Fried Rice: Various

Click to Enlarge	Fried Rice: Various China -
	Serves Effort: Sched: DoAhead:	4 side ** 20 min Yes	In China fried rice is a way to use up left over rice or as a snack or street food. It would not be served at dinner because, unlike plain rice, its flavors could interfere with the flavors of other dishes. Of course we barbarians can do whatever we please. Note that in some regions (Cantonese) a little soy sauce is stirred in at finish. Fried rice can be reheated, either in the oven or back in the pan.

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Rice, cold (1)
Feature (2)
Eggs
Salt
Oil
Oil
Salt
Scallions

Prep

Cut FEATURE into small pieces - no larger than 1/2 inch on a side for soft mild items like Shrimp, smaller for hard or stronger items like Chinese Sausage.
Beat EGGS lightly with 1/4 t Salt.
Slice SCALLIONS thin crosswise.

Run

In a wok or spacious sauté pan, heat 2 T Oil over moderate heat. Pour in Feature and fry stirring until just cooked through if raw, or thoroughly heated if not. Scoop out with a slotted spoon leaving all oil in the pan.
Pour in Eggs. As they solidify, tilt the pan towards you. Push the solids up away from you while the liquid drains toward you until the eggs are no longer runny but soft and fluffy. Scoop them out into a dish using a slotted spoon.
Add 1/2 T Oil and distribute it well. Fluff the Rice, then pour it into the pan and toss it about over moderate heat until well heated and all lumps are broken up.
Stir in 2/3 t Salt and the Scallions until well distributed.
Stir in Feature and Eggs. Stir and break up the eggs until they are in small pieces and everything is evenly distributed.
Serve warm.

NOTES:

Rice: 1 pound is about 3-1/2 cups loosely packed. 1 cup raw Jasmine rice makes about 1 pound. The rice should be long grain and cooked fairly dry so the grains are quite separate. Preferably it should have been refrigerated overnight - the colder the better.
Feature: These are the items the fried rice is named after. Use just one, or at most two that complement each other, generally one mild and one strong.
- Shrimp: cut crosswise in 1/2 inch lengths.
- Celery: thin end of stalks sliced crosswise 1/8 inch or thinner.
- Chinese Sausage: cut into cubes no more than a quarter inch.
- Chicken: raw or roasted, cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Duck: roasted cut into 1/3 inch cubes.
- Pork: raw or roasted, cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Beef: roasted cut into 1/3 inch cubes.
- Ham: baked.
- Bamboo Shoots; sliced thin and cut into narrow strips.
- Bean Sprouts: blanched (skip frying step).
- Green Peas: parboiled if fresh, thawed if frozen.
- Bell Peppers: diced about 1/2 inch.
- Green Beans: parboiled and cut 1/2 inch long.
- Tofu, pressed: cut into dice.
- Sichuan Vegetable: sliced and cut into narrow stirps.
- Mushrooms: fresh or canned slice medium. If dried, soak at least 1/2 hour in warm water and cut fairly small (not too many of these).
- Water Chestnuts: sliced medium.
U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch