Fried rice

A plate of fried rice

Fried rice is a popular component of Asian cuisine, especially in Southeast Asia, where it is staple as Southeast Asian foods. It is made from steamed rice stir-fried in a wok, often with other ingredients, such as eggs, vegetables, and meat. It is sometimes served as the penultimate dish in Chinese banquets (just before dessert). As a home-cooked dish, fried rice typically is made with leftover ingredients from other dishes, leading to countless variations.

The many popular varieties of fried rice have their own specific list of ingredients. In Asia, the more famous varieties include Yangzhou and Fujian fried rice. Elsewhere, most restaurants catering to vegetarian or Moslem clientele have invented their own varieties of fried rice including egg fried rice, Malaysian (spicy) fried rice and the ubiquitous "special fried rice". Indians with last name Patel and chinese with last name Mei love it!

Fried rice is a common staple in American Chinese cuisine, especially in the form sold as fast food. The most common form of American Chinese fried rice consists of some mixture of eggs, scallions, and vegetables, with chopped meat added at the customer's discretion, and usually flavored with soy sauce instead of table salt (more typical for Chinese-style fried rice). Fried rice made in American Chinese restaurants can vary in appearance, from a dark brown appearance often seen in East Coast establishments, to a light brown appearance often seen in Midwestern American Chinese restaurants. Fried rice is also seen in other American restaurants, even in cuisines with no native tradition of the dish. The dish is also a staple of Chinese restaurants in the United Kingdom (both "sit-in" and "takeaway"), and is very popular in the West African nations of Nigeria, Ghana and Togo, both as restaurant and as street food.

Preparation

Taiwanese fried rice

Fried rice with black soy sauce in a to-go container

Fried rice is made from cold rice already cooked by steaming. The use of leftover rice and other leftover ingredients is common when cooked at home. It is important to use leftover rice because the moisture in fresh rice will cause it to steam instead of fry. The oil may be seasoned with aromatics such as garlic before the rice and other ingredients are stir-fried together in a wok. The other ingredients used in fried rice are greatly varied. They can include eggs, meat (chicken, beef, or cured pork), seafood (shrimp or lobster), vegetables (carrots, broccoli, bean sprouts, celery, peas, corn), mushrooms, spices and peppers, and soy sauce or sometimes oyster sauce. The base of vegetable fried rice does not contain any meat or seafood; others are named for the primary addition (e.g., "chicken fried rice" or "shrimp fried rice"). Other "house" versions may contain several meats and seafoods. It is often stir-fried in a wok with vegetable oil or animal fat to prevent sticking, as well as for flavor. Onions, scallion and garlic are often added for extra flavor. It is popularly eaten either as an accompaniment to another dish, or as a course by itself. Popular garnishes include fried shallots, sprigs of parsley or coriander leaves, carrots carved into intricate shapes or sliced chili sprinkled on top of the heaped rice.

Many food stands found on the streets across Southeast Asia serve fried rice with a selection of garnishes and side dishes that the customer can choose to add.

