Fried rice as many people know it is a lightly colored rice with possibly a few vegetable bits included in the mix. Fried rice can be made many different ways, my favorite is the recipe I learned from my wife's Cantonese grandfather.
Things you'll need.
1. Wok, a big metal bowl used for cooking. If you don't have a wok and can't find one, it is possible to use a large frying pan with high sides.
2. A large spoon or spatula for stirring the rice.
Ingredients
Ingredients vary by quantity, if you are making 3 cups of rice, you'll want 3 of everything, for this recipe we are going to make 4 cups of rice, so we'll need 4 of everything.
Canola oil
Soy Sauce
4 cloves of garlic
4 green onions
4 leaves of lettuce (Romaine)
4 Chinese style sausage (Lap Cheong)
1 package of roasted pork (Char Siu), I've also used local smoked pork which gives the rice a different flavor
4 eggs
Preparation
Take two pots, add two cups of rice and two Chinese style sausage to each pot and cook the rice with a bit of oil and salt. If you don't normally cook rice, you'll probably be better off using a rice cooker.
Slice the green onions and the lettuce horizontally in 1/8" slices, put them in covered bowls in the refrigerator.
Chop the Char Siu into 1/8" cubes, small is good but slightly larger pieces aren't going to hurt anything. Refrigerate.
When the rice is done, remove the sausage from the rice and let the sausage cool.
When the sausage has cooled, slice into 1/8" slices and refrigerate.
Cooking The Cantonese Fried Rice
Scramble the eggs either in the wok or in a different pan just to the point where they are barely done, remove from heat and cover. Put three tablespoons of oil in the wok and heat. When the oil is hot, carefully add the garlic and roast the garlic in the oil. When the garlic is browned, remove the garlic from the wok.
Carefully add the sausage and Char Siu to the oil and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes. Start adding rice to the sausage and Char Siu, breaking up clumps of rice. Constantly stirring, keep adding rice and break up all clumps. Also add soy sauce to taste while evenly mixing. I prefer a darker soy sauce which provides color without overpowering flavor. When the rice is evenly mixed and colored, add the scrambled eggs and stir. Then add the green onion and lettuce and stir. When the lettuce wilts, the fried rice is done.
It's easy to overcook fried rice which makes the rice break down. The key to remember is that virtually everything is pre-cooked, the wok cooking stage is blending flavors more than actual cooking. Enjoy!!
Bonus Results
The roasted garlic removed from the wok can be used as a spread on either crackers or bread.
The unused lowest inch of the green onion can be planted in a garden, it will grow into a new plant.
1. Wok, a big metal bowl used for cooking. If you don't have a wok and can't find one, it is possible to use a large frying pan with high sides.
2. A large spoon or spatula for stirring the rice.
Ingredients
Ingredients vary by quantity, if you are making 3 cups of rice, you'll want 3 of everything, for this recipe we are going to make 4 cups of rice, so we'll need 4 of everything.
Canola oil
Soy Sauce
4 cloves of garlic
4 green onions
4 leaves of lettuce (Romaine)
4 Chinese style sausage (Lap Cheong)
1 package of roasted pork (Char Siu), I've also used local smoked pork which gives the rice a different flavor
4 eggs
Preparation
Take two pots, add two cups of rice and two Chinese style sausage to each pot and cook the rice with a bit of oil and salt. If you don't normally cook rice, you'll probably be better off using a rice cooker.
Slice the green onions and the lettuce horizontally in 1/8" slices, put them in covered bowls in the refrigerator.
Chop the Char Siu into 1/8" cubes, small is good but slightly larger pieces aren't going to hurt anything. Refrigerate.
When the rice is done, remove the sausage from the rice and let the sausage cool.
When the sausage has cooled, slice into 1/8" slices and refrigerate.
Cooking The Cantonese Fried Rice
Scramble the eggs either in the wok or in a different pan just to the point where they are barely done, remove from heat and cover. Put three tablespoons of oil in the wok and heat. When the oil is hot, carefully add the garlic and roast the garlic in the oil. When the garlic is browned, remove the garlic from the wok.
Carefully add the sausage and Char Siu to the oil and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes. Start adding rice to the sausage and Char Siu, breaking up clumps of rice. Constantly stirring, keep adding rice and break up all clumps. Also add soy sauce to taste while evenly mixing. I prefer a darker soy sauce which provides color without overpowering flavor. When the rice is evenly mixed and colored, add the scrambled eggs and stir. Then add the green onion and lettuce and stir. When the lettuce wilts, the fried rice is done.
It's easy to overcook fried rice which makes the rice break down. The key to remember is that virtually everything is pre-cooked, the wok cooking stage is blending flavors more than actual cooking. Enjoy!!
Bonus Results
The roasted garlic removed from the wok can be used as a spread on either crackers or bread.
The unused lowest inch of the green onion can be planted in a garden, it will grow into a new plant.