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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Fried Rice Yang/Yeung Chow/Duong Chau-Style

So now that I've shown you how to make Char Siu/Xa Xiu (Chinese Barbecued Pork), I'll get to a few recipes. One of my favorites is Yang Chow/Yang Zhou/Yeung Chow fried rice, a staple in most Chinese restaurants. In Vietnamese, it's known as com chien Duong Chau. OK, I'll give you a minute here to "ooh" and "ahh" at how pretty my fried rice turned out. ;)


Yang Chow Fried Rice 1


According to Wikipedia, Yang Chow fried rice was actually not created in Yang Zhou, although they have tried to claim it. And why wouldn't they when this is the most popular version of fried rice served in Chinese restaurants? Yang Chow fried rice was invented by Qing dynasty magistrate Yi Bingshou (1754-1815), who once presided over the region.

The main ingredients to make fried rice Yang Chow-style are char siu, shrimp, eggs, and something green, typically gai lan (Chinese broccoli). Gai lan is a member of the broccoli and kale family. It tastes a bit sweeter than broccoli but also has a slightly bitter aftertaste. You'll typically see gai lan at dim sum restaurants served steamed with oyster sauce.


Yang Chow Fried Rice 2


For this recipe, I'm only using the ends so if you can't find gai lan where you are, you can substitute with asparagus or green beans.

And since I haven't made fried rice in a while, I thought I'd give a refresher on some of my techniques (which doesn't consist of much). I like to make my eggs first and then set them aside to be added at the end. This way the raw egg doesn't make the rice soggy, and any added soy or oyster sauce doesn't make the eggs soggy. Remember to use day-old or leftover rice to keep the fried rice from being soggy. If you don't have any on hand, then cook fresh rice but decrease the amount of water by about half a cup.


Yang Chow Fried Rice 3


Fried Rice Yang Chow-Style

You'll need:
2 cups day-old rice, or cook a batch of fresh rice and decrease the water by about half a cup
About 1 cup char siu (Chinese barbecued pork), diced
About a dozen shrimp or more, peeled and deveined
About 1 cup gai lan ends, sliced (or substitute with asparagus or green beans)
3 eggs, scrambled or use my scrambled egg omelet technique
Soy sauce or oyster sauce to taste

Turn the heat on to high because everything will cook very quickly in the wok. Drizzle a bit of oil, scramble three eggs and set aside. Then add a little more oil again and saute the char siu and shrimp until the shrimp turns pink.


Yang Chow Fried Rice 4


Add the rice and gai lan and mix thoroughly until the vegetable is tender crisp. At this point, you can add soy or oyster sauces if you wish. I think the char siu already has plenty of flavor so I generally don't add any sauces to this particular fried rice recipe. You can also add any additional char siu marinade juices for flavor instead of soy sauce if you wish.


Yang Chow Fried Rice 5


Then add the eggs back in and mix again.


Yang Chow Fried Rice 6


And you've now got a very pretty batch of Yang Chow fried rice. Red from the meat, pink from the shrimp, yellow from the eggs, and green from the gai lan. I think it's because of the colors that makes Yang Chow fried rice a favorite at Chinese restaurants.


Yang Chow Fried Rice 7


Enjoy!

My other Char Siu/Xa Xiu (Chinese Barbecued Pork) recipes:
Banh Mi Xa Xiu (Vietnamese Barbecued Pork Sandwich)

My other fried rice recipes:
Com Chien Toi Trung (Vietnamese Garlic Fried Rice with Eggs)
Fried Rice with Apples and Cubed Beef
Fried Rice with Bacon, Corn, Eggs, and Green Onions
Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage, Eggs, and Lettuce
Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage, Mixed Frozen Vegetables, and Eggs
Fried Rice with Hot Dogs, Eggs, and Ketchup
Fried Rice with Kimchee and Spam
Fried Rice with Pineapples
Fried Rice with Pork, Corn, and a Ladle of Ramen Broth

I'm submitting this recipe to Weekend Herb Blogging, a world-wide food blogging event created by Kalyn's Kitchen celebrating herbs, vegetables, or flowers. If you'd like to participate, see who's hosting this week. WHB is hosted this week by Lia of Swirling Notions.



*****
1 year ago today, I welcomed the Year of the Pig with a Feta and Cheddar Cheese Fondue dinner.

16 comments:

  1. ooo.. i love the way the rice grain separates in your fried rice.

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  2. You can use the ends of the broccoli too! Just that these stems might be wider than those of Gailan so can consider chopping them up to smaller bits and as an alternative to gailan stems! :D

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  3. this is my sis favorite!! thanks for sharing your recipe..i would love to cook for her next week!!that will really make her happy..i never tried cooking fried rice im afraid it will turn out sticky or something..i'll follow your recipe to the letter hehehe

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  4. I knew there was a reason I should have stopped at the Asian market this weekend!!! I have a little of the xa xiu left over and this recipe would be PERFECT :-)

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  5. Yummy, I love yang chow fried rice. The Chinese place by my house makes it with lettuce which is different than your recipe, but it's not bad. Dammit.. now I wanna go home and make some more fried rice heh.

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  6. That is a bowl of pretty fried yang chow rice!

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  7. I wish restaurants in Arbor Arbor would make fried rice like this. I love gai lan and it's so nice combined with char siu pork. I'll try to make my fried rice like this now.

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  8. Can't wait to make this! Can't wait to make the char siu too!

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  9. I think we've been reading each other's minds lately. First the chicken bones and now fried rice! Ok, so i didn't make fried rice, but tonight my sister called me to show her how to make fried rice!

    Hm, we've got some lap xuong...I guess I know what I'm making this week! =D

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  10. Daphne,
    That's b/c it's day-old rice. :)

    Tigerfishy,
    Yes, of course. I should have said that, especially when gai lan is part of the broccoli family. :P

    MCR,
    I have, it's on my sidebar. But since I was tagged twice today, I think that means I have to do 6-10 after all. ;)

    Dhanggit,
    Just use old rice that's slightly dry and it won't stick together. I can't believe you've never made fried rice before!

    Nikki,
    Didn't I tell you I was gonna do a fried rice recipe for that xa xiu? ;)

    Jaded,
    Lettuce? I'm not sure about lettuce in fried rice...

    EMWK,
    Thanks!

    Christine,
    All the Chinese restaurants around here make it like this. :P OK, you're the second person to tag me today so I guess I can't avoid this one.

    Swirling Notions,
    I hope you like both recipes!

    Christine D.,
    Did you direct your sister to my blog so she could do it? ;)

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  11. Ooh la la, I love Yang Chow fried rice. Can't get enough of it!

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  12. I didn't get to this post before I gave her some tips yesterday, but today I gave her more recipes and I linked her to your blog! =D

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  13. Yes, your rice is indeed gorgeous! I haven't made fried rice for a while, but I agree completely with your method of cooking the egg separately and adding at the very end! Saving this recipe so I can make some fried rice soon.

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  14. MCR,
    That was an interesting post.

    Scientist,
    There's a reason why it's the most popular fried rice recipe.

    Christine,
    Hehe. Just checking. ;)

    Kalyn,
    I hope you like it.

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  15. Looks great, I love using asparagus in my stir fry, goes so well with the egg and ginger. Nice pics too :)

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  16. Chef Erik,
    Thanks. You just reminded me, I haven't cooked with asparagus in a while.

    ReplyDelete

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