Deluxe Fried Rice- Help make mine a reality!

[Mylegsbig]

Hey gang, just made my first fried rice, very plain, but came out decent.

I want to make some AWESOME combination fried rice, very elite stuff. Here is what i have so far on what i want to put in it.

Day old steamed white rice
Soy Sauce
1 Egg
Green Onions(or shallots? not sure)
Large Shrimp
Chicken Breast
Filet Mignon(have a bunch in the freezer)
Salt+Pepper
Butter
Mushrooms
Some Type of Chili (Which chilis would go best with this type of cuisine? Maybe thai chilies?)

Okay first of all, I am going to clean+cut the shrimp, and i am going to cut all the meats into similar bite sized pieces. Is this okay?

Okay so i will throw in a tablespoon or so of butter, throw in the rice... should i throw in the uncooked meats at the same time?

Also, which meats should i throw in first? I have never cooked shrimp before... so don't know what to do with it....

Also, towards the end, when everything is cooked up, i am going to move all the rice meat + veggies to one side of the large skillet, and then crack the egg in it, and throw some more butter on the egg, and fluff it for a bit. then chop it finely and mix it alllll back together, and add in some good soysauce(to taste)

I just need some sort of sequence guys as im clueless!

Should i heat up the green onions & mushrooms before i throw in the meats? What order should i do everything?

Thanks in advance!!!!!!!

 

[Yakuta]

Here is how I make mine. I don't consider it Authentic but it tastes pretty good.


Meat - Shrimp, beef, chicken (cut up into a small dice or thin strips)
Eggs - 2 I like to make a omelet with them. I then finely shred the omelet and reserve it
3 large cloves of garlic finely minced
Veggies - I use red bell pepper, green bell pepper, matchstick carrots, bean sprouts and baby corn (I normally cut them if they are large) and green onions (a bunch finely chopped)
Soy sauce, sambal olek (a chilli paste in vinegar) and a touch of brown sugar (about 2 tsps)
Oil about 4 tbsp
Precooked and cooled rice ( I don't like overly sticky rice so I use basmati but you can use whatever you have, just ensure it's cooked the night before and spread it on a baking dish and keep it cool in the refrigerator) so it's dry.

In a large saute pan or wok, add oil. When it's hot, add the beef first and cook it rapidly until it's no longer pink. Next add the garlic and veggies (everything except the sprouts and green onions). Let it all cook on high for a few minutes. Next add the shrimp, sauces, egg and rice and cook on high for another few minutes until the shrimp is pink and the rice and sauces are all well incorporated. Finally add the bean sprouts and green onions.

Serve immediately with a nice bowl of soup. I love to make a corn and coconut soup with it. Again not authentic but great nonetheless. If you want the soup recipe let me know and I will jott it down.

 

[foodaholic]

Hey gang, just made my first fried rice, very plain, but came out decent.

I want to make some AWESOME combination fried rice, very elite stuff. Here is what i have so far on what i want to put in it.

Day old steamed white rice
Soy Sauce
1 Egg
Green Onions(or shallots? not sure)
Large Shrimp
Chicken Breast
Filet Mignon(have a bunch in the freezer)
Salt+Pepper
Butter
Mushrooms
Some Type of Chili (Which chilis would go best with this type of cuisine? Maybe thai chilies?)

Okay first of all, I am going to clean+cut the shrimp, and i am going to cut all the meats into similar bite sized pieces. Is this okay?

Okay so i will throw in a tablespoon or so of butter, throw in the rice... should i throw in the uncooked meats at the same time?

Also, which meats should i throw in first? I have never cooked shrimp before... so don't know what to do with it....

Also, towards the end, when everything is cooked up, i am going to move all the rice meat + veggies to one side of the large skillet, and then crack the egg in it, and throw some more butter on the egg, and fluff it for a bit. then chop it finely and mix it alllll back together, and add in some good soysauce(to taste)

I just need some sort of sequence guys as im clueless!

Should i heat up the green onions & mushrooms before i throw in the meats? What order should i do everything?

Thanks in advance!!!!!!!

I don't know how to say this without sounding like I'm preaching,but save the fillet mignon for another meal.And
a deluxe fried rice would be something that actually tastes like authentic chinese fried rice,not neccessarily alot of
different expensive ingredients.

What's important to me is that the wok hee is evident from the cooked ingredients before the rice and egg is added,and that the ingredients are cooked in oil that has been flavoured with the spices that will be used in the dish.In your example is thai chilies.Personally I would always be using ginger and in most cases garlic as well.

For your example I would make an omelette with half of the spring onions included in a little oil and set aside.I also like the technique of allowing the egg to cook from the rice and
swirl the mixed egg right into the hot rice and fold to combine....anyway.

For each of your proteins cook in a little oil and set aside.
Do the same with your veg.
You will need some liquid other than the soy because the
taste of a good fried rice is neither too dry or too wet.
Chicken stock is probably the best for your dish but you can use anything from veg stock,beef stock even water if you want.

To assemble add some oil and add back the protein and veg
and get hot add the soy and stock,add the rice and egg and adjust your seasonings.

Caution: don't keep adding ingredients to your wok or pan,
remove them individually when they've been cooked properly with the correct heat,otherwise all the truffles and foie gras will not help a deluxe rice if you know what I mean.

 

[Mylegsbig]

Nice replies.... Okay so it is safe if i cook the meats separately and set aside. Nice. This makes it much easier.

is Peanut Oil good to use? I don't like Ginger, but i will definitely use Garlic. When should i add the garlic?

So is it pretty much universal that i add the green onions @ the end?

When should i add the shrooms? Should i just cook them up first and set them aside like how i'm cooking the meat?

HIGH sounds a little hot. How about Medium High?

