September 23, 2012
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Fried Rice
I've made fried rice for years but have never been completely satisfied with my efforts. After reading several techiques and recipes, this is what I've come up with. It's been described as "better than in a restaurant." The "secret" ingredient is the roasted Szechwan pepper-salt from Barbara Tropp's China Moon Cookbook. You can just use salt and pepper if you can't bring yourself to buy her book.
Ingredients
2 cups uncooked rice, preferably jasmine
3 eggs
½ Tbsp sesame oil
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
3 green onions, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
1½ cups Chinese roast pork (or ham, cooked chicken, or cooked shrimp), cut into ½ inch dice
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
2 Tbsp cooking oil
2-3 tsp roasted Szechwan pepper-salt
Mise en place
The rice preparation is the key with this recipe. Be sure to wash the rice thoroughly and preferably cook it in a rice cooker. Mine has a "drier" option which is great for this. It needs to be cooked the day before, spread out and cooled on a baking sheet to room temperature, then frozen over night. Thaw it out an hour or so before cooking.
Mix together the garlic, ginger and white parts of the onions.
Add the soy sauce and oyster sauce to the chicken broth.
Blanch the peas and carrots and bean sprouts.
Scramble the eggs in a bowl and add the sesame oil.
Cooking
Heat a wok over high heat and add 1 Tbsp of oil. Swirl the wok to dispurse then add the eggs and stir-fry until soft and fluffy. Remove to a plate or bowl and break up into small pieces.
Add remaining 1 Tbsp of oil and swirl, then add the ginger/garlic/onion mixture. Stir-fry for a few seconds then add the cooked rice. Stir-fry the rice, slowly adding the chicken broth to keep it from sticking and to fluff it up. You may use it all by the time you're done, you may not. I usually add it all by the end for the flavor alone, just make sure to give it time to cook into the rice so it's not watery.
Add the pork, peas and carrots, and bean sprouts and stir-fry until heated through, again adding small amounts of the broth at a time to keep things light.
Return the cooked egg to the wok along with the green parts of the onions and stir in. Finish with the pepper-salt to taste and serve hot.
Other Recipes
Sloppy Joes. Plain and simple but delicious - July 4, 2013Delicious banana cake - September 25, 2012
Ribs to die for - June 5, 2011
Awesome Hot Wings - April 3, 2011
Johnny Marzetti - January 22, 2011
Buttermilk Pancakes - April 28, 2010
Jambalaya - April 26, 2010
