Curry fried rice is a delicious dish that combines egg fried rice with the amazing flavors of Korean curry! It is incredibly flavorful, filled with wholesome vegetables, and super simple to make.

If you love Korean or Japanese curry, then this curry fried rice recipe might be a fun way to switch up your curry game! It is super simple to make, perfect for using any leftover rice, and tastes amazing.
Plus, it’s a great way to use any leftover Korean curry powder you might have from trying this dakgalbi recipe. No need to let it sit in your pantry unused!
Curry Fried Rice Ingredients
To make curry fried rice, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Cooked rice: Whenever you make fried rice, make sure you use leftover rice. Freshly cooked rice doesn’t fry as well and can become very clumpy and soggy. So always use leftover refrigerated rice. I used short-grain white rice to make this dish, but other types (like basmati or jasmine rice) work, too!
- Eggs: Eggs are perfect for making fried rice! They taste great and add some extra protein to this dish.
- Aromatics: Yellow onion, green onion, and garlic are always needed to make fried rice. The same goes for curry fried rice, so don’t skip these ingredients!
- Vegetables: I recommend using red bell pepper, carrots, and green peas, for this curry egg fried rice recipe. But you can substitute them with other vegetables that you might want to use instead.
- Korean curry powder: Make sure that you don’t use regular curry powder. Korean curry powder tastes very different so I recommend sticking to it (I use the Ottogi brand curry powder). An alternative is Japanese curry powder.
- Soy sauce: Soy sauce lends this dish umami and saltiness. Just use regular soy sauce.
- Ketchup: Ketchup is an ingredient that people love to add to Japanese curry. And I absolutely love it in this curry fried rice! It adds some sweetness and acidity which really makes this fried rice taste extra special.
- Red chili flakes (optional): If you love spicy foods, feel free to add red chili flakes or gochugaru (Korean chili flakes). I always add a small amount for some extra spice.
- Sesame oil: Sesame oil is a classic ingredients for making egg fried rice. You only need a small amount to elevate the flavor of this dish. But if you don’t like sesame oil, feel free to omit it.
How to make curry fried rice
Making curry fried rice is super simple! Just follow these steps:
- Sauté the aromatics: First, preheat some oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. Then sauté the onion and garlic until the onion turns translucent.
- Sauté the vegetables: Next, sauté the carrots for 1-2 minutes until they start to soften. Add the red bell pepper and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Add the cooked rice, green peas, green onions, Korean curry powder, soy sauce, ketchup, red chili flakes (optional), and black pepper. Toss over high heat until everything is combined.
- Scramble the eggs: Push the fried rice to one side of the pan and add the whisked eggs. Scramble them, add some sesame oil to the fried rice, and toss until everything is combined.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds (optional) and enjoy!
Tips & Notes
Here are a few quick notes to make sure that your curry fried rice turns out perfectly.
- Prepare all ingredients before you start cooking. As the fried rice is cooked on high heat, preparing your ingredients before you start to cook makes everything a lot easier and less messy. So be sure to chop your vegetables and set them aside until you start cooking.
- Break up your leftover rice before you use it. This makes pan-frying it a lot easier.
- Add red chili flakes to taste. Depending on your personal preferences, you might want to add red chili flakes. I always add a small amount (about one teaspoon) of gochugaru for some extra heat.
- Use frozen vegetables if you want to save some extra time. Making this curry fried rice doesn’t take much time, but if you want to save some extra time feel free to use frozen vegetables. I always do this when I don’t feel like chopping vegetables.
Variations
There are different ways to adjust this curry fried rice recipe to your taste or needs. Here are some ideas for you.
- Add more protein: If you want to add some protein, feel free to sauté some chicken, beef, or tofu with the vegetables.
- Use different vegetables: I really like the recipe as is, but if you want to add your leftover vegetables feel free to do so! Fried rice is perfect for cleaning out your refrigerator. One of my favorite additions is corn as it goes really well with the other ingredients.
- Add some gochujang: If you love Korean food, then you’ll know how amazing gochujang tastes! You can add a small amount for some added sweetness and red pepper flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Regular curry powder tastes very different compared to Korean or Japanese curry powder (there are also minor differences between these two). So I recommend sticking to one of them.
But if you feel like experimenting and adjusting the other ingredients, you can use regular curry powder.
The only non-vegan ingredient in this recipe is eggs, so feel free to omit them or use vegan eggs to make this recipe vegan.
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can reheat them in a microwave or on the stove.
More quick and delicious dinner recipes
I absolutely love quick and simple recipes that taste delicious! Here are some of my go-to dinner recipes.
- Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos
- Penne alla Vodka with Chicken
- Shrimp Chow Mein
- Chili Oil Noodles
- Korean Dakgalbi
Curry Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 carrots diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 4 ½ cups leftover cooked white rice
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 green onions sliced
- 2 tablespoons Korean curry powder
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- gochugaru or red chili flakes (optional) to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 5 eggs whisked
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- sesame seeds (optional) for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the avocado oil or vegetable oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. Then sauté the onion and garlic until the onion turns translucent.
- Next, add the carrots and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Now add the red bell pepper and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the cooked rice, green peas, green onions, Korean curry powder, soy sauce, ketchup, red chili flakes (optional), and black pepper. Toss over high heat until everything is combined.
- Now push the fried rice to one side of the pan. Add the eggs and scramble them. When the eggs are cooked through, add the sesame oil to the fried rice and toss until everything is combined.
- Garnish, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Before you start cooking, prepare all of the ingredients for making the fried rice. It cooks very quickly so there won't be much time to chop any ingredients while cooking.
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