Fried rice is a staple dish in Chinese and other Asian cuisines, made by frying leftover or pre-cooked rice with various ingredients. American Chinese restaurants often include pork or chicken, while Cantonese cuisine may use a gravy sauce. It can be served as a side or main dish and is customizable with different ingredients and seasonings.
Fried rice is probably best recognized as a staple dish in Chinese restaurants around the world. It is a combination of leftover or pre-cooked rice fried in oil with a variety of other ingredients. Fried rice is also a staple dish in many different Asian cuisines, even though the ingredients of a country, or even a region of a country, can vary significantly.
In American Chinese restaurants, fried rice is often a combination of rice, peas or carrots, and small amounts of pork or chicken. You can frequently order the dish with pork only or chicken only. Many restaurants include some seafood in the recipes and label the mixed meats fried rice as a house specialty. Recipes may additionally include some scrambled eggs. This convenient and delicious way of making leftover rice and meat is perhaps the most famous type of fried rice in the world and is called Yangzhou or Yangchow rice.
If you prefer Cantonese cuisine, you’ll find this rice dish prepared a little differently. It is often cooked in a gravy sauce or served with a brown gravy on top. Korea and Thailand have varieties of this staple, and these have influenced recipes in some parts of the world that you might not expect to find the dish. For example, in Peru, a popular dish is chaufa, which incorporates South American spices and seasonings with the Yangzhou version of rice.
In Chinese restaurants, many order this rice as a typical side dish, although white rice is the more traditional side dish. If the rice is crammed with ingredients like egg and meat, it can also become a main dish. In China, it is common for fried rice to be served at the end of a meal, rather than with main entrees. Care is taken to cook rice that is not too greasy and remains light and fluffy, and cooks are often judged on the quality of their fried rice.
If you’re making the dish at home, it helps to have a wok, but you can use any good flat skillet that heats evenly. Use your imagination to add ingredients. A little leftover roast or ham can make great beef in fried rice, but feel free to add any cooked or quick-cooked vegetables you have. Consider green onions, Swiss chard or bok choy, mushrooms, peppers, diced eggplant, or zucchini. For flavor, keep soy sauce on hand and chili oil for an extra kick to your rice. The dish is served hot and fresh, but you can keep it warm in a chafing dish for a while if you’re preparing it for a large number of guests.
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