Fried Rice Yang Chow-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. ;)

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.


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.


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.


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.


Then add the eggs back in and mix again.


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.


Enjoy!

My other char siu/xa xiu (Chinese barbecued pork) recipes:
Banh mi xa xiu (Vietnamese barbecued pork sandwich)

My other fried rice recipes:
Fried Rice with Bacon, Corn, Eggs, and Green Onions
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.


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1 year ago today, I welcomed the Year of the Pig with a feta and cheddar cheese fondue dinner.