Fried rice originated in the Sui Dynasty in Yangzhou, the Eastern Jiangsu province of China, as a way to use up leftover (usually day old) rice and avoid food waste. During the Gold Rush in the 19th century, the Chinese immigrants introduced Americans to fried rice.
In Japan, fried rice is called Yakimeshi, using short-grain rice that is stir fried with ham, shrimp or pork, egg and green onions. Regionally, in Osaka, fried rice may be seasoned with Worcestershire sauce instead of soy sauce.
Yakimeshi
(Japanese Fried Rice)
— Rice should be cold and dried out of its sticky moisture.
— Cut the protein and carrots into the same sizes.
— Great way to clean out leftovers in the refrigerator.
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
5 ounces 41/50 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, cut into 1/4 inch pieces or 3 ounces Japanese kurobuta or Berkshire pork sausage
1 large carrot, finely chopped, about 3/4 cup
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 cups cooked short-grain rice, chilled
3/4 cup corn, frozen or canned
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Kosher salt
Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Pour in 1 tablespoon oil, then add the eggs and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, until just cooked through. Transfer the eggs to a plate.
In the same pan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is hot and glistening, cook the shrimp, carrots, green onion and garlic, stirring, for about 2 minutes, until the carrots are darker in color and softened.
Add the rice, stirring and cutting through the rice, mixing with the carrot and shrimp mixture, and coating the rice in the seasoned oil, for about one minute or until warmed through. Mix in the corn, peas and white pepper.
Push the rice off to the side of the frying pan and pour the sesame oil into the empty side. Once the oil is hot, stir in the rice mixture into the oil.
Push the rice off to the side again and pour the soy sauce into the empty side, making sure the soy sauce is sizzling before mixing and incorporating into the rice. Stir in the reserved eggs until combined, then serve immediately.
In Indonesia, Nasi Goreng is seasoned with sweet kecap manis sauce and topped with a runny fried egg.
Nasi Goreng
— Cold rice is not optional
— Shrimp paste is optional
Chicken:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
5 ounces chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
Rice:
1-1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon red chili, finely chopped
1 onion, small diced
3 cups cooked day old white rice, cold
2 tablespoons kecap manis
2 teaspoons shrimp paste, optional
Garnishes:
4 eggs, fried to order
1 green onion, sliced
Tomatoes and cucumbers, cut into wedges or chunks
Fried shallots
Lime wedges
Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add chili and garlic, stir for 10 seconds. Add onion, cook for 1 minute.
Add chicken, cook until it turns white, then add 1 tablespoon kecap manis and cook for 1 minute or until the chicken is cooked through and a bit caramelized.
Add the rice, 2 more tablespoon kecap manis and shrimp paste. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until the sauce reduces down and the rice grains start to caramelize (key to flavor).
Serve, garnished with green onions, red chili, fried shallots.
Khao Pad Goong. or fried rice with shrimp, is popular in Thailand. It is often served with a wedge of lime and prik nam pla, or chile/fish sauce, on the side.
Thai Fried Rice
(Khao Pad Goong)
3 tablespoons shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups cooked jasmine rice, refrigerated for at least 2 hours
2 eggs
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon thin soy sauce
3 tablespoons green onion, chopped
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Pinch white pepper
Lime wedges
Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil. Saute garlic and shallots until aromatic, and shallots are translucent. Add cooked rice, stir to mix garlic and shallots into the rice. Add fish sauce and thin soy sauce, continue to mix.
Move the rice to the side of the pan. Add a little more oil, add eggs and scramble them. Once cooked, mix into rice.
Add the green onions and cilantro. Mix to combine, then turn off heat.
Serve with lime wedges, ground white pepper, and cucumbers.
You will notice that the recipes all call for cold refrigerated rice. Freshly steamed rice will make mushy and soft fried rice, not the ideal texture. Chef Ming Tsai suggests if you do not have day-old rice, cook the rice, then spread it on a baking sheet and freeze it for half an hour. The texture will not be the same as day-old refrigerated rice but will work in a pinch.
What is fried rice syndrome? I have written about this in my past columns, a bacterium called Bacillus cereus, which is a heat-resistant bacteria that is in older rice that has not been refrigerated.
