Fried Rice: Various

(click to enlarge)	Fried Rice: Various China
(click to enlarge)	Serves: Effort: Sched: DoAhead:	4 side ** 25 min Yes		In China, fried rice is a snack or street food, not served at dinner where its flavors could interfere with flavors of other dishes - but we barbarians can do whatever we please. This recipe can be a light main dish for two.

12
5
3
1/4
2
1
1-1/2
2/3
------
1-1/2

oz
oz
lrg
t
lrg
T
T
t
----
T

Rice, cooked (1)
Feature (2)
Eggs
Salt
Scallions
Oil / Lard (3)
Oil / Lard (3)
Salt
-- Optional
Soy Sauce

Do-Ahead - (8+ hrs)

Wash RICE well, and cook with the minimum amount of water needed. Grains should be separate, but cooked fully through. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Prep - (10 min)

Cut FEATURE into small pieces - no larger than 1/2 inch on a side for soft mild items like Shrimp, smaller for hard or stronger items like Chinese Sausage.
Beat EGGS lightly with 1/4 t Salt.
Slice SCALLIONS thin crosswise.

Run - (15 min)

Fluff the Rice as best you can.
In a wok or spacious sauté pan, heat 1 T Oil over moderate heat. Pour in Feature and fry stirring until just cooked through if raw, or thoroughly heated if not. Scoop out with a slotted spoon leaving all oil in the pan.
Pour in Eggs. As they solidify, tilt the pan towards you. Push the solids up away from you while the liquid drains toward you until the eggs are no longer runny but soft and fluffy. Scoop them out into a dish using a slotted spoon.
Add 1-1/2 T Oil and distribute it well. Pour Rice, into the pan and toss it about over moderate heat until well heated and all lumps are broken up.
Stir in 2/3 t Salt and the Scallions until well distributed.
Stir in Feature and Eggs. Stir and break up the eggs until they are in small pieces and everything is evenly distributed and heated.
In some regions (Cantonese) a little soy sauce is stirred in at finish. Fried rice can be reheated, either in the oven or back in the pan.
Serve warm.

NOTES:

Rice:
12 ounces is about 2 cups loosely packed. 1 cup raw rice makes about 17 ounces cooked. This should be long grain rice, completely cold, preferably made a day or two ahead and refrigerated. This changes its starch composition for easier frying.
Feature:
These are the items a fried rice dish is named for. You can use just one, or two that complement each other, generally one mild and one strong. Small amounts of other items can be included. If you are using the fried rice as a light main dish, you can up the Feature to 6 or even 8 ounces.
- Shrimp: cut crosswise in 1/2 inch lengths.
- Celery: thin end of stalks sliced crosswise 1/8 inch or thinner.
- Chinese Sausage: cut into cubes no more than a quarter inch.
- Chicken: raw or roasted, cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Duck: roasted cut into 1/3 inch cubes.
- Pork: raw or roasted, cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Beef: roasted cut into 1/3 inch cubes.
- Ham: baked.
- Bamboo Shoots; sliced thin and cut into narrow strips.
- Bean Sprouts: blanched (skip frying step).
- Green Peas: parboiled if fresh, thawed if frozen.
- Bell Peppers: diced about 1/2 inch.
- Green Beans: parboiled and cut 1/2 inch long.
- Tofu, pressed: cut into dice.
- Sichuan Vegetable: sliced and cut into narrow stirps.
- Mushrooms: fresh or canned slice medium. If dried, soak at least 1/2 hour in warm water and cut fairly small (not too many of these).
- Water Chestnuts: sliced medium.
Oil / Lard:
The traditional frying media in China is Lard, and, if you use it, you will have a lot less trouble with rice sticking to the pan. Lard has a health profile better than butter, and is far and away better for you than the trans fats and denatured omega-6 oils the AHA has told you to use. Do render your own lard though, it's easy. For details see our Lard page.
U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste

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Fried Rice: Various

Rice:

Feature:

Oil / Lard: