Japanese Garlic Rice

Japanese garlic rice (ガーリックライス) is a type of garlic fried rice made famous by the teppanyaki style of cooking. These Japanese steak houses are known as hibachi restaurants in the US, which is why this dish is also known as hibachi rice. 

The high-temperature griddles used in these eateries create Maillard browning and caramelization around the rice, which gives it its toasty flavor. In this recipe, I want to show you how to recreate this flavor at home using a regular frying pan and stove.

Why My Recipe Works

• Using leftover rice that's been in the fridge for a few days makes the rice crumbly, making it easier to stir-fry.
• A double dose of garlic in the form of garlic oil/chips and garlic butter covers the spectrum of garlic flavor from fresh to caramelized.
• A splash of soy sauce added toward the end gives the rice a nice toasty flavor. 

Ingredients

• Rice - Part of what differentiates this dish from Filipino garlic rice is the use of short-grain rice. It's stickier than long-grain rice(such as jasmine rice or basmati rice), which can make it difficult to stir-fry when freshly cooked. That's why it's important to use stale white rice leftovers for this recipe. Rice that's been left in the refrigerator for at least two days works best. You'll know the rice is ready to use when the clumps of rice can be crumbled apart easily. Short-grain brown rice tends to be less sticky due to the bran so this is another option if you're in a rush.
• Garlic - Fresh garlic has a very different flavor from caramelized garlic. I like adding garlic in a few phases to this dish. The first is through the garlic-infused oil used to saute the rice. The second comes in fresh form by adding some garlic butter at the end. Finally, this teppanyaki-style rice is topped off with garlic chips to provide some crunch and the marvelous flavor of browned garlic. 
• Butter - Butter will burn if used for stir-frying, so I prefer using garlic-infused vegetable oil to make the fried rice. The butter gets added at the end to add flavor and help quickly distribute the fresh garlic into the rice. To make this plant-based, you can substitute coconut oil for the butter.
• Soy Sauce - I like adding a small amount of soy sauce to amp up the umami in my garlic fried rice. Any Japanese-style soy sauce will work, but you can also use tamari if you want to make this gluten-free. 
• Seasonings & Garnish - Seasoning the rice with soy sauce alone requires so much soy sauce that the rice turns dark brown. That's why I like to use some salt, so the soy sauce doesn't overpower the other ingredients. Black pepper adds a nice kick, and I used smoked black pepper for a little something extra. I like to garnish this with a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley and garlic chips.

How to Make Japanese Garlic Rice

Like any stir-fry, this garlic fried rice moves quickly, so it's important to take care of all the preparation in advance. I usually start by crumbling the leftover rice, just wet your hands and press the clumps between your fingers to break them up. You can also do this with a fork.

To prepare the garlic, I start by slicing about two-thirds of the garlic into thin slices. To ensure the garlic browns evenly, they must be the same thickness, so I usually use a mandoline to do this. 

For the garlic butter, just grate the remaining garlic and mash it into the butter. 

Before making fried rice, you want to fry the sliced garlic over medium-low heat until it's crisp. Then, just add the oil and garlic in a single layer and fry them while repeatedly flipping until they start to brown around the edges and aren't sizzling as much. It takes a while for the garlic to begin browning, but once the color starts changing, it only takes a few seconds before the garlic burns, so you need to work quickly to get them out of the pan while leaving the oil behind. Chopsticks work best for this. 

To make the garlic butter rice, turn up the heat as high as it will go and add the rice. Toss and stir-fry the rice with the garlic oil until it's heated.

Season the rice with salt and pepper, and then drizzle the soy sauce along the edge of the pan and into the rice. This instantly caramelizes the soy sauce, giving the rice a gloriously toasty flavor similar to rice crackers. 

To finish off the fried rice, add the garlic butter and toss it together with the rice to evenly coat each grain. Don't overcook it, though, or the oil will separate out and make the rice greasy. 

Garnish your garlic rice with crispy garlic chips and a sprinkle of chopped parsley. 

Serve it With

In Japan, garlic rice is most commonly associated with teppanyaki restaurants or Japanese steakhouses, so any beef or chicken dish is a good call. Steak teriyaki and my Black Pepper Beef are no-brainers, but this would also work really well with Japanese Tofu Steak, Teriyaki Eggs, or Tofu Teriyaki. 

Other Fried Rice Recipes

• Curry Fried Rice
• Yakimeshi
• Kimchi Fried Rice
• Shrimp Fried Rice

📖 Recipe

Japanese Garlic Rice

By: Marc Matsumoto

4.67 from 3 votes

Print Pin

Prep Time 3 minutes mins

Cook Time 7 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Yield 3 servings

Equipment

1 mandoline

1 Small Glass Bowl

1 10-inch Non-stick Frying Pan

1 Cooking Chopsticks

1 Spatula

Units

Grams + US CupsUS Standard

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• 345 grams cooked rice
• 9 grams garlic (1 large clove)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon cultured unsalted butter
• black pepper (to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon umami salt
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• flat leaf parsley (chopped for garnish)

Instructions

Step PhotosNo Photos

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• Wet your hands and crumble up 345 grams cooked rice, so there are no big clumps.
  
• Use a mandoline or sharp knife to slice ⅔ of 9 grams garlic into thin, even slices.
  
• To make the garlic butter, grate the remaining garlic and mix it together with 1 tablespoon cultured unsalted butter.
  
• Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat, add the sliced garlic in a single layer, and make sure it's submerged in oil.
  
• Flip the garlic over repeatedly until it starts to brown around the edges and it's not sizzling much anymore. Work quickly to remove the garlic chips from the pan, leaving the oil behind.
  
• Increase the heat to high and add the rice to the garlic oil. Stir-fry until the rice is heated through and fragrant.
  
• Season with ¼ teaspoon umami salt and black pepper and then drizzle 1 teaspoon soy sauce down the edges of the pan. Quickly toss and stir it into the rice.
  
• Finish the rice by melting the garlic butter into the rice. Serve the garlic fried rice garnished with garlic chips and chopped flat leaf parsley.
  

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Nutrition Facts

Calories • 229kcalCarbohydrates • 34gProtein • 4gFat • 9gSaturated Fat • 3gPolyunsaturated Fat • 3gMonounsaturated Fat • 2gTrans Fat • 0.2gCholesterol • 10mgSodium • 337mgPotassium • 58mgFiber • 1gSugar • 0.1gVitamin A • 117IUVitamin C • 1mgCalcium • 19mgIron • 0.3mg

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