Mom's Fried Rice

When I was growing up, I would always get excited when my mom made fried rice. Not only was it delicious, but I would usually be at her side and she would let me (or politely insist that I) chop up the ingredients before cooking them up in the wok. Sometimes, she would even let me stir the rice right before it was done. I don't think that actually contributed much, but it made me feel important nonetheless.

Fried rice is a really easy dish to make, so it surprises me that so many Chinese restaurants manage to screw it up (either too salty, too greasy, too wet, etc.). This recipe is very flexible because you can put any ingredients you want into it. Don't be discouraged if you get it wrong the first time because making fried rice is highly a trial-and-error process in getting the proportions right. I am going to start off with a simple recipe and you can modify the ingredients as it suits you.

Ingredients (makes 2-3 Victor servings or 4-5 normal person servings):

-1.5-2 cups day-old refrigerated cooked jasmine rice
-3 stalks scallions (green onions) chopped
-half of a small onion diced
-about 1 cup of diced meat (I used Chinese sausage and Chinese bacon, but deli meat is fine)
-2 eggs beaten and lightly salted
-small can of veggies (peas, carrots, etc.)
-few tablespoons of low sodium light soy sauce
-dark soy sauce (optional)
-few tablespoons of oyster sauce
-vegetable oil
-few tsp salt
-salt

Note: I am pur po sely vague on the exact amount of each condiment because each person has their own preference. As you are cooking, you can always sample the rice and add more of something to your taste.

1. Heat up the wok to medium heat and add a layer of vegetable oil. Scramble the eggs in the wok and return cooked eggs to the same bowl they were beaten in. Break them into small chunks.

2. Turn up the heat an eighth of the way higher and add another layer of oil. Add chopped meat and onions to the wok and stir fry until they are slightly browned and oozing flavors and aromas. If the meat is raw to begin with, c ook until the meat is fully done. Return meat and onions back to bowl. If any char is left in the pan, use a wet paper towel to remove as much as you can.

3. Add another layer of oil to the pan (more here than in the first two steps). Drop in scallions followed by rice and stir fry while breaking up the clumps of rice. After stir frying for a few minutes add a tablespoon or two of soy sauce, a few teaspoons of oyster sauce, salt, and sugar over the rice and continue stir frying for another few minutes.

4. Add the cooked scrambled eggs, meat, and can of veggies to the wok and stir fry for another few minutes and it is ready to plate. If the color of the rice is not dark or salty enough, add more soy sauce or oyster sauce until it tastes suitable. If you like crispy rice at the bottom of the wok, leave the rice alone in the wok for some time before taking it out to plate.

See, that was pretty simple right? As you can see in the pictures (sort of), I used a carbon steel wok, but any large pan that you can use to stir fry is fine. I used to use a stainless steel wok, but a carbon steel wok gives Chinese cooking a MUCH better flavor so I won't ever go back. The only disadvantage is that you have to season the wok periodically and care for it in a very particular way. Happy eating y'all.