Author: Susanne at dishwithme.com
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Chinese Style Fried Rice? Oh, yes, please, and thank you!
I think I may have mentioned this in another post, but this is such a vivid childhood memory for me. When I was a small girl we used to go get take-out from a wonderful restaurant called Jack’s Chinese Kitchen on Lakewood Boulevard in southern California. They, actually, only had take-out, no dining in. Unfortunately, it is no longer there and hasn’t been for a number of years.
Absolutely everything from Jack’s Kitchen was top notch and amazingly good. Real Authentic Chinese food. Oh, how I miss it. I loved every dish I ever had from there, but one thing I remember really loving is the fried rice and their char siu ribs. It just had this unique Chinesey (I know that’s not a word) flavor that I loved. Still love.
Since I am unable to frequent Jack’s Kitchen, I set out to make some of that wonderful fried rice, the way I remember it tasting. I believe one of the keys is using toasted sesame oil. Sesame oil just has a certain delightful flavor and this rice would definitely not taste the same without it. If you have regular sesame oil instead of toasted sesame oil, just use that.
This is a family favorite. And, the fact that it is super quick and easy to make is the icing on the cake, ehh…rice! AND, it can be used as a meal on its own, or a side dish.
Use, BOTH, real butter AND toasted sesame oil, not one or the other.
For maximum flavor benefit, use, both, yellow and green onions.
HELPFUL HINTS FOR CHINESE STYLE FRIED RICE
***USE COLD PRE-COOKED RICE*** I cannot stress this enough. I promise you it just will not turn out the same if you use warm, steamy rice that has just been cooked. So, one night when you are sitting around watching Amazon Prime or Netflix, simply cook some rice, when it is finished cooking simply put it into a covered bowl and throw it in the fridge for another day.
This rice will still be delightful even if you don’t add any meat to it, but, if you desire to add some meat, there are several good options.
Char Siu is my FAVORITE (please see my recipe coming soon 10/19)! It, also, has a uniquely Chinese flavor that is simply divine, but that requires more planning and cooking, as it needs time to take a bath in some marinade and needs to be grilled (grilled very quickly, mind you).
Quickly stir-frying some shrimp to add to it is my second favorite meat to add. Simply stir fry some shrimp in some toasted sesame oil and some freshly ground black pepper, viola! Only takes minutes. Stir-frying some beef or chicken is also a good choice.
The easiest way to go, if you want some meaty texture in there, is to add some diced up ham. It’s already cooked, just dice it up and toss it in at the end. Super simple. All are good options, it just depends on how much time you want to invest.
Try this rice with my Char Siu Pork!
This is the pan I use. Toasted sesame oil. Oyster sauce. Grater.
Equipment
- 1 large pan
- Toasted sesame oil
- Oyster sauce
- Grater
Ingredients
- THE RICE
- 6 cups cold pre-cooked Jasmine rice (so…2 cups dry rice and 3 cups water, cooked per package instructions, to yield 6 cups) Cooked a day or two in advance and kept refrigerated.
- THE SAUCE
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
- 25 grinds freshly ground black pepper
- THE EGGS
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 4 eggs whisked
- THE BACON AND VEGGIES
- 4 slices bacon cut into small pieces
- 2 Tablespoons real butter
- 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots I buy pre-shredded
- 1/2 cup green peas I use Le Sueur very young sweet peas in the can, but use any you like
- 4 cloves fresh garlic grated
- ADDING THE RICE & EXTRAS
- 5 Tablespoons real butter
- 6 cups cold cooked rice from above
- 4 green onions (scallions, summer onions) chopped
- 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
- 8 to 16 ounces diced meat: char siu, cooked shrimp, diced ham or cooked chicken any kind of meat you want to add, or leave it out. Completely up to you.
Instructions
- THE RICE
- This ultimately NEEDS to be cooked in advance. So, cook it a day or two in advance and store it in the refrigerator.
- THE EGGS
- In a pre-heated pan on medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter and scramble the whisked eggs just until done. Place in a plate or bowl and set aside.
- THE SAUCE
- Mix the sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
- THE BACON & VEGGIES
- In a very large pan on medium-high heat, cook the bacon until almost done.
- To the pan of bacon, add the butter, sesame oil and the onions and carrots and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and peas and continue cooking for one additional minute.
- ADDING THE RICE & EXTRAS
- Move the veggies around the edges of the pan. In the middle of the pan melt the 5 tablespoons of butter and add the rice. Let the rice cook for about 2 minutes and then start mixing the veggies into the rice. After mixing the rice and veggies together, let the rice cook enough to get just a tiny bit of crunch to it. Turn the heat off.
- After the heat is turned off, add the green onoins (scallions, spring onions), the sesame seeds and the meat, if using. Add the sauce and stir well.
- Give it a little taste to see if it needs anything. Sometimes I sprinkle a little more sesame oil.
As good or better than any you’ve had eating out.