A Feast of Fried Rice

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Homemade fried rice has been a favorite classic in my family since I was a young kid in Sweden. My parents would bring out the Chinese bowls and chopsticks just for the “fried rice occasion”, which made the meal extra fun and exotic (this was in the mid-80s, before we moved to Hong Kong). 

When I make this dish now, I usually make a crazy huge batch. I really fill up my Dutch Oven (the biggest pot I have) to the max, because my boys just devour it all in a heartbeat. This is why I need to cook at least 4 American cups of rice for this dish. The trick (I think, because that’s how I’ve always been told to do it) is to use “old” rice. And what I mean by “old” is that you cook the rice and store it in a container in the fridge for a day or two before you fry it. You can also freeze it and thaw it whenever you’re ready to make it. I also recommend using Asian rice, such as Jasmine or a sticky, Japanese rice.

You can add pretty much any meat or veggie you want to this dish, but in my family, we like the following ingredients:

Ingredients                                                                              

  • “Old” rice (cook 4 cups of Jasmine rice)
  • 900g-1kg pork cut into short, thin strips (you can also use chicken or shrimp, or no meat at all of course!)
  • 1-2 onions, chopped
  • 2 leeks, chopped
  • 4-5 carrots, chopped
  • 6 eggs (separate the white from the yolk)
  • 1 can of corn
  • 1 can of green peas (I’d do 2 cans of corn and green peas if I could, but I can’t fit it in my pot!)
  • Peanut oil (or any other neutral oil for frying)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • OPTIONAL: Worcestershire sauce (just a few drops when frying the pork strips – this was my improv moment this time around and I really liked it!)

 


Method:

  1. Take out your biggest pot or wok. Turn on medium/high heat. Add some peanut oil (maybe ½ a tablespoon or so).
  2. Fry the leek and the onion for a few minutes until they’re shiny/translucent. When done, transfer to a big bowl close to the stove.
  3. Add some more oil and fry the carrots. This takes a bit longer since you want the carrots to be a bit soft. I usually put the lid on for a few minutes just to steam them. When done transfer to the big bowl.
  4. Add some oil and fry the egg white (lower the heat so it doesn’t burn). Chop it up into small parts and transfer to the big bowl. Repeat this step with the egg yolk.
  5. Add oil and fry the pork strip on higher heat again. The best is to fry a little bit at a time (like 1/3 of the total) and season with salt and pepper, and a couple of drops of Worcestershire sauce. Transfer to the big bowl.
  6. Finally, it’s time to fry the rice. I fry it in two batches, because of the amount. Add some oil, and use medium heat (at least that’s what I need to do when I fry in my Dutch Oven (which is like a big pan) or it’ll burn really easily).
  7. When done, add all the fried ingredients together back into the pot and mix it all up. Add the corn and the green peas to the mix. Stir it on low/medium heat for a few minutes.
  8. And VOILÁ! Your fried rice is ready to be served!


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