Quick & Easy Chinese (35 page)
Read Quick & Easy Chinese Online
Authors: Nancie McDermott
This hearty version of fried rice is popular throughout China. Because it uses cooked meats, including shrimp, ham, and chicken, it comes together quickly and makes an appealing centerpiece dish. Bean sprouts are traditional, but if you can’t find crisp ones, you can substitute shredded carrots from the produce section, or napa cabbage or iceberg lettuce cut into long, thin strips.
4 cups cooked long-grain rice, preferably chilled
2 tablespoons chicken stock or water
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
8 cooked medium shrimp
½ cup chopped ham
½ cup chopped cooked chicken
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup frozen tiny peas
¾ cup bean sprouts
¼ cup chopped green onion
SERVES
4
TO
6
Crumble the rice, so that it breaks up into individual grains for easy stir-frying. In a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, soy sauce, salt, and sugar, and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar.
Chop the cooked shrimp into small chunks, cutting each one crosswise into 4 pieces. Set aside with the ham and chicken.
Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan.
Add the ham and chicken and toss well. Add the chopped shrimp and cook, tossing often, to heat everything through, about 1 minute.
Add the rice and toss well. Cook, tossing often, to heat and season the rice, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock mixture, pouring it in around the sides of the pan, and toss to mix it into the rice. Add the peas and toss well.
Cook, tossing often, until the rice is hot and tender and evenly seasoned, about 1 minute more. Add the bean sprouts and the green onion and toss well. Transfer to a serving platter, and serve hot or warm.
In Chinese tradition, eight is a lucky number, and the “treasures” are the delicious ingredients enhancing this handsome and satisfying main-course dish. Cooking and chilling the rice a day in advance means you can easily crumble it into separate grains, the key to fluffy and flavorful fried rice. Doing your prep work (chopping ham, draining pineapple, making egg ribbons, etc.) in advance streamlines the cooking. Once the components are ready, all you need to do is toss the dish together shortly before serving time.
2 tablespoons dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
3½ ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms or small button mushrooms
4 cups cooked long-grain rice, chilled
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten well
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
½ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ cup frozen edamame beans or frozen tiny peas
½ cup diced ham or kielbasa
½ cup well-drained canned crushed pineapple or diced fresh pineapple
½ cup dry-roasted, salted cashews
¼ cup thinly sliced green onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
SERVES
4
TO
6
In a small bowl, combine the sherry, soy sauce, salt, and sugar, and stir well to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove and discard the stems from the shiitake mushrooms and slice the caps into slender strips. (Slice whole button mushrooms thinly lengthwise.) Using your hands, gently crumble the rice into individual grains.
Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the eggs and tilt the pan so that they spread out into a thin pancake, lifting the edges to spread it out. When set, turn and cook the other side briefly. Turn out onto a cutting board, roll into a cylinder, and slice it crosswise to make thin ribbons. Fluff and set aside.
Heat the pan again over high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and toss well. Add the shrimp and cook, tossing often, until they are firm, pink, and cooked though, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and edamame beans and toss until the mushrooms are shiny and softened, about 1 minute more.
Add the rice and toss to mix everything well. Add the sherry seasoning mixture, pouring it in around the edge of the pan. Then add the ham, pineapple, cashews, egg ribbons, and green onion. Cook, tossing often, until the rice is hot and tender and the shrimp are cooked through, about 2 minutes more.
Add the cilantro and sesame oil and toss well. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot or warm.