# Basic Chinese Fried Rice



## AllenOK (Jan 31, 2006)

Basic Chinese Fried Rice
Yields:  4 side dish servings, or 2 entrée servings

        I've been making this for a couple days now for lunch.  Man, it's better than what my favorite Chinese place turns out.
	I know, this isn’t truly Chinese, it’s actually American in origin.  But, it tastes good, and all the Chinese restaurants here serve this or a version thereof.
	This is a good, basic, side-dish, however, if you use most of the meats listed, you will get a “house special” entrée.
	If you have a gas stove, I would recommend using a wok.  However, if you have an electric stove, you would probably be better suited using a large cast iron skillet.  Electric just doesn’t generate enough heat to get the proper “wok hay”, or that seared taste and appearance on the ingredients.  So, use a cast iron skillet, get it smoking hot, then add the oil and proceed.  Never turn the heat down from high, as you’ll need all the heat you can get to cook this properly and quickly.
	This is one of those dishes where everything MUST be prepped before you begin cooking.  I highly recommend having everything you need lined up in the order you will use it, so that you don’t have to do to much running around while the food is cooking over extremely high heat.

2 T peanut oil
1 egg, beaten
3 – 4 oz meat of your choice, julienned, such as beef cutlets, pork cutlets, chicken thighs, etc.; or, peeled, deveined shrimp, small bay scallops, or lump crabmeat
1 T dark soy
1 T dry sherry or sake
1 t minced garlic
1 t minced gingerroot
¼ t turmeric, optional
2 T chopped onions
2 T chopped green onions
2 T sliced carrots, on a bias
2 T peas, or snow peas
2 dried shiitake mushrooms
3 – 4 c cooked, COLD rice
salt and pepper to taste

	In a small saucepan, rehydrate the shiitake mushrooms in a small amount of boiling water for about 5 – 10 minutes.  Julienne the meat, and marinate the meat with the soy, sherry/sake, garlic, gingerroot, and the turmeric if desired.  Combine the onions, green onions, carrots, and peas in a bowl and set aside.  Squeeze all the liquid from the mushrooms.  Shred the mushrooms, and add to the vegetables.  Place the mushroom liquid back on the stove, and reduce until almost dry.  Drain the marinade from the meat, and add the marinade to what’s left of the mushroom liquid.  Scramble the egg and set aside.
	Make sure that you have all the ingredients ready to go, with the oil, egg, meat(s), veggies, rice, and the marinade/mushroom liquid all within reach, and preferably arrange in order of use.
	Heat a wok or skillet just until it starts to smoke fairly heavily.  Add the oil and swirl it around the pan to coat the pan.  Once the oil starts to smoke, add the egg and quickly scramble it.  Add the meat, garlic, and ginger.  Stir for 30 seconds.  Add the vegetables, and stir for about a minute.  Steam for 1 minute.  Add the rice and pepper.  Add the reserved liquids, stir, and cover.  Once the rice has completely turned color, is heated throughout, and starts to stick, then it’s done.  This entire dish should only take about 5 minutes to cook, start to finish.  Pour the rice into a serving bowl and enjoy as an entrée, or as part of a larger meal with several other dishes.


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## Shunka (Feb 1, 2006)

Allen, I make fried rice pretty much the same way. I cook the mixed egg in flat sheets and then cut them into strips. Probably because that is the way my FIL taught me to do it. A bit of a broth and sesame oil is usually added too.


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## CharlieD (Feb 1, 2006)

What did you call this? "basic..." ? i can only imagine how the advanced one would look like.


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## AllenOK (Feb 1, 2006)

I called it basic, because in the final draft that goes into my cookbook, is only going to mention the pork, preferably Chinese Red Roast Pork.  I'll have a note at the bottom about turning into more of an entree type dish by adding the other meats.

The "Basic" version, with just the pork, will be meant as a side dish for a couple people.  The "Entree" version will have more meat items in it, and be meant more as a one-dish meal for one person.


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## buckytom (Feb 1, 2006)

allen, do you have a recipe for the red pork? i tried a recipe from epicurious once, using star anise and a few other spices for the marinade, and it came out so bad the entire roast was fed to the backyard cats.

and thanks for the flied lice recipe. it looks really good. i love 10 ingredient, or house special fried rices, so long as they're not heavy and greasy.


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## amber (Feb 19, 2006)

I love shrimp fried rice! I have all the ingredients for this on hand except for the sherry and sake.  Would it make a big difference in flavor if I were to eliminate it?


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## Haggis (Feb 19, 2006)

If you have shao-sing (shao xing, etc etc take your pick for the spelling) you could try substituting that.


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## AllenOK (Feb 19, 2006)

Please allow me to clarify:

By Sake/Sherry, I meant use Sake, but if you can't get that (I haven't found any locally, but then, I haven't really looked, either), then use Sherry.  Sherry should be readily available in grocery stores and liquor stores.  DO NOT repeat *DO NOT* use anything labelled "cooking sherry", as that is loaded with salt, and there's enough salt already in the soy sauce.

Furthermore, I may be editing this recipe and omitting the booze.  The two main cookbooks that I got my Asain cooking experience/recipes from mentioned marinating the meat in a mixture of soy and sake.  However, the last time I made some stir-fry, a week ago, was a batch of Lo Mein noodles, in which I completely omitted the booze, and replaced it with a little homemade chicken stock and seafood stock (I had both chicken and shrimp in the stir-fry).  The resulting dish tasted almost EXACTLY what a local Chinese restaurant turns out, and PeppA and my MIL both went nuts over it. I'm going to have to try this again with other things just to test it.


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## amber (Feb 19, 2006)

Thanks Allen.  I do have chicken stock on hand, but I'll check out the sherry when I go to the store today.


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## Andy M. (Feb 19, 2006)

BT:

Here's my recipe for the Chinese pork. Scroll down to post #16.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f49/i-need-pork-tenderloin-recipes-19363.html?highlight=Pork+tenderloin


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## amber (Feb 19, 2006)

That sounds really good Andy.  I think I would divide the marinade into two containers, one to marinate the pork in overnight, and the other for basting the pork.


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## Andy M. (Feb 19, 2006)

amber said:
			
		

> That sounds really good Andy. I think I would divide the marinade into two containers, one to marinate the pork in overnight, and the other for basting the pork.


 
Amber, there's really no need.  The marinade you brush onto the meat is in a hot oven and heats up almost instantly to a temp much hotter than any bacteria can survive (I'm assuming that was your concern).  But you could divide it if you wanted to.


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