Mayo Corn Fried Rice

This fried rice tastes and smells like movie-theater popcorn and is a celebration of summer corn. Fried rice without oil is not only possible, it’s delicious. In this recipe, a smidge of mayonnaise stirred into cold, day-old white rice results in separate grains. When fried, this lubricated rice toasts and browns beautifully with zero oil splatter and not using oil lets the corn shine. What you’re left with is pure-tasting fried rice, where the rice and vegetables are the stars, not the cooking fat. This smart trick comes from the chef Brendan Liew, as documented in his cookbooks “Konbini” and “Tokyo Up Late” (Smith Street Books, 2024 and 2022).

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked white rice, preferably cold and day-old
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 0.5 yellow or white onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• Salt

Steps

1. Add the rice, corn, onion, mayonnaise and soy sauce to a large bowl, season with salt, then stir to combine, breaking up any clumps of rice as needed.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over high, then add the rice mixture. Cook, stirring just a few times, until the onion and corn are charred in spots, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and add more salt, if needed. Serve immediately.