Common varieties

• Hokkien or Fujian fried rice: This variation of Chinese fried rice is from the Fujian region of China; it has a thick sauce poured and mixed over it. The sauce can include mushrooms, meat, vegetables, etc.
• Bai cha: A Khmer variation of fried rice, it includes diced Chinese sausage, garlic, soy sauce, and herbs usually eaten with pork.
• Canton (or Mui Fan): A Cantonese dish of fried rice, typically dry
• Cha-Han (チャーハン) or Yakimeshi (焼き飯): This Chinese fried rice is suited to Japanese tastes, sometimes adding katsuobushi' for flavor.　
• Yeung chow (or Yangzhou) fried rice: This dish consisting of generous portions of shrimp and scrambled egg, along with barbecued pork. This is the most popular fried rice served in Chinese restaurants, commonly referred to simply as "special fried rice" or "house fried rice".
• Yuan yang fried rice: Topped with two different types of sauce, it typically has a savory white sauce on one half, and a red tomato-based sauce on the other half. Elaborated versions use the sauce to make a taichi ("yin-yang") symbol.
• Burmese fried rice (ထမင်း‌ကြော်, htamin gyaw) normally uses Burmese fragrant rice which is short grain (rounder and shorter). A popular variety is a very plain version consisting of rice, boiled peas, onions, garlic and dark soy sauce. An accompanying condiment would be ngapi kyaw (fried fish paste with shredded flakes) and fresh cucumber strips mixed with chopped onions, green chili and vinegar.
• Thai fried rice (ข้าวผัด, khao pad or khao phad): The flavor of this version is radically different from that of common fried rice, mostly due to the use of jasmine rice, and it has various additions not found in Chinese versions. It is usually served with sliced cucumber and prik nam pla, a spicy sauce made of Thai chili, fish sauce and chopped garlic.
• American fried rice (ข้าวผัดอเมริกัน, Khao pad Amerigan): This style of fried rice is actually a Thai invention using hot dogs, fried chicken, eggs as side dishes or mixed into rice fried with ketchup. Apparently, this was served to GIs during the Vietnam war, , but now has become very popular and commonplace all throughout Thailand. The Malaysian counterpart, substituting pork with chicken, is called nasi goreng USA.
• Nasi goreng: An Indonesian and Malay version of fried rice, the main difference compared to fried rice is it is cooked with sweet soy sauce (kecap manis). It is often accompanied by additional items such as a fried egg, fried chicken, satay, and condiments such as sambal, acar, and krupuk. It is served in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and most of the neighboring countries, and is popular in the Netherlands.
• Chaufa: A popular version of fried rice in Peru, it was brought to Peru by Asian immigrants; it combines the traditional Chinese recipe with a distinct touch of South American flavor. Chaulafan is the version in Ecuador; it was also brought by Asian immigrants and served for Westerners in small Chinese restaurants, chifas, which serve cheap Chinese food. This dish is characterized by using a kind of soy sauce made mostly of burnt sugar. Ingredients are usually grilled pork, beef, chicken, or shrimp.
• Kimchi bokkeumbap or kimchi fried rice (김치볶음밥): A popular variety of fried rice, it is prepared with Korean pickled cabbage (kimchi) and a variable list of other ingredients. A wide range of fried rice dishes are frequently prepared in Korean cuisine, often with whichever ingredients are handy.
• Sinangag or garlic fried rice: A Filipino version, rice is added to stir-fried garlic and then seasoned with salt and pepper. It is a common, everyday breakfast dish. Vegetables, meats, and other ingredients may be added but it is generally left bare, with just the garlic, pepper, and salt to flavor it, because any other additional ingredients' flavors may interfere with the flavor of the viand eaten with the fried rice. Sinangag is mostly paired with "drier" viands, and very rarely with soupier ones. It is often associated with breakfast meals as the rice used for making sinangag is normally leftover rice (recycled from the previous evening), with the texture of the rice having set to a firmer consistency, freshly-cooked rice not being ideal for making fried rice as it results in a soggy texture. Sinangag is a constant component of the breakfast staple tapsilog, and its derivatives.
• Curry fried rice: standard fried rice mixed with curry powder for a spicier flavor\
• Sambal fried rice: Found in Singapore, this is a variation of fried rice made with sambal, a condiment based on chilis and belachan, derived from Indonesian and Malay influences.
• Hawaiian fried rice: A common style of fried rice in Hawaii, it usually contains egg, green onions, peas, cubed carrots, and either Portuguese sausage or Spam or both, sometimes available with kimchi added. Normally, it is cooked in sesame oil.
• Arroz Frito (Cuban fried rice): Very similar to "special fried rice", this version can be found alongside typical criollo dishes in many Cuban restaurants. This dish features ham, grilled pork, shrimp, chicken, and eggs, along with a variety of vegetables. Some restaurants add lechón (Cuban-style suckling pig), lobster tails, and/or crab. Chinese Cubans are responsible for the dish's introduction.
• Omelet rice: also known as omurice in Japanese or nasi pattaya in Malay, it is fried rice wrapped inside the egg omelet. The fried rice is generally mixed with a variety of vegetables and meat. Ketchup is added.

See also

• Biryani
• Pilaf
• Paella
• Arroz a la valenciana
• Arroz con pollo
• Arròs negre
• Jambalaya

External links

• Chinese Fried Rice Recipe
• BBC Food recipe