HAVING written cookbooks with the chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten (along with being his friend) for more than 15 years, I’ve seen him develop a fair number of stunning recipes. My favorites have always been the simple ones, those that came from his Alsatian background or his years working and traveling in Asia. And I was never more impressed than when he created his version of fried rice, topped with crisp ginger and a fried egg.

It’s the straightforward but extremely clever refinements on the classic that make his recipe special. Like all fried-rice dishes, you must start this one with leftover rice; fresh rice is simply too moist. (Mr. Vongerichten specifies jasmine rice, but white from Chinese takeout works nearly as well and is more convenient.) Unlike most, his is cooked in rendered chicken fat, which has incomparable flavor. With the chef’s blessing, I tested the recipe with peanut oil, which is fine.

Perhaps unsurprisingly — this is a chef’s recipe, after all — the recipe requires separate cooking processes: ginger and garlic are crisped, leeks softened, rice and eggs fried. But no step takes more than a few minutes, and the recipe is absolutely worth the effort.

To serve, the chef molds the rice into gorgeous mounds and carefully tops each with egg and garnishes, and here’s where I draw the line. I prefer to spend my time cooking and eating rather than making this little dish look pretty.