Easy Island Fried Rice for a Crowd of 75

I developed this recipe because EVERY ONE loves Fried Rice and I desperately wanted Fried Rice for our Luaus.  But neither you, nor I, nor any of my dear, long-suffering friends are interested in spending hours in front of a hot wok, cooking 20 or 30 batches of fried rice.  Ain’t gonna happen.   SO – I came up with this quick and easy version of Fried Rice.  Here’s the secret: it’s not actually fried.  The ‘fried’ look and taste is supplied with sesame oil and soy sauce. The usual ‘add-ins’ of carrots, peas, and scrambled eggs further contribute to the sense that you’re enjoying fried rice.

Is it the recipe I use when I’m fixing dinner for less than 20?   Nope.  Is it a darn good alternative for 100 – 400?  Absolutely.  In fact, I had enough compliments and recipe requests, that I’ve included a “Family Size” version as well.   It’s one of the more popular side dishes at our luau.  Let me walk you through the steps to make it.

So how DO you cook rice for a large group?

The absolute best way to easily cook rice for a crowd is in the oven.  It’s a fool-proof, hands off method that turns out perfect rice every time.  The first time I tried it, I checked the rice about 10 minutes prior to the completion of the cooking time.  It was still slightly crunchy – and with guests due soon I was getting concerned (it does happen, I just try never to show it).  But I steadfastly replaced the aluminum foil and said a small prayer.   When I removed the rice from the oven 10 minutes later – it was perfect.   It’s turned out perfect every time I’ve made it.  Just check a spoonful from the center of the pan before you remove it from the oven and if it’s not quite done, cover it back up and let it go 5 – 10 more minutes.

How much rice do I need to feed a large crowd?

Let’s talk about this one for a minute.  Generally, most rice will triple when cooked, so 1 cup of raw rice will yield 3 cups cooked rice.  This means if you start with 12 cups (5 pounds, 4 ounces) of white, long grained, uncooked rice, you’ll wind up with 36 cups of cooked rice.  For this recipe you’ll be adding in 4 more cups of ham and about 4 cups of vegetables which will give you about 44 cups total.  Since an average serving size is about 1/3 cup – 1/2 cup, this gives you between 88 – 132 servings per pan.  I just made 2 (20 x 13 x 3) pans of this rice for our luau this past weekend.  We served 141 people with enough leftovers to have served 175 – 200 with the 2 pans.  You can easily count on 1 pan of this rice serving 75 people.   I would even be comfortable planning to handle 80-90, and possibly even 100 people, since not everyone will take some.   But rice is cheap, and so 75 is what I use for planning.

By the way – you can make many versions of this:  Spanish Rice by adding pureed tomatoes, corn, oregano and green chilies or even simple plain white rice by omitting any of the add-ins with this recipe.   You can also add some diced spam if you want to make it authentic Hawaiian.  Like shrimp, chicken or pork?  Go for it.  As for the veggies, nothing’s easier than a frozen package of peas & carrots!

This rice for a crowd recipe is SO much easier than worrying about the rice overcooking and burning on the stove top.   Keep it, uncovered, in a warm 200 degree oven and it easily retains its heat for up to an hour.  I’m officially in love.

Some Secrets to Success

Easy Measuring Tip

Here’s a helpful hit when you measure the rice:  It’s just as easy to dump the rice in the pan in discrete piles as it to throw it in casually.  That way when you’re done, there’s no question as to the number of cups of rice you’ve add to the pan.

Your rice needs to be mixed thoroughly

Cooking rice in this quantity makes it difficult to effectively mix in the soy sauce and other ingredients.  Once cooked, the rice takes up most of the space in the large roasting pan.  If you’re not careful, you end up with clumpy, gummy rice.

The last time I served this, I was in a hurry and wasn’t able to easily, quickly and thoroughly mix in the soy sauce.  I ended up serving a pan of “fried rice” with large unappetizing pockets of plain white rice.  To add insult to injury, I had to transport the rice about 15 minutes the church for serving.  Because I was short on room, I stacked several large, heavy pans on top of the rice pans, which turned the rice into a gummy block.

I can tell you the 200 teens were very excited with the prospect of fried rice as part of a Chinese dinner.  They were less enthusiastic with my sub-par offering.  Fortunately, they have been taught the importance of kindness…

Use an additional pan for mixing and break up all rice clumps by hand

To keep our reputations intact, I’ve found a very effective solution:

1.  Simply pick up an extra aluminum roasting pan so that you have 2 total for each recipe.  Once the rice comes out of the oven, remove half of it to the second pan.  Evenly divide the soy sauce, sesame oil, eggs and meat between the 2 pans.  Toss to mix well.  Simply take a couple forks or serving spoons and fluff it to break up any larger clumps and cool it down so you can handle it, then break up all chunks by hand.  The rice should retain its temperature well, but you can always put it, uncovered, in a 200 degree oven to re-warm it if necessary.

2.  If you’re transporting this rice after cooking it, make sure you don’t stack anything on it.

3. Fluff it right before serving.   Since you have now divided the rice between 2 roasting pans, this gives you enough room in the pans to easily fluff it.

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