Step 1 / 6
dice
onion + carrot to a 5 mm cube, no larger than a pea — everything in the pan gets the same 3 or 4 minutes of heat, so uniform dice is the only way the carrot finishes at the same moment the onion does. Slice scallion and keep whites (aromatic) separate from greens (garnish). Break the cold rice apart with wet fingers now, not in the pan: a clump crushed later releases free starch and glues the batch.