Yang Chow Fried Rice
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Enjoy the all-time favorite Yang Chow Fried Rice at home. It is quick and easy to make, customizable, and delicious like the ones you get from Chinese restaurants.
There is no denying that Chinese egg fried rice is delicious. Whenever my family goes to Chinese restaurants, we make sure to order a big plate of Yang Chow Fried Rice. But what’s making it better is that you can now enjoy this fried rice anytime you want. All you need to do is to have all of your ingredients prepped beforehand. And the next time you want to make it, you will have better than takeout fried rice at home in no time.
About Yang Chow Fried Rice
Yang Chow Fried Rice, Yang Zhou Fried Rice, or Yeung Chow Fried Rice is a popular Chinese-style wok-fried rice dish in many Chinese restaurants throughout the world. It is commonly sold in the UK as special fried rice and in the US as house fried rice. The fried rice originally came from the city of Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province. But now the dish is now basically served at every Chinese restaurant with their own version of Yang Chow. The typical Yang Chow Fried Rice specifically contains eggs and protein, usually in the form of pork or chicken and shrimp.
A Wok is Essential For Making A Good Fried Rice
There are a lot of tips, tricks, and hacks to make perfect fried rice. But the right texture of fried rice has to come from the cooking technique. What makes Chinese takeout fried rice tastes good has to do with the fire. The wok is the best cooking utensil for cooking fried rice. It has different zones of heating that make controlling temperature an easy task. The spherical shape makes tossing and flipping a snap, with little chance of food pieces falling out as they would from a flat pan. It can generate intense heat and plenty of wok hei (wok breath), the essential smokey essence you get when you use a wok over hot heat.
The food in that wok absorbs the smoke and that is what imparts that Chinese takeout wok flavor. It is most noticeable in fried rice because fried rice is delicately flavored which allows you to taste it almost directly as a prominent flavor of the dish. Therefore, if you want that authentic fried rice flavor, a wok is how you are going to get it. If you do not have a wok, using a cast iron or non-stick pan is also acceptable, just make sure it is big enough and remember to add an adequate amount of oil to ensure your ingredients do not stick to the surface.
Do Not Be Stingy With Adding the Oil
The amount of oil added to the wok is important. Too much oil and the food will be fried, too little and wok hei won’t be achieved. Hot oil helps everything not stick, distributes the heat, and helps with distributing the flavor.
Use Cold Cooked Rice to Prevent Mushy Fried Rice
The must-have distinct and well-separated grains should be sticky enough to pick up with chopsticks or a spoon. The exterior of the grains should be slightly brown and the interior remains soft. In addition, the rice should be slightly chewy to bite. Leftover cold rice is ideal to use because the grains are separate and cook easier in the wok. Left in the fridge overnight, the rice grains will firm up, making it easier to separate and decreasing the chances of your fried rice turning out mushy. If you cannot wait, you can also refrigerate freshly cooked rice for a few hours before cooking.
More Chinese Recipes
- Black Sesame Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Balls)
- Taiwanese Pineapple Cakes
- Chinese Scallion Pancakes
- Walnut Stuffed Red Dates
- Black Sesame Cookies
Ingredients
- 6 cups day-old cooked rice
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup chopped char siu/red pork/Chinese sausage
- 12 shrimps, shelled
- 1/2 cup green peas
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp chopped scallion, more for garnish
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients ready right beside the stove as you need to move quickly to make the fried rice. Break day-old rice to separate the grains.
- In a large skillet or wok, heat up a bit of oil over medium-high heat and cook the shrimps until half cooked. Remove and set aside in a bowl.
- Add more oil into the wok. Lower the heat to low-medium heat. Pour in the eggs and scramble them a little. When the eggs are half cooked and still runny, add the rice and give a quick stir so the eggs and rice can be mixed well quickly.
- Turn the heat to medium-high heat. Add the red pork, half-cooked shrimps, green peas. Mix until well incorporated.
- Season with salt, sugar, ground white pepper, and soy sauce. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
- Turn off the heat and sprinkle the scallions. Give a quick stir. Serve hot.
