss everything together for a final minute, stir through the spring onions, and serve.