Special feature: Project Elara's fried rice recipe

Jacky Song | July 20, 2026

Fried rice is a dish that transcends cultures and is beloved by many people around the world. Project Elara’s specific variation is a staple for our team, particularly on outings and research trips. And now, we've made this previously secret recipe open-source, and share it with the world!

Ingredients

The following set of ingredients is meant for 3-4 individual servings. You may adjust the amounts shown for more or fewer servings, depending on the group/people you are making the fried rice for. It is also nut-free and vegetarian.

• 3 cups of rice
• 5 cloves of garlic, roughly minced (can be more if desired)
• 3 scallions, sliced; save green ends for garnish
• 1 whole onions, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3-4 large eggs, stir-fried in Chinese style (can be omitted to make the dish vegan/egg-free)
• 1/2 cup sweet peas (can used canned or frozen peas)
• White & black pepper
• Soy sauce

While the dish itself is cooked in a style typical of Chinese home cooking, it uses some Western ingredients and should be a general-purpose meal that can be enjoyed by peoples of all backgrounds.

Note: Be aware that this contains soy and eggs; if cooking for people who may experience allergic reactions to these foods, the eggs can be omitted and the soy sauce can be replaced by soy-free soy sauce (or simply with salt, sugar, and a small amount of diluted molasses/maple syrup/honey, though be aware that the dish will not have the same color and will taste different).

Recipe

Prepare rice in a rice cooker, according to your rice cooker’s instructions, or over the stove; any recipe will do (as long as you use a 1:1 ratio for water to rice). Then, leave rice in fridge (for several hours, or ideally overnight) until it firms up. Leftover rice is also acceptable to be used in the recipe. The rice should be firm and dry before cooking.

In a pan shimmering with oil under high heat, add in 2/3 of the sliced garlic and sliced scallion heads from 2 scallions and toast until fragrant, about 60 seconds; then add in diced onions, and fry until onions change color. Then, add in carrots, season generously with salt, mix well, cover with lid and fry in the oil until soft. The salt helps break down the carrots and make the carrots cook faster.

In a separate pan, make Chinese-style scrambled eggs and keep warm until used. For this, whisk the eggs until there are no clumps. Then, in a pan with sizzling hot oil, add in the remainder of the garlic and scallion heads, fry for about 60 seconds, then add in eggs. Fry the eggs for no more than 2 minutes, then remove from the oil and set aside on a cold plate. You may re-use the frying oil for future use. If you wish to make the fried rice egg-free, you should omit this step.

Now, in the pan with the onions and carrots, add in the rice, break it up, then mix and fry on medium heat until well-combined. Season with soy sauce and black pepper to taste, making sure to avoid the soy sauce burning. Add in the eggs and sweet peas, and stir-fry for at least 5 minutes, or until everything is well-combined and seasoned. Optionally, brown the bottom of the rice by leaving it in a flat layer on high heat; this traditional technique will make the rice crispy (in Chinese, 锅巴) and give it a caramelized, smoky flavor. Serve warm, and enjoy with friends :)