Fried Rice

[Claire]

Since a couple of people seem to enjoy it, I must talk about fried rice. The recipe is simple; Ming did it on TV today, but fancy. Basically you take leftover rice, and add every other leftover in the fridge and a couple of eggs, fry and you have dinner.

I'm a military brat, and one thing my dad did NOT like when I was growing up (and to this day) is rice. So when dad had CQ duty or a TDY trip, Mom would make food he didn't like, and rice was one. So it was one of the earliest foods I learned to make.

One morning I woke up in Hawaii and looked around to get breakfast ready. There was easely 20 people who might show up, and less than a dozen eggs and maybe a half pound of bacon. All I could think of was Fried Rice. The local woman looked at me and laughed, and went home to get her leftover rice (every home in Hawaii has a rice cooker, and most have leftover rice every morning). I proceeded to go through the fridge of this vacation hut we'd all shared, and started two or three skillets on the stove, and made fried rice for breakfast.

You won't believe the points I got!!! #1 is that the locals thought I was great because I thought fried rice was a breakfast food. #2 was that a woman who was known to dislike "haoles" not only thought i was great for thinking of it, but that I'd done it right except for a couple of minor things. But mostly the satisfaction came from those kids (yes, the ones who danced Christmas Eve in the Tourtiere stories) thought that I was really something great; albeit being a haole, I could not only make a great fried rice, I also knew it was a wonderful breakfast food.

 

[Alix]

Cool story Claire. Do you do the eggs and stuff first and then throw in the rice? And is soy sauce a nono...I hear that it is.

 

[Claire]

I sometimes use soy sauce (did that time, that's what was there), but the local girl told me I should have used oyster sauce instead. In fact, I use what I have, which is to me what fried rice is about. Fermented bean paste, asian hot pepper sauces, soy sauce, tamari, oyster sauce, plum sauce -- a little of whatever is there. Fried rice is really about leftovers. Dressing your rice at the table with soy sauce is what is considered a no-no, but I do that, too, when I'm at home or in a big noisy Asian restaurant. When I'm at an Asian friend's home I follow whatever everyone else does (as I do with every cuisine).

I put the eggs in last, but watching Ming this weekend I think I'd like his method better, that is scrambling the eggs lightly and set aside, then break up and add at the end. When you put the raw eggs into the mixture at the end, they tend to clump up with the rice.

The one trick Angie taught me (the Hawaiian friend) was to put the leftover rice in a big bowl, pour in some vegetable oil, and toss before frying. Whenever I'm making rice for anything, I make too much on purpose so I can make fried rice later.

Mom learned fried rice from Japanese war bride girlfriends she had over the years. Both of the women I actually remember put catsup in it!! In our house it is a staple I make at least once a month.

 

[Alix]

That tip about tossing with oil before frying is a good one. I will try that out. Oyster sauce sounds good. I have a ton of that. Both fish sauce and bean paste make me gag a bit so I will just stick with the oyster sauce. Thanks for the tips Claire, I will make this after I make some rice!

 

[Psiguyy]

Yes, you probably endeared yourself to that local lady. The one thing Hawaii locals like to see is new comers (malihini) who go to Hawaii with an open mind and are willing to try doing things the way the locals do. To not even meet a person half way is a big no no in Hawaii.

Toss the cold rice with some of the soy sauce and oyster sauce prior to frying. Helps break up and keep the grains separate.

I like to make a hole in the middle of the fried rice and scramble the egg, then mix it with the rice while it's still half cooked. I like moist fried rice and the egg adds a lot of moisture.

I also love to add a lot of garlic to it. Either sprinkle on dry granulated garlic or fry up several chopped cloves an instant before you put the rice in to fry.

Isn't it funny how fried rice seems to feed two or three times the people the plain rice would?

 

[Alix]

Psiguyy, another wonderful tip! Thanks. I am making chili tonight but am planning something with rice for tomorrows dinner, that way I can make this on Wed. All this talk about how to prepare it is making me want it BADLY! How pathetic am I that I am planning my families dinners around what I want for leftovers. LOL!

 

[Claire]

In Hawaii, you'd put that chili on top of a big bowl of rice!!!

 

[Psiguyy]

In Hawaii, you'd put that chili on top of a big bowl of rice!!!

AND IT HAS BEANS IN IT!!!! YEAH!!!

 

[Audeo]

 

[Psiguyy]

Well, in Hawaii, nobody cares about flatulence because the trade winds will blow it away in an instant.

 

[PrincessinAK]

Have you tried Hot & sour soup with fried rice? We love using oversized spoons filling them with the rice then dunking it in the soup. It's such a simple and satisfying meal!

 

[Claire]

Sounds good to me. I make a sort of hot & sour soup quite often, so will remember to try it. As a matter of fact, you've bumped this thread up and reminded me that I haven't fried any rice in ages ....

 

[Zereh]

I'd love a reliable, TNT, Hot & Sour soup recipe ... the couple I've tried haven't been what I'm looking for. =)


Z