Home Cooks Insist This Is The Secret Ingredient To Flavorful Fried Rice

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Ever make fried rice at home and wonder why it never tastes as good as takeout or in Chinese restaurants? Well, you're probably not using a secret ingredient that home cooks and this cookbook author swear by. This pantry staple is none other than MSG, or monosodium glutamate, and I've been singing this ingredient's praises for years. I even gave a TEDx talk about it, and every fried rice and noodle recipe in my cookbook, "Modern Asian Kitchen," includes MSG.

See, seasoning your fried rice with it is one of the best ways to use MSG. After all, it's the sodium salt of glutamic acid. As a seasoning, it delivers a concentrated dose of glutamate, the compound our taste buds detect as savory, or umami, or simply as delicious. Note that glutamate exists naturally in many foods like mushrooms, scallops, meats, and cheeses. 

And what MSG does is enhance the umami notes of savory food, making eggs, meat, and rice all taste richer and more appetizing. Because MSG boosts savory flavor and adds a bit of saltiness on its own, you can usually cut back on the soy sauce or salt, and your fried rice will still taste great. But don't just take my word for it. On Reddit, home cooks agree, with one commenter boiling the best fried rice down to four essentials: "Day-old rice, ripping hot wok, plenty of oil, and MSG." Another wrote, "MSG=Make So Good."

If you're wondering how to incorporate MSG into your fried rice and how much to use, don't worry. I've got you. First, pick out your favorite fried rice recipe to make, or try Tasting Table's easy fried rice recipe this week. Then, you can use MSG to season the eggs. Whisk a small pinch, or about 1/4 teaspoon, into them before they hit the wok or frying pan.

Save the rest of the MSG for the end. Once your rice, eggs, and add-ins are tossed together, sprinkle the MSG evenly over everything along with your soy sauce or salt. Start with 1/4 teaspoon, give it a few good tosses in the wok, then taste and add more in small pinches as needed.

The result is fried rice that finally tastes like it came from your favorite Chinese restaurant. Once you try it, you may never season your fried rice without MSG again. Finally, MSG isn't just for savory dishes. A small pinch can work wonders in sweets and desserts. For example, you can even use it to give caramel apples an umami boost.