Yong Chow Fried Rice

If you were to ask me what is my all time favorite food to make, I would have to say "Fried Rice". Not only is it versatile, it is also really simple to make. Some leftover rice, bits of meat and a handful vegetables in the fridge? No problem. Just throw it all together and we have fried rice for dinner! You cannot go wrong with fried rice :P Today, I'm going to show you how easy it is to make an all time favorite, Yong Chow Fried Rice. Also known as Chinese Fried Rice, it's the basic type of fried rice that you can get at Chinese restaurants all over the world. Here's how you make it.

Start off by heating up some oil in a large wok or pan. Then, throw in some chopped garlic and onions and saute for a few minutes.

Next, add in some Chinese sausages that has been cut into cubes. Traditionally, roast pork (char siu) is being used but many restaurants are now using Chinese sausages because it gives out a sweeter and fuller flavor. If you do not like pork, you can replace the pork with slices of chicken breast (pre marinated in some soy sauce, cornflour and pepper) too.

Once you have stir fried the Chinese sausage for a bit, add in some peas and carrots. Certain restaurants would use long beans instead of peas and carrots, it's entirely up to you. Remember to keep the wok on high flame. That's really important when it comes to making authentic tasting fried rice. It just doesn't taste right if fried rice is cooked on low flame.

Once all the ingredients are almost cooked, throw in some large white shrimp that has been peeled and cleaned. You could also use some crab sticks (surimi) if you like. If you really want to kick your fried rice up a notch, just throw in some lump crab meat. That's always good too. If you are not a seafood lover, you can skip the seafood altogether. Like I said earlier, it's really flexible when it comes to making fried rice. Just throw in whatever you have left over in your fridge.

Now it's time to throw in some cooked rice. It's important not to use freshly cooked rice. It's too starchy and tends to stick together. The best type of rice to use is chilled day old rice.

Add in a few splashes of soy sauce, freshly ground white pepper and stir everything together. At this point, the Yong Chow Fried Rice is ready to be served.

However, if you like eggs with your fried rice, now is the time to add them in. Make a hole in the middle of the fried rice and crack two eggs in. Add a little bit of soy sauce to the eggs and scramble them. Once they are cooked, mix them up with the rest of the fried rice.

There you go. A nice big wok of Yong Chow Fried Rice. It's so easy make, even a child can do it. Actually, come to think about it, that's the first dish you learn to make during living skills classes back in Malaysia. So yeah, all 13 year olds in Malaysia can make this dish! ;P