• Press a pound of ground beef onto the bottom of a 12-inch stainless steel or cast-iron skillet or wok over medium high heat. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the beef and leave it alone. Do not stir or break up the beef.
• Let it fry for a few minutes. You're basically frying a thin, pan-sized burger.
• Carefully lift the edge of the burger to confirm it's browned and crisp in places on the bottom, you reach the spatula underneath it and flip it over in large sections. Again, leave it alone and do not stir.
• When the bottom side is once again deeply browned and crispy, use the spatula to break it up into small bite-sized pieces. Add in the minced garlic and the white parts of the scallions and fry, stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Use your hands to gently break up any clumps in the cold rice. Add the rice to the beef and toss to coat.
• Cook the rice, stirring frequently, until it is hot through and through and has begun to brown in places. Stir in the soy sauce or fish sauce then the beaten eggs. Continue cooking, stirring often, for about 10 minutes.
• Stir in the rest of the green onions. You can serve this as is or you can give it the cheeseburger treatment.

To Transform the Ground Beef Fried Rice into Cheeseburger Fried Rice

• Stir in the shredded cheese and let it sit for 3 minutes. Toss gently one more time.
• Serve in lettuce cups or top with shredded lettuce, fresh or pickled red onions, chopped dill pickles, and a drizzle of mustard, ketchup, sriracha, and mayonnaise.