Fried Rice

Chao Fan (炒饭)

Classic fried rice is a staple of Chinese cuisine and one of the most versatile dishes in existence - a delicious side with limitless possibilities.

There are two basic versions of Chinese fried rice: Soy Sauce Fried Rice and Egg Fried Rice (the first of which is pictured above and a recipe is presented below). These two are extremely versatile in both ingredients and flavor, but generally Soy Sauce Fried Rice will focus on enhancing the Soy Sauce Flavor and Egg Fried Rice will focus on the eggs. This is rather obvious. Nevertheless, it's important to keep this in mind when pairing fried rice with other flavors. For instance, Soy Sauce Fried Rice is usually rather basic without many vegetables, whereas Egg Fried Rice can be a little more extravagant with ham, corn, and other veggies.

The key to good Fried Rice is obviously good rice - good leftover rice. This is the most important aspect that cannot be compromised: you must use day-old, leftover rice and you CANNOT use freshly cooked rice. So, cook your rice the night before, spread it out on a baking sheet, cover it loosely with plastic wrap, and let it rest for twenty-four hours. The rice needs to dry a bit so that when it's fried, the individual pieces of rice separate easily, cook properly, and receive all the incredible flavor.

To check if your rice is ready after twenty-four hours, use your hands (wear gloves) and break up the rice. If the rice breaks up easily without sticking back together or forming clumps, it should be ready. But what to do if it's been twenty-four hours and your rice is still a little sticky? There's a little cheat you can do to absorb the extra moisture. You can add a tablespoon of corn or potato starch to the rice and mix it in by hand to absorb the extra moisture. The small amount of starch won't affect the cooking process or flavor of the final dish. BUT this is only for a small amount of moisture. If your rice is still quite sticky, it needs to rest longer. (For rice resting more than 24 hours, you need to add a teaspoon of salt to prevent spoilage.)

Soy Sauce Fried Rice

Jiang You Chao Fan (酱油炒饭)

Perfectly cooked rice is stir-fried with eggs, pickled radish, and soy sauce to make a side rivaling all others.

Fried rice is all about texture - the texture of the rice, the softness of the eggs, and the crispness of the veggies. The flavors are simple, but by complementing these textures, become profound. For Soy Sauce Fried Rice, technically, only leftover rice, oil, and soy sauce are needed. However, eggs add a little extra substance, pickled radish adds a little extra contrast, and scallions add a little extra fragrance.

Soy Sauce Fried Rice actually doesn't have or need a lot of ingredients, especially when it comes to vegetables. Usually, for fried rice, low moisture vegetables such as root vegetables are preferred because they won't add any water to the dish. Because Soy Sauce Fried Rice doesn't have a lot of vegetables, it's important to use ones packed with flavor. This is why in the following recipe I use Dried White Radish (萝卜干) or Chongqing Pickles (榨菜).

Dried White Radish can be a little difficult to find in its dried form (even in China). But it's readily available in snack packs already re-hydrated in a sauce. Chongqing Pickles, also called zha cai, are likewise available in snack packs if unable to find the original form. Both of these vegetables add a similar flavor and texture. While the name Dried White Radish may seem rather simple, it fails to encapsulate the complexity of the flavor. The radish is dried after being pickled, so once re-hydrated it has a sweet, slightly sour and salty pickle flavor. Chongqing Pickles have a similar texture and flavor but with a slightly sourer flavor. Both works great for this style of fried rice.

When making Fried Rice, always remember, less is more. Ideally, when finished, the Soy Sauce Fried Rice should not have excess oil or sauce. It's quite easy to add too much oil or soy sauce when only a small amount of either is needed. Soy sauce fried rice is meant to have a hint of soy sauce and not be drenched in it. Likewise, only a small amount of oil is needed - just enough to keep the rice from sticking to the wok.

