Copycat Benihana Fried Rice Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

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Benihana fried riceis so tasty. If you have been to Benihana, you know you should not skip the hibachi fried rice they serve. To me, it is the best menu item of all. Want to know the real secret to this? It’s the Benihana garlic butter.

With a few simple ingredients, you can make the Benihana fried rice recipe at home. Thankfully there are no exotic ingredients in this recipe. You can find everything you need at home. Best of all you can turn into your own Benihana chef with this easy recipe.

Copycat Benihana Fried Rice Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (1)

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Japanese Hibachi Fried Rice

Benihana has delicious fried rice and you can get it prepared with chicken if you want it as a main meal. It is up to you. It is one of my favorite menu items at Benihana. This rice is irresistible.

You can enjoy this special dish at home. It is easy to recreate this dish in your kitchen. Nothing tastes as good as freshly prepared food.

What Makes Benihana Fried Rice the Best Fried Rice?

Ordinary fried rice is deceptively tricky to make. Cooking it at home usually ends in overly salty clumps of soggy rice. However, hibachi fried rice from Benihana turns out perfectly light with an amazingly rich, garlicky flavor that is like no other fried rice.

Why This Is the Recipe You Must Try for Homemade Hibachi Fried Rice

No teppanyaki grill is necessary to make this Benihana recipe. Because you cook the vegetables in the dish separately from the rice, you can make this version of hibachi rice in regular pans at home without sacrificing any flavor. Want to try making delicious Japanese fried rice at home? Look no further, this has a cleaner flavor profile than regular fried rice. This is a simple recipe that you are going to love.

Benihana Fried Rice Recipe Ingredients

To make hibachi fried rice, you’ll need:

  • White rice
  • Water
  • Sesame seeds
  • Butter
  • Onion
  • Carrots
  • Scallions
  • Garlic butter
  • Vegetable oil – canola oil is preferred.
  • Eggs
  • Soy sauce
  • Salt
  • Pepper

To make the garlic butter, mix half a stick of butter, one bulb of roasted garlic (or a teaspoon of garlic powder), and a half tablespoon of soy sauce.

How To Make Benihana Fried Rice

To make fried rice like they do at Benihana:

  1. Cook the rice, preferably the day before you make the fried rice. Fluff the rice and spread it on a baking tray to cool at room temperature. Store in the fridge in a covered container until you need it.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Toast the sesame seeds in the oven until light brown and fragrant, about 10 minutes. If in doubt, take them out. Sesame seeds can burn quickly.
  4. In a large frying pan / large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, melt the unflavored butter.
  5. When the butter stops foaming, add the carrots and cook for a minute. Then add the onions and cook until they are transparent.
  6. Toss the scallions with the other vegetables and heat through.
  7. Spread the cooked vegetables on a plate to allow them to cool.
  8. Heat a clean, large pan with a heavy bottom over medium heat.
  9. Add vegetable oil to the hot pan and cook the eggs until they are set but still shiny.
  10. Dump in the cooked, cold rice. Mix well.
  11. Add the garlic butter and the cooked vegetables to the pan.
  12. Stir to combine. When all the ingredients are hot, transfer to a serving platter.

Add-ins for Benihana Fried Rice

Feel free to add protein to the dish. Beef, chicken, and shrimp are great, but you can also use tofu to keep the dish vegetarian.

For this recipe, you need to cook the protein separately. Add the protein when you return the cooked veggies to the pan in step 11. No matter what you add in, I know you are going to find this the perfect copycat recipe.

Serving Suggestions for Benihana Rice

Hibachi fried rice is a great side dish for any Asian-inspired meal without additional protein. Try pairing it withSweet and Sour ChickenorSpicy Asian Chicken Wings. With protein, this recipe makes a light meal on its own.

Benihana Rice Recipe FAQ

What Is the Difference Between Fried Rice and Hibachi Fried Rice?

Besides the fact that Benihana chefs cook the restaurant’s fried rice on ateppanyaki grilland not in a wok, there are other differences.

