This is a simple, traditional Chinese Fried Rice recipe by Kylie Kwong, Australia's most well known Chinese Chef. The key to an authentic tasting fried rice like you get at proper Chinese restaurants is the Sauce, using day old or cold fresh cooked rice and ensuring you don't overcrowd the wok, causing the rice to stew instead of stir fry! Feel free to add more vegetables (not too much otherwise the sauce will thin out) or substitute the prawns with other proteins.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Dinner, Side
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Servings: 3- 5
Calories: 522cal
Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Ingredients
3tbsppeanut oil(or vegetable), separated
2eggs, lightly beaten
3/4cupbacon, excess fat trimmed, chopped (or 1/2 cup Chinese Sausage) (Note 1)
2garlic cloves, minced
3tspginger, minced or very finely chopped
1/2onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup) (brown, white or yellow)
1tbspChinese cooking wine or dry sherry(or sake, Japanese cooking wine) (Note 2)
1/2tspsugar
5 oz/150g small shrimp/prawns, cooked and peeled (Note 3)
3cupscooked long grain white rice, refrigerated overnight (Note 4)
3scallions, thinly sliced
Sauce
1tbspOyster Sauce
1 1/2tbspsoy sauce(all purpose or light) (Note 3)
1/2tspsesame oil(roasted - i.e. dark colour)
Instructions
Mix together Sauce ingredients, set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok (or heavy based skillet/fry pan) over medium heat. Add eggs and cook until scrambled, then remove onto plate.
Increase heat to high and add bacon. Cook until golden, then remove onto plate with egg - about 2 minutes.
Drain off excess bacon fat.
Add remaining 2 tbsp oil, garlic and ginger. (Note 5) Return wok to stove on high heat. Stir fry as it comes up to heat, don’t let it burn. When garlic starts to sizzle, add onion and stir fry for 2 minutes until golden.
Add Chinese wine and sugar and let it simmer rapidly, stirring, for 20 seconds, until mostly evaporated.
Add prawns/shrimp and stir fry for 1 minute to heat through (if pre-cooked, cook longer to cook if raw).
Add rice, Sauce, eggs, bacon and all but 2 tbsp of shallots/scallions. Stir fry for 2 minutes until rice is hot - around 2 minutes.
Transfer to serving plate, sprinkle with remaining scallions and serve.
Notes
1. The original recipe uses Chinese Sausage, but Kylie recommends bacon as a substitute and that's what I usually use, though Chinese Sausage is available in vacuum sealed packets in Asian section of large supermarkets. The flavour it adds to the fried rice is very similar.2. The Chinese cooking wine is key to this recipe. You can substitute with dry sherry for Japanese cooking sake. If you can't consume alcohol, as a last resort, substitute with chicken broth/chicken stock.3. Ordinarily whenever I cook shrimp/prawns, I use fresh raw ones I peel myself. This is one of the rare occasions when I buy already cooked and peeled prawns - because the best ones to use are small prawns and they are a PAIN to peel myself! Cooked prawns, at least in Australia, from good fish mongers are really great quality because they are often cooked on the fishing boat the minute they are caught. Now THAT's fresh cooking!4. Please ensure you use day old or at least refrigerator cold freshly cooked rice - this is key! If making this with freshly cooked rice, spread it out on a baking tray then refrigerate until cold.Long grain rice is the authentic rice to use for fried rice. Medium grain will be ok but will be a bit stickier. Short grain rice, risotto, basmati or jasmine rice are not suitable. Brown rice will be ok but will have a nutty flavour from the rice.3 cups may not sound like a lot of rice but once you stir fry it, it fluffs up and makes lots more than you expect!5. You can use light soy sauce or all purpose soy sauce. Dark soy sauce is not suitable for this recipe.6. This Chinese Fried Rice recipe is based on this recipe by Kylie Kwong, Australia's most well known Chinese Chef. Here are the amendments I made:i) Scaled the recipe down - her idea of a "large wok" is much larger than mine (about 30cm/1 foot diameter); ii) Her original recipe uses Chinese Sausage and she recommends bacon as a substitute and that's what I usually use, though Chinese Sausage is available in vacuum sealed packets in Asian section of large supermarkets. ii) I added prawns.7. This makes enough for 3 as a main or 5 as a side as part of a multi-course meal.8. Nutrition per serving, assuming 3 servings as a main. Assuming 5 servings as a side: 313 calories.