Cooking Lesson #230: China Rose Fried Rice

... from the California Kitchen

How you doin’? Who doesn’t love, love, love fried rice?! We were told at our Chinese restaurant, China Rose, that we made the best fried rice ever! What exactly is fried rice?

Fried rice first appeared during the Sui Dynasty (220–589ce) in China and, as such, all fried rice dishes can trace their origins to Chinese fried rice. At the time it wasn’t an expedient way to use leftover rice (as it is today).
 
It is a dish of cooked rice that has been stir-fried in a wok or a frying pan and is usually mixed with other ingredients such as eggs, vegetables, seafood or meat. It is often eaten by itself or as an accompaniment to another dish. Fried rice is a popular component of East Asian, Southeast Asian and certain South Asian cuisines, as well as a staple national dish of Indonesia and Malaysia. As a homemade dish, fried rice is typically made with ingredients left over from other dishes, leading to countless variations.
 
Many varieties of fried rice have their own specific list of ingredients. In Greater China, common varieties include Yangzhou fried rice and Hokkien fried rice. Japanese chāhan is considered a Japanese Chinese dish, having derived from Chinese fried rice dishes. In Southeast Asia, similarly, constructed Indonesian, Malaysian, and Singaporean nasi goreng and Thai khao phat are popular dishes. In the West, most restaurants catering to vegetarians have invented their own varieties of fried rice. Fried rice is also seen on the menus of American restaurants offering cuisines with no native traditions of the dish. Additionally, the cuisine of some Latin American countries includes variations on fried rice, including Ecuadorian chaulafan, Peruvian arroz chaufa, Cuban arroz frito, and Puerto Rican arroz mamposteao.

Fried rice is a common street food in Asia. In some Asian countries, small restaurants, street vendors and traveling hawkers specialize in serving fried rice. In Indonesian cities it is common to find fried rice hawkers moving through the streets with their food cart and stationing it in busy streets or residential areas. Many Southeast Asian street food stands offer fried rice with a selection of optional garnishes and side dishes.
 
Today, fried rice is every person’s dish.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Stir-Fry time:  10-15 minutes
Yield:  4 servings
 
Ingredients
For fried rice seasoning base
8 cups cooked rice, cold, 1 day old
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce (I prefer Kikkoman)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup peanut oil
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
 
Directions
To prep the fried rice base

1. Fluff 8 cups of cold cooked rice by rubbing it between two gloved hands to separate it into individual grains in a medium size mixing bowl.
2. Combine the seasoning ingredients and pour over fluffed rice.  Mix thoroughly using gloved hands.
3. Divide seasoned rice evenly among 2 smaller bowls.
4. Cover, label, date, rotate and refrigerate until ready to stir-fry.

Shelf Life:  5 days, refrigerated
 
Ingredients
For the fried rice
1 egg omelet, thin, cut into long julienne strips
Pinch of kosher salt and white pepper
2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
4 cups fried rice base
1/4 cup frozen carrots/green peas blend
1/4 cup pre-cooked Chinese barbecued pork, chicken or beef, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and/or
1/4 cup uncooked shelled and deveined shrimp or lobster meat (36-40 ct)
1 tablespoon sherry wine
2 tablespoons of cut green onion tops
 
Directions
To stir-fry the fried rice

1. In a small bowl beat an egg.
2. Season the egg with salt and white pepper.
3. Using a seasoned wok or fry pan add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat until it the oil is hot and ripples.
4. Fry the egg into an omelet and remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
5. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the already-hot wok and add 4 cups of the fried rice base and the carrots and peas.
6. Dry-wok (no other sauce) the mixture until it is getting hot and the rice is well-separated.
7. Add the pre-cooked proteins and continue to mix the rice in the wok.
8. When the rice is hot, add the uncooked shrimp or lobster if using, continue to stir-fry.
9. Cut the omelet into thin julienne strips, add to the rice mixture and stir to incorporate into mix.
10. Make a well in the center of the rice mixture and splash the sherry in the center, let it sizzle, then continue to stir-fry the mixture a few more turns.
11. Plate-up, garnish with green onions and serve steaming hot.

ChefSecret:  The professional’s secret to making perfect fried rice is using leftover rice at least 24 hours old that has been kept in a refrigerator uncovered allowing it to dry out.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “I love being married and confined. It’s so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.”
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