I look forward whenever my mom cooks breakfast; I never knew that yesterday's meal could be cooked and mix together to produce a mouthwatering dish-- chow fan, or Chinese fried rice. This awesome dish has 3 secret ingredients: - Fish sauce - Chinese Sausage - Rice While the above mentioned ingredients are the three must haves to create good Chinese fried rice, there are a variety of ingredients to choose from such as: beef, onions, cabbage, green peas, pork, beef, hot dog, etcetera.
I always look forward to my mom's cooking; to my delight, yesterday's lunch was Chinese fried rice. Taught by my grandma, my mum has mastered the art of cooking the best fried rice in the world. With the memory of that super tasty plate of fried rice I had yesterday still fresh in my mind and tongue has prompted me to write this article today to share with you her secrets and technique in making an absolutely scrumptious plate of fried rice. Chinese fried rice or "chow fun" is a simple and yet awesome one-dish meal that you can make for your family using leftover bits in your fridge, very similar the Western version of casserole. You may use endless types of ingredients for your fried rice recipe, namely pork, beef, chicken, scallops, broccoli, squid, broccoli, bok choy, red bell pepper, frozen peas, frozen carrots, long beans, red onion, eggs, cabbage, baby corn, and the list goes on and on. However, the three most indispensable ingredients you must have to produce a good plate of fried rice are rice of course, fish sauce and Chinese sausage. The Rice A day old rice is more suitable to use because the moisture is very low therefore is much easier to stir in the wok and will produce flaky and light fried rice with each individual grain covered with flavor. Freshly prepared rice is not suitable for the use of this purpose for the reason the moisture is still there and would yield the fried rice clumpy, sticky and soggy, which are all negative traits of a well cooked fried rice. Whenever you can, use higher quality rice such as Jasmine rice for best result. In the situation there's no left over rice, you can make your less moistened rice simply by using less water than you usually would to cook the rice. After the rice is cooked, spread it on a baking sheet to let cool and to allow the moisture-carrying steam to escape so that it dries quickly. If you are short of time, leave it in the fridge or near open window to hasten the cooling cum drying process. The Fish Sauce Apart from other typical seasoning, you must not NOT use fish sauce too. I know that it's unorthodox but in Southeast Asia, they frequently use fish sauce to prepare most of their dishes. Roughly half a teaspoon of this sauce along with your normal seasonings (sugar, salt, pepper, soy sauce etc) will add a great flavor to your fried rice that no other combination of seasonings could replicate. The best part is you won't be able to detect the strong smell of it at all in your dish. Try to get the higher quality fish sauce, one that has light tea color instead of the darker soy sauce like color. Chinese Sausage Chinese sausage is a preserved sausage made of chicken or pork with bits of fats in it and can last for quite some time if kept well. Always keep some in your pantry as it is versatile and can be used in many Chinese recipes. To use in a Chinese fried rice recipe, cut it diagonally into thin slices and cook it on low heat for a couple of in a saucepan. You want the yummy fat in it to melt and ooze out, providing you that extra oomph when added (both the sausage and melted fat) to fry your rice. Just by writing this makes my mouth waters. Other Aspects to Take Note Of Heat Very strong fire is important for frying rice Chinese style. The wok must be so hot that the heat heats up every grain of the rice to its core. This helps mixes the flavor and the rice together and further aid in the process of evaporation of any excess wetness from the sauces and rice. Your fried rice is cooked when the grains are practically prancing in the frying pan. Using pressurized jet burner in restaurants, this can be done in only 15 seconds! Storage and Re-heating Keep leftover fried rice in a tight container and store it in the fridge. You can use this simple method to easily re-heat your fried rice. Dampen the fried rice by wetting your hand and flicking your fingers on it. Make sure you don't use too much water. Then heat it in the microwave set on high power. The microwave will help to create steam and evaporate the excess moist you've added to the fried rice and in the process
