This easy Canned Tuna Fried Rice recipe is simple, nutritious, and delicious. Done in 30 minutes, it's a great pantry meal for a quick weeknight dinner. (I also show you how to make it spicy, or non-spicy.)
Jump to:
⭐ Why This Recipe is a Star
- Pantry ingredients: all the ingredients come straight out of your pantry (except maybe the chili peppers, which can be omitted.) They're all readily available, so no need to head over to the Asian grocery store! For more canned tuna recipes, such as tuna casserole , click here.
- Quick: if you have leftover rice on hand, it's done in 30 minutes. A great option for a quick lunch or dinner. (But can also be made with freshly cooked rice)
- Economical: this easy meal is a great way to use up leftover rice!
🥘 Ingredients
You will only need a few simple ingredients for this delicious tuna rice:
- 1 Cup uncooked white rice: for good fried rice, in which every grain of rice is separate and not lumpy, use 3 Cups of leftover white rice. (The day-old rice will have cooled and is less moist, so you can stir-fry the cold rice properly.) However, we don't always have cooked white rice on hand so if you don't you can cook up 1 Cup of rice grains for this recipe. I recommend long-grain jasmine rice but sushi rice also works.
- 1 canned tuna (drained weight 130g/ 4.6 oz), drained: use the best tuna you can get. Both tuna in oil or tuna in brine work. (Some people find tuna in oil more flavorful, but it's also a little messier to work with.) If using tuna in oil, choose sunflower oil as olive oil doesn't taste authentically Asian!
- 2 shallots: you can substitute with ½ a red onion
- 3 garlic cloves : peel and pound with the chili
- 2 chili peppers: Use large red chilies if you don't want it too spicy, and small Thai chilis if you can handle the heat. Omit (and just pound up the garlic) if you don't like spice. Also note that frying a chili-garlic paste will make you cough and choke on the fumes, so if you prefer a more pleasant cooking experience, you can leave out the chilies and just add 1-2 Tablespoons of Sriracha instead.
- 4 Tablespoons oyster sauce: for more information on oyster sauce and its substitutes, click here.
- 1.5 Tablespoons light soy sauce: you can also use the same amount of fish sauce or toyomansi. Do not use dark soy sauce or sweet soy sauce.
- 1 Teaspoon of white sugar: use granulated or caster white sugar.
- 3 eggs: beat with ¼ teaspoon salt (or ½ teaspoon fish sauce)
- 3 Tablespoons of neutral vegetable oil: do not use olive oil if you want authentic Asian flavour
Optional garnish: sliced green onion, peanut powder, chili flakes, red pepper flakes, or crispy shallots.
📖 Variations & Substitutes
- Spam fried rice: you can substitute the tuna with spam. Note that luncheon meat is quite salty, so you may want to reduce the amount of seasoning added.
- Chinese tuna fried rice: the seasoning in this recipe is more Thai-inspired. For a Chinese flavored dish, add 1 teaspoon minced ginger, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, ½ Tablespoon sesame oil, ½ Tablespoon of dark soy sauce, and garnish with lightly toasted sesame seeds.
- Korean tuna kimchi rice: add ¼ Cup kimchi when stir-frying the onion, garnish with black pepper and drizzle sesame oil before serving.
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
Frying the Eggs
1a. Whisk the 3 eggs and ¼ teaspoon of salt (or ½ teaspoon of fish sauce) till well-mixed.
1b. Over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick wok or large frying pan.
1c. Once hot, reduce to medium-low heat and add the eggs. Allow the base to set (but the top is still wet), then use your heat-proof spatula to scramble, so that you get large curds.
2a. Gently stir till the entire egg is cooked, about 1-2 minutes.
2b. Plate.
Frying the Rice
3a. Drain the can of tuna. Mix all the seasoning in a separate small bowl.
3b. In the same wok/ large skillet, over high heat, heat up 2 more tablespoons of oil. Add the chili-garlic paste, and quickly stir for 20 seconds.
Note: the chili will produce spicy fumes that will make you cough and your eyes water, so omit if you don't want that to happen. You can add 2 Tablespoons of Sriracha (along with the soy and oyster sauces) later if you still want some heat.
