Yang Chow Fried Rice
Fried rice will always be one of my favorite dishes. It was the first dish that my grandmother taught me to make. It's deceptively simple, one of the toughest dishes to make well. Also known as Yangzhou fried rice, from the province of the same name, there are two classic versions. The "Silver-covered Gold" technique is cooking the egg first until cooked then tossing in the rice and ingredients after. This is how my grandmother made it when I was a kid. As my career blossomed and I cooked with some masters while in Vegas, I learned the "Gold-covered Silver" technique, where you surround the rice in wet egg and cook it together. I realized this makes the rice light, fluffy and amazing. This dish is the perfect metaphor for my career.
Ingredients
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | canola oil |
| 2 | eggs, beaten | |
| 4 cups | 960 ml | cooked long-grain or jasmine rice, cooled to room temperature |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | finely diced cooked Chinese BBQ pork |
| 6 | medium shrimp, peeled and cleaned | |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.5 ml | kosher salt |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | soy sauce |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | powdered chicken bouillon |
| 3 tbsp | 45 ml | oyster sauce |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.5 ml | sugar |
| 2-3 | green onions, sliced on the bias | |
| pinch | white pepper |
Instructions
- In a large wok or skillet, heat the oil over high heat until a wisp of white smoke appears. Pour in the eggs and add the rice immediately. Using a wide silicone or wooden spatula, work the rice into the egg in circular motions, making sure not to break the rice grains.
- After about 30 seconds, the egg will start to coagulate and surround the rice. Add the pork and shrimp and cook until the shrimp are almost cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Keep scraping the pan and folding the rice back into the middle.
- Add the salt, soy sauce, bouillon, oyster sauce and sugar. Work all the seasonings into the rice until the color is uniform, about 1 minute. Don't be afraid to scrape egg or rice bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Cook until the rice absorbs the sauces and egg but is still fluffy and moist, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle on the green onions and white pepper and work them gently into the fried rice. Serve immediately.