Ingredients-wise, the Benihana Fried Rice recipe uses a lot of garlic butter, one of the biggest secrets to the dish’s unique flavor.

In addition, since the teppanyaki grill doesn’t get as hot as a wok, the dish doesn’t havewok heiror the “breath of the wok,”that slightly charred flavor that comes from cooking on very high heat.

What Kind of Cooking Oil Do They Use at Benihana?

At Benihana, they use safflower oil. Safflower oil has no taste and a very high smoke point, an ideal combination for cooking fried rice.

What Type of Rice Do They Use on a Hibachi?

You can use any long-grain rice, but basmati rice is a favorite.Just like any other fried rice recipe, you should use day-old rice.

If you don’t have time to cook the rice the day before, you can make it an hour or two before cooking the fried rice. Once cooked, spread the rice out on a rimmed baking tray, and put it in the fridge until chilled. To prevent clumping, use your fingers to separate the grains of rice as much as possible before chilling.

How To Store Leftover Fried Rice

You can store extra fried rice in the fridge for up to five days. Let it cool and put it in a container with a cover.

You can freeze fried rice for up to three months in the freezer. Spread out the room temperature rise on a baking tray. Stick it in the freezer for about two hours or until frozen. Transfer to a freezer-safe container.

To reheat the Benihana Fried Rice straight from the fridge or the freezer:

  • The easiest method is using the microwave. Cook on HIGH for 3 minutes and stir it. Heat in one-minute increments until the rice is hot enough for you.
  • You can also reheat fried rice in a pan over medium heat. Add a little oil to the hot pan and pour in the rice. Use a spatula to stir. Cook until hot and serve.
Copycat Benihana Fried Rice Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (3)

Recreate a Japanese Steakhouse at Home with These Recipes

  • Best Tempura Shrimp
  • Hibachi Grill Steak
  • Tori Katsu
  • Beef Teriyaki Recipe
  • Yum-Yum Sauce
  • Hibachi Mustard Dipping Sauce Recipe
  • Ginger Salad Dressing Recipe
  • Famous Japanese Salad Dressing

Best Chinese Recipes

  • Authentic Chinese Spare Ribs Recipe
  • General Tso Chicken
  • Hunan Chicken
  • Simple Chicken Lo Mein
  • Simple Egg Foo Young Recipe

Be sure to take a look at more of my side dishes at restaurants and the best copycat recipes.

Benihana Fried Rice

Don't live near a Benihana?Don't worry, you can make a copycat recipe forBenihana Fried Rice.

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: Benihana Recipes, Hibachi Fried Rice

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 4

Calories: 530kcal

Author: Stephanie Manley

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • 2/3 cup chopped scallions (green onions)
  • 3 tablespoons garlic butter
  • 5 eggs beaten
  • 5 tablespoons soy sauce
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Cook the rice in the water according to package directions. For best results, spread the cooked rice in a shallow metal pan and stick it in the freezer to cool quickly. Do not let it freeze, though. If you don’t have time to chill the rice, just spread it out so it cools completely.

  • While the rice is cooking and cooling, spread the sesame seeds in a shallow baking pan. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes, shaking pan occasionally for even color. Remove from the oven.

  • Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onions, carrots, and scallions. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the onions are translucent. Remove from the heat and set aside. Heat another large skillet or a wok if you have one. Add a splash of oil and swirl it around. Pour the eggs into the hot skillet. Cook as you would scrambled eggs. When the eggs are barely done, add the vegetables, rice, 2 tablespoons of the garlic butter (you can add more if desired) and sesame seeds and sprinkle with the soy sauce. Stir-fry until everything is mixed and hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 530kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 264mg | Sodium: 1570mg | Potassium: 411mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 6510IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 149mg | Iron: 3.2mg

Copycat Benihana Fried Rice Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret ingredient to restaurant fried rice? ›

Cooking bits of chopped vegetables, seasoning, soy sauce, and oil, seems easy enough. However, when making fried rice at home, there's one ingredient you may be overlooking: Sugar.