4. Next, add the minced shallots and stir-fry till fragrant and translucent (about 1 minute.)
5. Add the drained tuna and stir to combine, breaking any large chunks of meat.
6. Add the 3 Cups of cooked rice.
7. Pour in the 4 Tablespoons of oyster sauce, 1.5 Tablespoons of light soy sauce (or fish sauce) and 1 teaspoon of sugar, then stir fry till everything is well-mixed and piping hot.
8. Add the scrambled egg omelette back to the pan, mix again, then remove from heat. Garnish with sliced spring onions etc and serve with a good fried rice side dish.
🥡 How to Store
Leftover rice goes bad very quickly so if you made the tuna fried rice with leftover rice, I recommend eating it straight away (and not storing it.)
If you used freshly-cooked white rice, you can keep the fried rice overnight in the fridge in an airtight container, but make sure to store it properly.
Reheating
Heat the tuna egg rice in the microwave or in a wok till piping hot.
🥗 Suggested Accompanying Recipes
Enjoyed this easy tuna rice recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below! If you REALLY liked this tinned tuna easy recipe, please consider supporting it by buying me a bottle of soy sauce! 🙂 (No obligation though!) Thank you and have a great day!
EASY Canned Tuna Fried rice (30 min)
Equipment
- 1 mortar and pestle Substitute: blender (for the chili-garlic paste)
- 1 Wok
- 1 heat proof spatula
Ingredients
For the eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil Use a neutral one or lard for more flavor. (You will need 2 more Tablespoons of oil later, so 3 Tablespoons in total for this recipe.) Do not use olive oil if you want authentic Asian flavour
- 3 eggs whisked with salt/ fish sauce below
- ¼ teaspoon salt Substitute: ½ teaspoon fish sauce (or light soy sauce)
For the fried rice
- 3 cloves garlic peel and pound with chilies (if using)
- 2 red chilies Remove the seeds. Use a large one for a milder flavor or smaller chilies for more heat. Omit if you don't want the choking fumes or spice. For spice without the fumes, use 2-3 Tablespoons Sriracha instead.
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 shallots peeled and minced. Substitute: ½ red onion
- 1 can tuna drained (drained weight 130g/ 4.6 oz) Both tuna in oil or tuna in brine work. (Some people find tuna in oil more flavorful, but it's also a little messier to work with.) If using tuna in oil, choose sunflower oil as olive oil doesn't taste authentically Asian!
- 3 Cups leftover white rice Or cook 1 cup of white rice grains for this recipe. Since the seasoning is Thai-inspired, jasmine rice is best but short-grain sushi rice would also work.
Seasoning
- 4 Tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1½ Tablespoon light soy sauce Substitute: fish sauce or toyomansi. Do not use dark soy sauce or sweet soy sauce.
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
Instructions
Cooking the eggs
- Whisk the 3 eggs and ¼ teaspoon of salt (or ½ teaspoon of fish sauce) till well-mixed.
- Over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick wok or pan. Once hot, reduce to medium-low heat and add the eggs.
- Allow the base to set (but the top is still wet), then use your heat-proof spatula to scramble, so that you get large curds. Gently stir till the entire egg is cooked, about 1-2 minutes. Plate.
Frying the rice
- In the same wok, over high heat, heat up 2 more tablespoons of oil.
- Add the chili-garlic paste, stir for 20 seconds, then add the minced shallots and stir-fry till fragrant and translucent (about 1 minute.) Note that the chili will produce spicy fumes that will make you cough and your eyes water, so omit if you don't want that to happen.
- Add the drained tuna and stir to combine.
- Add the rice and sauces then stir till everything is well-mixed and piping hot.
- Add the egg back to the pan, mix again, then remove from heat and serve. Garnish with sliced spring onions or chili flakes.
Notes
Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.
Nutrition
If this seafood fried rice recipe was helpful, maybe you'd like to sign up for my newsletter in which I send you more tips and tricks to make authentic Asian food?
Comments
No Comments