Chinese Fried Rice

With Shrimp or Any Meat

First of all, the rice that is used to make fried rice is normally the cooled or the leftover rice.  Freshly cooked rice is sticky and will not separate.  Also, if you are planning to use the rice for fried rice, decrease the water a bit and make sure you rinse the raw rice until the water runs clear before you cook it.  The cloudy water from the rice washings is the starch that makes it sticky.  I also found that long grain rice is better for it than the new crop Jasmine rice.  Jasmine rice does not need as much water as the long grain and is usually soft and sticky, hence Americans call it sticky rice. 

You can use any kind of meat you like.  I used shrimp in the picture but you can use chicken pieces, pork pieces, beef pieces.  The classic meat used or in combination with  other meat is the Chinese sausage (lap cheong) or Chinese pork barbecue (char siu).  Both are sweet and salty but not spicy.  Other meats you can use that may be available in your home are pieces of ham, Spam or hotdogs.  You can also omit the meat altogether.

Peas and carrots are the usual vegetables they use but I’ve seen it with bean sprouts too.  Some garnish it with cilantro and bean sprouts but usually it is only garnished with green onions. 

I have made it without any vegetables if I didn’t have any on hand, and it is still good. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked and cooled rice (more or less)
• 1 piece Chinese sausage (optional)
• 6 pieces shrimp (sliced vertically in two if large)
• 2 eggs, beaten with ½ tsp. salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup minced onion
• 2 green onions chopped (divided)
• 1 small carrot minced or diced (about ¼ cup)
• ¼ cup peas (frozen peas and carrots are ok)
• Salt, white ground pepper
• 2 tsp. light soy sauce
• Vegetable oil

Procedure:

Separate the grains of the cooked and cooled rice in a bowl with your hand.  Add ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. ground white pepper and the 2 tsp. light soy sauce.  Mix them in with your hand very well and set aside.

The Chinese sausage has a casing that is tough and chewy.  You can cut the sausage as is or you can boil it whole first then slip the casing off before you cut the sausage in small disks.  Keep the water in the pot after you removed the sausage and use it to blanch the vegetables and the shelled shrimp if using.  Boil them long enough until crisp-tender (about 1 minute or less) and the shrimp curls and turns pink.  Drain well. 

Heat the wok or skillet before adding the oil.  That will help prevent the food from sticking on it.  Heat 1 TBSP oil in the pan or wok on med.-low.  Spread the oil around the wok then add the beaten egg.  Don’t scramble it but cook it like cooking an omelet, separating from the bottom as it sets and turning it over.  Remove from the pan when it sets and gets cooked and set it aside.

Add another TBSP. oil in the wok and on med-low heat fry the garlic until just tan and fragrant. Add the minced onion and saute until soft and transparent. Increase the heat to high and drop in the rice.  Cook the rice turning over constantly until the color changes a little.  Drop in the cooked eggs, the pre-cooked vegetables and the pre-cooked meat you are using.  Add half of the green onions using the white parts.  Continue to stir fry the rice, breaking up the egg with the spatula and mixing it with the rice.  Drizzle another 1 TBSP. oil around the perimeter of the rice and stir some more. 

The wok needs to be set hotter right before you add the rice to prevent it from sticking in the pan.  Put enough oil but not too much.  If it is sticking on the bottom, add a little bit more oil. Push the rice from the center and add about another tablespoon oil there.     

Taste and adjust the salt and/or soy sauce.  Transfer to a plate then garnish it with the remaining green onions. 

Note:  If you did not pre-cook the sausage, cook it in the wok or pan before adding the garlic.  Follow the direction below for the sausage and also for raw, small pieces of chicken, pork or beef:

Slice the Chinese sausage in small disks. Heat the wok or pan and put the sausage pieces or any raw pieces of meat in and add a couple of tablespoons water. Cook slow until the water evaporates then add the 1 tablespoon oil. Add the garlic and the onions and proceed with the procedure above.