Fried Rice

Fried rice is a popular component of Chinese cuisine and other forms of Asian cuisine. It is made from cold leftover rice fried with other leftover ingredients. There are dozens of varieties of fried rice, each with their own specific list of ingredients. In Asia, the more famous varieties include Yangzhou and Fujian fried rice. In the West, the most common form is a basic fried rice, often with some mixture of eggs, scallions, mushrooms and vegetables, with chopped meat (usually pork or chicken, sometimes beef or shrimp) added at the customer's discretion.

The Rice

Use previously chilled leftover rice

It is important to use cold leftover rice because the moisture in fresh rice will cause it to steam instead of fry and the rice will turn out mushy. Make the rice the day before. If you must use fresh-made rice, “dry” it by spreading it on a baking sheet and putting it in the freezer until cool, 30 minutes (from ming.com).

Also, undercook the rice using a little less water. This helps the rice to stay firm. Do not over salt the rice by using bouillon or other salty ingredients to cook the rice or the rice dish turns out too salty. The soy and oyster sauces that are added to the rice are salty. Plain white rice is best.

Brian and I found that the rice is dryer and the grains remain separate if you spread the rice out on a cookie sheet and dry it out a bit before refrigerating. A Chinese restaurant owner, that I read about, puts his in a low oven to dry out. Moisture will be added back in when you make the fried rice. The rice should also be cold. I have also read that a thick soy sauce, made from molasses and soy bean extract, is used by restaurants to give fried rice its dark color, a visual quality that has always evaded me.

High heat is essential
But high heat doesn't’t mean that you need super high BTU’s or a gas stove. All it takes is a bit of patience to let your pan or wok heat up. The high heat ensures that whatever ingredients that you put into the pan gets fried quickly and that each grain of rice gets hot to the core.

Fry ingredients separately
Fried rice has many different ingredients. But whatever the ingredients, if you try to fry all of the ingredients at the same time in the same pan, they’ll all compete for “wok time” and will steam instead of fry. Cook any meats or seafood in the wok, then remove to a plate. Same for the eggs, fry them first and remove to the plate until it is time for everything to come together. Fry vegetables before adding the rice. Shredded carrots and bean sprouts can be added with rice, but any vegetable that needs to be cooked a bit should be fried before adding the rice. Then add the rice, and finally put all ingredients in together and fry until nice and hot.

Fried Rice
Recipe courtesy Wilson Eng, The New York Cabbie Cookbook, Running Press, 2003

FMM: It's simple to change this dish by adding two cups of cooked diced shrimp, ham or chicken instead of the pork. Brian and I often add bean sprouts, water chestnuts to add crunch, and/or grated carrot, which adds sweetness and flavor, and usually add both pork and shrimp. For the pork, instead of Chinese roast pork, we'll use a pork chop or pork loin which we slice up fairly thin and fry. You can add a bit of Hoisin sauce for flavoring.

2 cups plain long-grain converted white rice, rinsed until no white starchy liquid flows out
1/4 cup oyster sauce [good flavor, but too strong unless adding a lot of other ingredients like we usually do - use 3 Tbsp. instead]
2 tablespoons light Japanese soy sauce
3 large eggs, beaten until just blended
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
2 or 3 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise, including the green tops (1/3 to 1/2 cup)
[grated carrot, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, etc.]
2 cups diced Chinese Roast Pork [or mix fresh pork, sliced fairly thin, w/ 1 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce and fry quickly in the wok]
[OR 2 cups small shrimp (about 1 pound shrimp - see instructions at the end of the recipe for cooking)
OR 1 cup pork and 1 cup shrimp]
Sesame oil, as needed

At least 1 day before you plan to make the fried rice, place the rinsed rice in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan. Add 2 1/2 - 3 cups of cold water [I ususally use 2 1/2 cups of water. You want the rice to be somewhat firm as it will cook again]. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, and reduce the heat to low. Continue to cook for about 15 minutes, without stirring, or until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed. Let sit 10 minutes and fluff with a fork.

Cool to room temperature before covering and refrigerating for 24 hours. Use cold. Break up any clumps of the cold rice with your fingers and set aside.

[Day when ready to make the Fried Rice:

Prep any uncooked proteins; they need to be cooked at least partially as they will be heated with the rice just before serving.

Pork chop or pork loin in place of Chinese roast pork - slice cut into small dice and add a tablespoon or two of Hoisin sauce. Add some oil to a hot wok and quickly fry, tossing, until still pink in the center. Remove from the wok onto a plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

If using Shrimp: Mix 8 ounces, or less, small raw shrimp, shelled and deveined, with 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch.Let marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature. Heat a wok or large sauté pan on high heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil. Add the shrimp, quickly spreading out around the cooking surface area so that they are not overlapping. Let fry, untouched for 30 seconds. Flip over and let the other side fry for 30 seconds, or until about 80% cooked through. Remove the shrimp from the pan onto the plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

Prep the vegetables you are using:

- Thaw peas
- Slice scallions
- Grate carrot
- Slice water chestnuts
- Rinse bean sprouts
- etc.]

[Ready the sauce:] In a small bowl, stir together the oyster sauce and soy sauce and set aside.

[Make the Fried Rice: Gather any other ingredients you need. Frying the rice happens very quickly and you won't have time to prep at this point.]

Coat a large, nonstick skillet with nonstick vegetable spray [or oil] and set over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the eggs, swirling them around to make sure they coat the whole bottom of the pan. Cook, without stirring, and adjusting the heat as necessary, until the eggs are firm and cooked through but not yet starting to brown, lifting the skillet and tilting it so that the eggs cook evenly. Slide the eggs onto a plate and when they have cooled, cut into small pieces and set aside.

Return the skillet to the burner and heat the oil over high heat. When it is hot, add the peas and scallions, and cook, stirring constantly, until the scallions are limp, about 1 minute. Stir in the rice, sauce mixture, eggs and roast pork [or shrimp] until well mixed. Continue to cook, stirring, until the rice is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Plate and drizzle with sesame oil, to taste.

4 servings