Rookie Pan
← All recipes
China, Asia

Yangzhou Fried Rice

China's classic fried rice from Yangzhou: day-old rice tossed over high heat with egg, shrimp, ham and peas until every grain is separate and fluffy.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time25 min
DifficultyEasy

Method

  1. Rub the cold rice between your hands to break up every clump. Dice the ham and carrot to the size of a pea (5 mm) and slice the scallions. If the shrimp are large, cut them into 1 cm pieces and toss with the Shaoxing wine and a pinch of salt. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt until no streaks of white remain.

    Add in this stepCold cooked rice (day-old; long-grain is best) 400 gRaw peeled shrimp (small) 80 gShaoxing wine (or dry sherry) 1 tspEggs 2Salt ¼ tsp

  2. Bring water to a boil in a 16 cm pot over high heat, blanch the carrot and peas for , then drain them very well.

    Add in this stepCarrot 30 gGreen peas (frozen is fine) 40 g

    high heat

  3. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a 28 cm wok over medium-high heat until it just starts to smoke, add the shrimp and ham and stir-fry for . When the shrimp turn pink, set everything aside on a plate.

    Add in this stepCooking oil ¾ tbspCooked ham (or Chinese barbecue pork) 60 g

    medium-high heat

  4. Add the rest of the oil and pour in the egg. After about 20 seconds, when the edges puff and it is half set, add the rice right away. Over high heat, press and toss with the spatula for so the egg coats the grains. It is ready when the grains are separate and start to jump in the pan.

    Add in this stepCooking oil 1¼ tbsp

    high heat

  5. Return the shrimp, ham, carrot and peas, season with the salt and white pepper and toss over high heat for more.

    Add in this stepSalt ¼ tspWhite pepper 1 pinch

    high heat

  6. Add the scallions, toss for about 30 seconds, turn off the heat and serve straight away.

    Add in this stepScallions 2

Cook's tip

Freshly cooked rice turns mushy; spread it out and chill it for at least 1 hour first. For 4 servings in a pan smaller than 30 cm, fry in two batches so the rice fries instead of steaming. True Yangzhou fried rice uses no soy sauce, so it stays pale gold and clean-tasting.

Cooking it at camp

A great way to use leftover rice at camp. Pre-cut everything at home and pack it in a box; you can skip blanching and add the peas frozen at the end with 1 extra minute. On a weak burner, fry no more than 2 servings at a time.