Stir-frying with a wok: Fried Rice and How to cook rice

Or "flied lice", as one of my American friends likes to joke. Yes, really funny. We speak English in Singapore and, just by the way, have a higher GDP per capita than... oops, is this my identity crisis rearing or what?

My Guatamalan housekeeper requested this recipe, fried rice being the ubiquitous poster child for Asian cuisine in United States. My brother has some fancy pants recipe for fried rice - and it is very good so I hope he will want to post it here some day when he gets a moment off his super duper job. But our goal here is Simplicity and Speed - as it usually is for me when I make fried rice. It's a quick fix. I also suggested an alternative with curry paste, which you can buy in a jar, if you are *really* in a hurry. I do that sometimes.

This is a great way to use up leftovers.

So, instead of paying $9 at Pei Wei, here is your very own flied lice...


RECIPE: FRIED RICE
(serves as many as you want)
(cooking time: 15 mins)

1 saucepan + 1 sieve OR electric rice cooker
1 wok

A - Rice
This dish is at its best with leftover rice, which dries out a little in the fridge, but if not:
1 cup per person Rice (short or long grain)
Water

B - Base
2 tbsp Vegetable oil
1 Onion, chopped finely
1 per person Eggs

C - Seasoning
Dark Soy or Kechap Manis (sweet thick dark soy)
A lot of white pepper
Chili sauce or chili oil (optional)
OR
Curry paste (in a jar)

D - Meat/Vegetables
* Really whatever you like - good to use up leftovers - but here are some suggestions:
Frozen peas, Broccoli, Carrots, Scallions or Cilantro - diced
Chicken OR Shrimp - pre-cooked

A - Wash rice by rinsing it in cold water and draining. Repeat until the water becomes less cloudy. I usually use the water from the first rinse to water my plants.

Cook rice. There are two methods:

(i) Put rice in a non-stick saucepan with water. 1 3/4 cups of water per cup of rice (long grain) or 1 1/2 cups of water per cup of rice (short grain). Put the lid on tightly and bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium. Cook for 12 minutes. Tip the rice into a sieve and let it drain and sit for at least 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork.

(ii) May I suggest, yet again, a rice cooker? I'd be happy to recommend some good ones - forget the fuzzy logic contraptions, just get a good basic rice cooker.

B - In a wok, add 2 tbsp of oil. Fry the onions until soft and translucent. Add eggs. Now, this is the trickier timing part: When the egg is still a little uncooked on top, add the rice and separate the grains vigorously. This way, each rice grain is coated with egg.

C - Add a few swirls of dark soy or kechap manis to taste (about 1 swirl per cup of rice), and white pepper to taste. Stir and flip (the definition of "stir-fry") the rice until evenly coated with the seasoning. Optional: Add chili sauce or chili oil.

If using curry paste from a jar, fry the onions, then the curry paste, then add the eggs and rice.

D - Add the other ingredients and mix everything well.

Serve with chopped scallions or cilantro.


Update: In Chinese cooking, there are four elements to a perfect dish - colour, fragrance, beauty (presentation), taste. I mention it here because, upon reflection, one other reason I like fried rice is because it is pretty composition of colours: RED (carrots/red chilis) + GREEN (scallions, broccoli, frozen peas) + WHITE (rice)