Chinese Fried Rice

Wisconsin is a big state.   And other than the Eastern and Southern quarters of it, most of it is pretty rural, dotted with towns with populations under 10,000...even under 1000.   I've lived in areas where it was an hours drive or more to get anything resembling Chinese food, and like so many of my recipes, this one was born out of necessity...to satisfy my craving for Big City Food like good Fried Rice!

I try to keep my recipes simple, using ingredients one can get at the tiniest town's IGA as I know it can be challenging to find Oyster Sauce or Sesame Oil in such a place.  But sometimes, as is the case with these two key ingredients, it just doesn't taste right without them.  So if you are one of those people who lives in such a place, a little planning ahead on your next shopping trip to The Big City is in order...but the payoff is that you can have Big City Food right at home!

This recipe is for a very authentic Fried Rice recipe.  You can make it with Chicken, Pork or even Shrimp (I'd use those little salad shrimp that are very inexpensive and about the size of a dime).  You can use raw meat or cooked leftovers, which is a great way to stretch the food budget.  In this case, I'll use Chicken, but the recipe is the same for other meats/seafood.  In time, you can play with and adjust the ingredients to your liking.  It's very quick to make, with one caveat...you must make the rice well in advance so it has time to cool.  It should be cold when added.

If you don't have a Wok, you can use a large fry pan.  If your stove is electric, go out and buy an electric wok.  You can find them often in thrift stores for 5 or so dollars and they're handy for more than Chinese cooking...example, I use them for Buffalo Wings.   If you have a gas stove, do yourself a favor and get a high quality carbon steel wok and season it like you would cast iron, never wash it in soap.  There's nothing better than a gas stove and a nice carbon steel wok, but at present, I'm stuck with the electric one.  It's ok, it does the job.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups uncooked rice
2 cups water
2 Chicken Breasts (or 3 Thighs), or 3 small Pork Chops, or a bag of Salad Shrimp, diced finely (except for the shrimp, leave them whole)
1 T Oyster Sauce (don't worry, it doesn't taste like oysters...it's really key for authentic Fried Rice)
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

Heating the Sesame Oil/Butter with the Garlic and
Chicken at the ready...

1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Onion Powder

1 T + 1 T Sesame Oil
2 T Butter
1 T Minced Garlic

1 small diced Onion
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 bag frozen Peas and Carrots
1/8 cup plus 1 T Soy Sauce

Everything's in but the Rice

Start by making the rice, well in advance of mealtime.  Put 1.5 cups of rice in a small saucepan with a tight fitting cover, along with 2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.  Cover and simmer about 10-15 minutes.  The rice is ready when...well, put it this way, if it were pasta, it would be Al Dente, or a little chewy, not gloppy and sticky, just slightly underdone.  Remove from heat, stir and fluff, refrigerate.

Now that that's out of the way, when it comes to make the meal, things happen fast. So have your ingredients measured out, chopped up, ready to go.

Put your finely diced meat (or shrimp, not diced) in a bowl along with 1 T Soy Sauce, 1 T Sesame Oil, the Oyster Sauce and Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Salt and Pepper.  Toss, let sit for a few minutes.

Everything is in..stir fry for 7-10 minutes

Heat your wok (or fry pan) up at a medium-high heat (if a gas stove/carbon steel wok) or full bore (if an electric wok).  Add the other 1 T of Sesame Oil and Butter, then add the Minced Garlic.  Stir around and saute the garlic a bit.   Dump the meat or seafood mixture in and heat well.  If it's raw, cook til it's no longer pink.  If it's cooked (i.e. leftovers) just bring it up to heat.   Then add the Diced Onion, stirring fairly constantly, til the onion starts to clarify.  Then add the 2 Eggs (beaten), cook for about 4 minutes, stirring.   Now dump in the Peas and Carrots and the (cold) Rice along with 1/8 cup of Soy Sauce.  Stir constanly and fry the rice to a golden brown, about another 7-10 minutes, taking care to keep it from burning on the bottom via constant stirring.  Remove from heat and serve!

Serve!

You can really go nuts with ingredients beyond this basic recipe...hot peppers, pepper flakes, mushrooms, pineapple, diced bamboo shoots and/or water chestnuts, bacon...the sky is the limit!  As long as you have Oyster Sauce and Sesame Oil (which are the only two ingredients that may be challenging to find in a rural area), you're in business.




Let me know if this recipe worked for you!  I love feedback!