fried rice

[ccooney]

Just wondering if anyone out there has a good recipe for fried rice. I've tried a couple, but all the ones I've tried don't taste anything like what you get at a Chinese restaurant. Is it a boat-load of oil that makes it taste the way it does, or is there some special ingredient that I'm missing? The recipes I've tried just call for cooked rice, veggies, meat or fish of some sort, a little bit of oil for the pan, and soy sauce. I'd be interested to try others if any of you out there have them.
Any ideas?
TIA,
Connie

[bobmark226]

My first question is: are you using peanut oil? Peanut oil has a very distinctive flavor.

BOB

[Gracie]

Connie, I really like the Shrimp Fried Rice in WW TOT. If it hasn't been posted on one of the TOT threads, I'll type it out for you.

I've made it without shrimp, and with pork instead of shrimp.

Loren

[Valerie226]

I always put garlic and minced fresh ginger in my fried rice. the rice needs to be cooked beforehand so it's cold.

[Gracie]

Connie - I found where I posted it. Here you are.

Shrimp Fried Rice

4 tsp. canola oil
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
6 scallions, chopped
1 T. grated peeled fresh ginger
1 C. frozen peas and carrots, thawed
4 C. cooked white rice
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. salt (I did not use salt at all because the first time I made this I used it and thought it was salty)

1. Heat a nonstick wok or large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Swirl in 1 tsp of oil, then add shrimp. Stir-fry until golden and just opaque in the center, 4- 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Swirl 1 tsp. oil into the wok. Add the eggs and cook, stirring until scrambled, about 2 mintues. Transfer to the bowl with the shrimp.

3. Swirl the remaining 2 tsp. oil into the wok. Add the scallions and ginger. Stir-fry until softened, 1- 2 minutes. Add the peas and carrots, shrimp and scrambled egg, stir-fry about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir-fy until heated through, 2 -3 minutes. Stir in the soy and hoisin sauces. Stir-fry until well combined, about 2 minutes.

Points per serving (1 cup) 6

Loren

[shihtzux2]

I couldn't find a recipe I liked until I started adding a couple tablespoons of oyster sauce, a couple drops of sesame oil, soy sauce and hoisin sauce.

[DocAgocs]

I don't know if it affects the taste or not, but starting with cold rice is a key part of it that never really gets the credit it should. Having the rice in the fridge overnight is best. Fried rice is essentially a "what to do with all these leftovers" dish, so use rice that is completely cooled down.

[greysangel]

I always do my own depending on the veg I have. I agree with the cold thing. Actually, the best is when we have leftover plain brown rice from the chinese take out place :D I toss it in the fridge and then make fried rice a day or two later. Another tip is to really heat the wok with oil and not to add too much liquid before frying the rice. If the pan is not hot enough, the veggies will add liquid to the pan (also make sure the veggies are dry before you add them.

So here's my method :D

1. Heat oil (sesame or peanut)
2. Add veggies
3. Add garlic, scallions and ginger (adding this first tends to brown/burn the garlic too quickly)
4. Add cold rice
5. Add liquids (I like soy, hoisin and chili paste ooh rah!)
6. Egg beaters

:D

If you are adding meat, you can do that before adding the rice.

J

[kermit]

I think the trick to getting that "chinese restaurant" taste is the sesame oil - it has a very distintive smell & flavor (I only use it sparingly because I don't really care too much for the flavor). I use rice vinegar as the primary seasoning, in addition to soy sauce & sometimes some hoisin depending on my mood. My DH is chinese & says he likes my fried rice - but I can't guarantee he's telling the truth he just likes food on the table when he gets home :)

Jennifer

[Inzeos]

A good bit of that "chinese flavor" comes from the petina(sp) of the Wok's that are used in the chinese restaurants. The petina is the coating that develops from use on the inside surface of the wok.

So, short of using your wok a lot another good suggested is when you make your rice do it the night before and leave it in a covered bowl in your refridgerator and only remove it right before you are going to put it into the wok.

My tried and true method of making a great light and refreshing friend rice is to use a handful of frozen peas, a thick slicce of deli non-honey ham cut roughly to the size of the peas, some ginger, some peanut oil and some soy sauce. The rice doesn't get brown like your typical fried rice it is more of a "Yang Chow" style fried rice.

[ccooney]

Thank you, all, for your great advice! I'll try it out and I'm sure there I'll get fantastic results.