For many families, an order of fried rice is one of the joys of visiting a Chinese restaurant, an automatic inclusion alongside the spring rolls and prawns crackers. But there are good reasons to make it a regular on the menu at home as well: it’s inexpensive, packed with flavour and, with a little preparation, pain-free to put together.Kyle Kwong prepares all the ingredients before starting to cook. Celebrated chef, author and restaurateur Kylie Kwong remembers her mother making fried rice for the family every Saturday morning when she was a child. “Mum used to cook us fried rice using leftover ingredients from the fridge,” she says. “It filled our tummies and got us going for the day.” Kylie’s fried rice recipe, like many of her recipes, is an adaptation of her mother’s. Kylie Kwong’s Fried Rice recipe Serves 4 (As part of a shared meal) 3 eggs1/2 cup (80 ml) safflower or sunflower oil1 small red onion, finely diced2 cm piece of ginger, finely diced2-3 garlic cloves, finely diced3 rindless bacon rashers, diced2 tsp brown sugar2 tbsp shao hsing wine, or dry sherry2 cups (200g) steamed rice3-4 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced1 bunch coriander (cilantro), stems only, finely sliced1 long red chilli, finely sliced2 tbsp tamari1/4 tsp sesame oilWhite pepperPinch salt flakes Break eggs into a bowl and beat lightly. Heat half the oil in a wok until the surface seems to shimmer slightly. Pour beaten eggs into wok and leave to cook on the base of wok for 10 seconds before folding the egg mixture over onto itself with a spatula and lightly scrambling for about a minute until almost cooked through. Carefully remove omelet from wok with a spatula and drain on paper towel. Set aside. Heat remaining oil in a hot wok and stir-fry onion, ginger, garlic and bacon for 1 minute. Add sugar and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Pour in wine and stir-fry for one minute. Add rice to wok with spring onions, coriander, chilli, tamari, sesame oil and reserved omelet, using a spatula to break up the omelet into smaller pieces. Stir-fry for 2 minutes or until everything is well combined and rice is heated through. Transfer the fried rice to a bowl, sprinkle with pepper and salt and serve. “Except for the addition of chilli and coriander,” she explains. “Mum would never add those ingredients.” It’s these variations from home to home, generation to generation, that continue to elevate this humble dish to such great comfort-food heights. Personal taste and experimentation is part of the fun of finetuning your ideal fried rice recipe. On the eve of Chinese New Year, we ask Kylie her top tips for making great fried rice at home. Turn the heat up If the wok’s not sizzling, it’s not hot enough for fried rice. To start, Kylie suggests getting the wok or pan “super hot” before cooking the eggs to avoid ending up with a greasy omelet. “The wok should stay super hot during the frying of the aromatics (ginger, garlic, onion, and bacon) so as to sear and caramelise the aromatics and after, the rice,” she explains. “This gives the dish a lot of colour and texture.” Eggs that fluff “Cooking the egg omelet first is so important,” Kylie says. “It’s a simple step but it makes a big difference.” She allows the egg to set a little before stirring, and once cooked takes the egg off the heat and drains on paper towel. She then wipes the wok clean before assembling the fried rice. “This helps eliminate soggy and oily fried rice and keeps the eggs fluffy,” she explains. Prepare for perfection Even the most gifted chefs come unstuck without preparation, and cooking fried rice is no exception. For best results use a large wok and avoid crowding it with ingredients. Cut all the vegetables and meat at roughly the same size for cooking consistency. “Once I’ve cooked the egg I make sure all the ingredients are cut up and laid out before me because once you start cooking the fried rice, it comes together so quickly,” Kylie says. Getting the rice just right The many myths surrounding the perfect rice can make cooking fried rice daunting. Never fear. It’s not that complex. “Left over refrigerated rice is fine if you have it,” Kylie says. “If not, I prefer long grain or medium grain rice cooked absorption method. So long as the rice is not gluggy and the grains are separated.” Avoid short grain sushi rice or glutinous rice as they tend to be much softer and clump together once cooked. Pre-cooked long grain rice that has been left in the fridge overnight is ideal as the rice grains will firm up and become easier to separate and less likely to turn mushy. Texture “I like texture, I like colour, I like different things going on in every mouthful and the way that occurs is through the different ingredients and how you treat them,” Kylie says. “Often when I cook fried rice I like to leave the rice in the wok a little longer so it almost gets seared. It gets these brown bits throughout so you get a bit of texture to the rice grain.” Barbecue pork The whole idea of fried rice is that it’s quick and easy. “You don’t necessarily want to be trekking down to China town for barbecue pork last minute,” Kylie says. “That’s why I often suggest using bacon. It’s a staple ingredient in many homes so there’s no panicking about ingredients.” Kylie also suggests buying extra barbecue pork and freezing it. The secret of salt If there’s a secret ingredient to Kylie Kwong’s fried rice, it’s salt. Many fried rice recipes rely on soy sauce to add salt to the dish, but Kylie says salt alone will deliver the same savoury notes. “We use soy sauce in everything in Chinese repertoire. It goes in all the other dishes on the table,” she explains. “I put the salt in the wok at the beginning then I stir fry the ginger and bacon and onion because it helps bring out those flavours.” It’s a point of difference for Kylie — and the salt doesn’t turn the rice brown. “I used Murray River salt flakes but you can use any good quality salt flakes,” she says. “What you’ll find is you’ll be eating fried rice that has this lovely crunchy salt crystal in your mouth so it will become a textural thing as well.” Rogue ingredients Fried rice is a dish created from bits and bobs out of the fridge and cupboards so are there really rogue ingredients to steer clear of? “Absolutely,” Kylie says. “Red capsicum, broccoli and corncobs are just not traditional.” Consistency is key Balancing flavours can feel like you’re learning to juggle. Difficult. Try following the recipe first and once you have your base start experimenting with different ingredients. “It all depends on personal taste,” Kylie says. “If you love meat or pork I’d imagine you’d load up your fried rice with barbecue pork. I like a nice balance of bacon and pork.” For vegetarian fried rice, Kylie suggests adding extra egg omelet and fresh chilli along with julienne carrots, bean sprouts and finely sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms. “I actually use spring onions as a vegetable ingredient instead of a garnish,” she says. “It adds great flavour and extra texture.” Information in this article is correct as of 17th February, 2015.
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