Fried rice is a dish of steamed rice stir-fried in a wok, often mixed with other ingredients, such as eggs, vegetables, and meat. It is sometimes served as the penultimate dish in Chinese banquets, just before dessert. As a homemade dish, fried rice is typically made with leftover ingredients (including vegetables, meat) from other dishes, leading to countless variations.

EGG & CHINESE SAUSAGE

*Serves 3-4

Ingredients

4 Chinese Sausage, Casing Removed & Sausages Sliced Thinly

3 Crabstick, Sliced (Optional)

4 Large Eggs, Lightly Beaten with 1 Tsp Soy Sauce

4 Cups Overnight Rice

1 Cup Frozen Peas (or Frozen Mixed Vegetable)

2-3 Cloves Garlic, Chopped

2 + 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce

2 Tbsp Premium Light Soy Sauce

2-3 Dash of White Pepper

1 Stalk Green Onion, Chopped

Procedure:

Heat wok over medium high heat. Stir in sliced chinese sausage and let the fat render. Once the sausages are slightly brown, remove sausages from heat and place in a bowl. Do not clean the wok.

Add in 1 tsp of oil into the same work and add beaten eggs. Stir it occasionally and break the eggs into pieces. Continue cooking the egg until you get a dry scrambled egg consistency. Remove scrambled eggs from heat and place with the sausages. Do not clean the wok.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in the same wok over medium high heat Then add chopped garlic and sliced crabsticks and saute mixture until garlic is slightly brown. Add frozen peas and continue to stir mixture until peas are defrosted. Reduce heat to medium, then add overnight rice, chinese sausages, scrambled eggs, oyster sauce, light soy sauce and dashes of white pepper into the wok. Stir occasionally for about 4-5 minutes so that everything is mixed well. Serve immediately with sprinkles of chopped green onions.

YANG CHOW

Ingredients

6 cups cooked white rice, refrigerated overnight

1 cup barbecued pork, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons salt

8 to 10 pieces shrimps, shelled and deveined

3/4 cup green peas

1/4 cup green onion, chopped

2 pieces raw eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon ginger, minced

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

3 tablespoons cooking oil

Procedure

Heat cooking oil and sauté ginger and garlic.

Add shrimps and cook for a minute. Remove the shrimps and set aside.

Pour-in the beaten egg mixture and cook.

When the egg is cooked, divide into small pieces. Add the rice and mix well.

Put-in the soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Mix with the other ingredients.

Add barbecued pork. Cook for 3 minutes.

Add green peas and shrimp. Cook for another 3 minutes.

Put-in the green onions. Cook for 2 minutes while mixing with the other ingredients.

Turn the heat off and then transfer to a serving plate.

SHRIMP

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces small raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons cooking oil, divided

3 eggs, beaten

2 stalks green onion, minced

4 cups leftover rice, grains separated well

3/4 cup frozen peas and carrots, defrosted

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Procedure

In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the salt, pepper and cornstarch. Let marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature. Heat a wok or large sauté pan on high heat. When the pan is hot enough for a bead of water to instantly sizzle and evaporate, add just 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil and swirl to coat pan.

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 a plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

Turn the heat to medium, let the pan heat up again. Add the eggs, stirring in a quick motion to break up and scramble the eggs. When the eggs are almost cooked through (they should still be slightly runny in the middle), dish out of the pan into the same plate as the cooked shrimp.

Use paper towels to wipe the same wok or sauté pan clean and return to high heat with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, swirling to coat. When the oil is very hot, add the green onions and fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add in the rice and stir well to mix in the green onions throughout. Spread the rice all around the wok surface area and let the rice heat up, untouched until you hear the bottoms of the grains sizzle, about 1-2 minutes. Use the spatula to toss the rice, again spreading the rice out over the surface of wok.

Drizzle the soy sauce all around the rice and toss. Add the peas and carrots, the cooked eggs, shrimp and sesame oil, tossing to mix the rice evenly with all of the ingredients. Let everything heat back up again, until the rice grains are so hot they practically dance! Taste and add an additional 1 teaspoon of soy sauce if needed.

PORK

* 4-6 Servings

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 Tbsp. light soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

4 c. cold cooked rice

2 spring onions, green and white parts separated then sliced

2 cooked Chinese sausages, quartered lengthwise then diced

2 carrots, diced and cooked

1/2 c. frozen green peas (optional)

1 tbsp. oyster sauce

Procedure

Beat the eggs with 1 tsp. light sauce and 1/2 tsp. sesame oil. Heat up a non-stick frying pan and add 1 tbsp. of oil. Pour in the eggs and swirl around to coat the bottom of the pan. As the egg cooks, push the edges towards the center and let the uncooked eggs ooze towards the edges. When set, flip over onto a chopping board and cut into small square pieces.

Heat up a wok and add 2 tbsps. of oil. Add the garlic and fry for 3 minutes. Add the rice and 2 tsps. of light soy sauce. Fry on high heat for about 5 minutes or until the rice is hot and fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Clean the wok and heat again. Add 1 tbsp. of oil and the sausages and the whites of the spring onions. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the carrots (and peas), and oyster sauce. Stir fry for another 2 minutes. Put the rice back in and stir to mix. Stir fry for 3 minutes or until the mixture is piping hot. Add the eggs and the greens of the spring onions. Stir for a minute then turn the heat off.

CHICKEN

Ingredients:

2 cups prepared rice

1 chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces and seasoned with salt & pepper (could use leftover cooked chicken)

1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables

2 green onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 egg

3 teaspoons sesame or wok oil, divided

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

Procedure:

Whisk egg with 1 teaspoon oil in a small dish then set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add seasoned chicken then stir fry until cooked through and remove to a plate. (If using pre-cooked chicken, skip this step.)

Heat remaining teaspoon oil in the wok then add frozen mixed vegetables and green onions. Stir fry until tender, about 2 minutes, then add garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Push vegetables to the side of the wok then add egg and sesame oil mixture into the center and scramble.

Add cooked chicken, rice, and soy sauce to wok then toss well to combine.

EGG AND BACON

Ingredients:

1 egg

3/4 cup green peas

2 slices of bacon, defrosted

2 cups of white rice, chilled

1 teaspoon of soy sauce

Procedure:

Cut the slices of bacon into bite-size chunks.

Whisk the egg in a bowl.

Heat the wok or a heavy skillet until the water has evaporated off the surface. This takes one to two minutes.

Fry the bacon in the wok until approximately two teaspoons of oil has appeared.

Remove the bacon and lightly stir fry the green peas.

Remove the green peas. Pour in the whisked egg and stir until scrambled.

Add the rice. Crush the rice down against the wok until the clumps are separated. Stir and mix the egg into the rice.

Add the bacon and peas back and mix for a minute or two.

Turn off the heat and add the soy sauce. Mix thoroughly and serve.

EGG AND HAM

Ingredients

4 cups cooked rice, preferably a day old

3/4 cups ham, chopped into small pieces

2 raw eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)

2 teaspoons canola oil

Procedure

Combine rice, salt and garlic powder. Gently mix the ingredients using a slotted spoon or your clean hands. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a pan.

Add the ham and cook for 2 minutes.

Put-in the rice. Stir.

Add soy sauce and stir. Cook for 5 minutes.

Clear one side of the pan by moving the rice on the other side to the point where you can see the bottom of the pan.

Pour-in the beaten egg. Let it cook then cut it into small pieces using the tip of your spatula.

Mix the egg with the rice and other ingredients. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.

Transfer to a serving plate. Serve.

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Note: leftover steamed rice that has been refrigerated makes the best fried rice 🙂