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Chinese: Fried Rice

Source of Recipe

Adapted from "Cooking for Comfort" by Marian Burros


Recipe Introduction

"Fried rice was a childhood treat and probably one of the few authentic Chinese dishes I ate then. Most of my consumption was chop suey and chow mein, with an occasional sub gum."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 tablespoons oil
â—¦ 4 eggs, beaten with a few shakes of salt
â—¦ ¼ cup small peeled shrimp, slit in half lengthwise and cut in ¼-inch pieces
â—¦ ½ cup diced cooked chicken breast
â—¦ ½ cup diced cooked roast pork (leftover Chinese roast pork is good)
â—¦ ¼ cup frozen peas
â—¦ 3 cups cold cooked long-grain rice
â—¦ 2 green onions, chopped
â—¦ Salt to taste
â—¦ 1 cup bean sprouts



Recipe

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet and over medium heat cook the eggs as for an omelet, pushing the cooked eggs back and allowing the raw eggs to fill in and cook. Repeat until the mixture is cooked. Remove and shred.

Clean out the pan and add the remaining oil. Quickly cook the shrimp over medium-high heat, just until pink. Remove. Add the chicken, pork, and peas and cook long enough to heat the peas through. Add the shrimp and stir for 1 minute.

Add the rice, green onions, salt, and eggs and stir well to heat all the ingredients. Stir in the bean sprouts and mix for about 30 seconds.


Makes 2 servings



• Fried rice is a perfect vehicle for leftovers; you can use any meats or seafood, mushrooms, or peppers. The only constant ingredient in fried rice is the rice.

• Not every version of fried rice contains soy sauce; the Cantonese version, with which most Americans are familiar, does. I prefer the dish without because it has a clean, bright taste; but if you want to add soy sauce, 1 to 2 tablespoons should be about right.