What makes fried rice taste like restaurant? ›

The answer: high heat, expert tosses, and something known as 'wok hei. ' As J. Kenji López-Alt writes for Serious Eats, expert cooking with a wok (and the gas range it requires) is one of the main reasons that fried rice from a Chinese restaurant tastes so much better than what you can make at home.

Is Japanese fried rice the same as hibachi fried rice? ›

Hibachi Fried Rice (Japanese Fried Rice) is a rice stir fry where cooked rice is sauteed in a wok or a large skillet with butter, soy sauce, and other ingredients. It is like classic fried rice, plus the savory flavor from lots of butter.

What gives Chinese fried rice its flavor? ›

To give your dish that signature fried rice taste, you'll need to drizzle in sesame oil and soy sauce, but feel free to use as much or as little as you wish. You can even mix in things like garlic powder, ginger root, or Sriracha sauce and chili pepper for a bit of a kick.

What is the secret to good fried rice in Chinese? ›

A hot pan is a must

You don't need a wok for great fried rice but you do need a good nonstick pan or a well-seasoned cast iron pan. And don't add the rice before the pan is hot. “A cold pan is a recipe for sticking,” says Man. "When you add a neutral oil, it should move freely, with a shimmer.

Should I put rice vinegar in my fried rice? ›

While not every recipe calls for this fried rice trifecta, many of our favorites do. Why? Soy sauce is the salt element, rice vinegar gives the dish a touch of brightness, and sesame oil lends an utterly delicious, toasty note.

What oil do restaurants use for fried rice? ›

Sesame oil.

I do not recommend omitting or substituting the sesame oil in this recipe. It is key to the authentic flavor of this dish.

Do Chinese people put soy sauce in fried rice? ›

Soy sauce fried rice (酱油炒饭, Jiang You Chao Fan) is a classic. It is not just another fried rice. It's a signature of Chinese cooking, as it uses pretty minimal ingredients to create a wonderful flavor.

What do hibachi chefs squirt on rice? ›

What Seasonings Do They Use At Hibachi? We asked our local hibachi chef and here is what is actually on the cart. The shakers are salt, pepper, sesame seeds, and garlic powder or garlic salt. The squirt bottles are sesame oil, soy sauce, and Japanese barbecue sauce (like Mr.

What kind of rice do Chinese restaurants use for fried rice? ›

The usage of rice

In Fried Rice, most quick-service restaurants (QSRs) use long-grain white rice like Basmati, whereas Jasmine Rice is used in Chinese Rice. If you love rice unconditionally, you should definitely try out Fried Rice varieties (available in veg & no-veg) from Hong's Kitchen.

What brand of Japanese rice is best for fried rice? ›

The tender grains complement any Japanese beef, chicken or pork dish delicately. When making fried rice dishes, Koshihibuki is your go-to variety.

What is special fried rice made of? ›

Toss in the garlic, spring onions and pepper, and stir-fry until the pepper starts to soften. Add the five-spice, beansprouts, rice, peas and soy, then stir-fry for 5 mins more. Finally, add the egg, chorizo (if using) and prawns, and stir-fry to heat through.

Is MSG the secret to fried rice? ›

MSG is a flavor enhancer similar to salt that has gotten a bad reputation over the years. If you have personal concerns with this, then leave it out. However, MSG adds umami flavor to the rice which imitates that classic fried rice you get from Chinese takeout.

What to add to fried rice to make it better? ›

Eggs: Which add great flavor, texture and protein. Carrots, onions, green onions and peas: This is the base mix of veggies that I always use for fried rice, but feel free to add in other stir-fry veggies you love (see ideas below). Garlic: Freshly-minced. Soy sauce: I created this recipe using low-sodium soy sauce.

What's the difference between Chinese fried rice and special fried rice? ›

So what's the difference between fried rice and a special fried rice?? Special fried rice has extra goodies like onions, prawns and chicken along with everything you get in a fried rice (ham egg peas and corn)!

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