Fried rice is a bit more forgiving with soy sauce than with oil. Knowing the exact amount of oil to add is rather tricky and varies greatly depending on the amount of rice, the moisture of the rice, and a hundred other small factors. In my recipe, I give the maximum amount needed. You might not need this much oil, especially with a non-stick wok, but you almost definitely won't need more than this amount. The only way to truly know how much oil to add is from experience and being able to sense and feel when it's needed. So, it might take a few tries to get it right. BUT don't worry if your fried rice does have a bit of extra oil pooling at the bottom of the plate. Even professional restaurants in China don't always get it perfect - quite a few times I've ordered fried rice in restaurants, and though it had more than a little oil, it still tasted delicious. Nevertheless, keep at it, and you'll soon find you can make fried rice perfectly every time.

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 5 min

Total Time: 15 min

Serving: 4 people

Ingredients

8 cups of leftover White Rice
1 cup of Dried White Radish (萝卜干条; Amount When Diced) OR 1 cup of Chongqing Pickles (榨菜; Amount When Diced)
1/4 cup thin young Scallion (小葱; Amount When Finely Sliced)
3 Eggs

Peanut Oil
2 Tbsp. Light Soy Sauce

Directions

1.) The night before cooking spread out the Rice on a rimmed baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Store the Rice in a fridge or a cool dry place overnight. Then, the following day, prior to cooking the rice, prepare the other ingredients.

(If your fridge has poor moisture control, find a place that's not humid. Ideally, your rice should be dry the next day - not hard or crunchy, but also not sticky. When picked up, the granules should separate easily and fall apart - not stick together in clumps. IF, after 24 hours in the fridge, your rice is nearly dry but still a little sticky, you can add a tablespoon of Corn Starch to absorb any excess moisture).

2.) Place the Dried White Radish Sticks in a bowl and cover them with water for 10 minutes. (Even if using packaged Radish Sticks follow this process to remove excess salt and additives). After 10 minutes, finely dice the Dried White Radish into tiny pieces to match the size of the rice and set them aside in a bowl for later.

3.) Wash the Scallions, finely slice them, and set them aside in a small bowl separate from the Dried White Radish pieces.

4.) Crack open the Eggs and optionally, separate the white and the yolk into separate bowls. Beat the Egg yolk like making scrambled eggs.

(The Egg whites and yolks don't need to be separated; they can be beaten together and then cooked. But if they are separated and cooked, it will add more color and variety of flavor by having both pieces of white and yolk in the fried rice).

5.) Heat plenty of cheap oil in a wok until nearly smoking, swirling carefully to coat the sides of the wok, and then dump this oil out. Add about 1/4 cup of Peanut Oil and heat on high until nearly smoking. Drop the heat to medium-low and add the Egg whites, swirling them around the bottom of the wok as they set to prevent them from sticking to the bottom. Flip them once and then break them apart with a large spoon. When 90% cooked, lift them out of the wok using a large slotted spoon and set them aside.

6.) Immediately add the beaten Egg yolks to the wok cooking in a similar manner to the Egg whites. Mixing them gently to break them apart.

7.) When the Egg yolks are about 80% cooked, add the bowl of chopped Dried White Radish. Mix and cook the Radish for about 20 seconds, rapidly stir frying them with the Egg yolks. Add the fried Egg whites and continue to rapidly stir fry everything for another 20 to 30 seconds.

(The goal is to evaporate as much water from the Radish as possible before adding the Rice).

8.) Pull the wok away from heat while adding the Rice and drizzle about a tablespoon of Peanut Oil around the inner edge of the wok. Return the wok to heat and increase the heat to medium-high while rapidly stir frying the rice - keep the rice moving and don't allow it to rest on the bottom for long.

9.) When the rice is sizzling and 'jumping' in the bottom of the wok, quickly add the Soy Sauce around the sides of the wok along with another tablespoon of Peanut Oil. Increase the heat slightly and stir fry vigorously for about one minute.

10.) Add the Scallions, cut off the heat, and stir fry just a few more seconds to mix them into the hot rice. Finally, plate the Fried Rice and optionally garnish with an extra sprinkling of finely sliced Scallions.

 

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