 

[Mylegsbig]

As for the "Expensive Ingredient" comment....


Well.. i doubt filet mignon could HURT the dish...

Only reason i'm usin it is i got like 15 6oz filet mignons in my freezer.....

 

[htc]

Hi, If you want to go for something that is close to authentic, I wouldn't put all those different types of meat in. Most traditional Asian dishes don't have loads of meat (unless your talking celebration food--i.e. wedding). Green onions are great. Add diced onion as well, and shallots if you want.

I'd 86 the butter & mushrooms (unless it's dried shitaake, even that's a stretch tho), just my personal preference, I don't think it belongs in fried rice. If you're looking to make a Chinese fried rice, keep the chilies out of the cooking process (unless it's chili oil).

As for using your nice beef, try saving that for a Vietnamese dish, it translates to "Shaky beef" funny name, but I LOVE this dish. It's stir fried beef/onions/garlic on a bed of nice red leaf lettuce and sliced tomato.

Keep in mind I tend to prefer Asian dishes as I had them as a kid, not big on certain "fusion" foods. If you like it though, by all means, toss it all in. Hope it turns out well.

As for the heat question. Yes you should have it at high. If it's not at high, it's not a stir fry.

 

[foodaholic]

Yeah,cook the ingredients seperately,then add back together
just before you add the liquid,rice and egg.This is not neccessarily the proper way but if your new to wok cooking this will help preserve the individual flavours of the dish.Most
people overload the wok and everything starts steam cooking and becomes a homogenious mess.

High heat is neccessary in wok cooking to get the scent of the wok or "wok hee" which can be described as a smokey
flavour.But if you don't have a wok then just ignore that part.

Regarding the fillet mignon,trust me it's wasted in fried rice.
Try finding a recipe for Monglian Beef or Beef with Broccoli
maybe a Thai Beef Salad that kind of thing your quests will thank you.

Hopefully the mushrooms are suited to chinese cuisine like
straw mushroom,wood ear,agaricus,enoki that kind of thing.

I know myself and htc seem a little annal but if you start using ingredients that are not suited you end up with a red headed stepchild and your no further to creating authentic ethnically correct chinese cuisine,which is not a bad thing it's just not chinese food.

 

[Mylegsbig]

I'm not very hung up on authenticity. The dish i'm trying to emulate is from a Vietnamese/Chinese/Thai restaurant. Hardly clinging to any traditional recipe. As for the mushrooms, ****. Tough one. Not sure which mushrooms it used.

The filet mignon is just one part of the dish. The way i see it, no matter what dish you are cooking, Filet Mignon will always taste better than round steak.

 

[Mylegsbig]

Still picked up a TON of info on this thread, and i can't thank you enough for spending your time to help me out - But as for keeping the authenticity - This is not my idea of a traditional Chinese dish. As i've said, the dish i'm trying to emulate comes from a smorgasbord of Asian Cuisine.

 

[htc]

Thai, Chinese & Vietnamese fried rice are very different in flavor. I can only speak to making Chinese/Vietnamese. Maybe someone else will come along and help with the Thai part.

 

[foodaholic]

Just having a good time cooking is good enough for me.

 

[Mylegsbig]

HTC, friend, i am not a novice. I can wing alot of it.

My main concern was that if i cook all of the meats & veggies separately, and set them aside, then add at the end once the rice & egg is cooked, if it would dilute the flavor.

What are some good mushrooms that would go along with my recipe?

What are some good Hot Peppers that would go along with my recipe?

 

[Bangbang]

Skip the beef and chicken and add sliced imitation crab and a bit of hot pepper flakes or Thai Chili Sauce. You can also add a tablespoon of fish sauce if you like it. It is great in fried rice. Ilike to put some pineapple chunks in mine.

 

[htc]

If that dilution is a concern, just fry the rice w/ your sauces first, take them out and then fry all your meat and veggies and add your rice in again. There are two different ways to do the egg, cook it separate, like scrambled eggs then add, or add to your rice and stir fry all at once. I like the latter myself. That's how most Chinese places do it.

I honestly don't know about the chilies, since I don't use that myself, I would just suggest trying chili oil. Those can be pretty hot. If you're looking for really hot, only use chili oil to stir fry, then you wont need any chilies.

As for the mushrooms, that's so hard to say. It really depends on what you like, since we're tossing old school out the door. I personally like wood ear, this is because it's kinda crunchy and has a nice texture. If you're hesitant to try something new, just put what you feel comfortable with. Let us know how it turns out! If you got a camera, take pics! I love looking at food pictures!

 

[KAYLINDA]

If you want to get rid of the filets you can send them to me!

 

[Mylegsbig]

ttt for any more responses ^^

 

[jennyema]

Big,

I second sesame chili oil, but you can find both fresh and dry hot peppers (bird chilis and the like) at most asian markets.

Mushrooms -- black or shitake mushrooms, tree ear/wood ear would be my choice. Also at asian markets.

It's pretty common technique to cook the meats first and then add back at the end.

 

[Mylegsbig]

what are those peppers called that are generally used in General Tsao's chicken? Those are DELICIOUS.

Also i see them used in Orange Chicken.

 

[jennyema]

what are those peppers called that are generally used in General Tsao's chicken? Those are DELICIOUS.

Also i see them used in Orange Chicken.

Yes. Small dried red peppers. They are usually arbol peppers which look like this

But you could use thai bird peppers, which you usually find fresh.

 

[Home chef]

Definitely use sesame oil. Also, a T of oyster sauce is highly recommended. It gives a nice rich salty flavor. Go easy on it though.

Another spice I have used in seafood fried rice is saffron. It's expensive and hard to come by sometimes but it adds a very unique flavor.