Want to make “fried rice” but no cooked rice available? This Chinese soy sauce rice pilaf comes to the rescue. Easy to prepare and better than takeaway.
Fried rice is no doubt one of the most popular dishes in Chinese takeaways. Typically containing staple, vegetable and protein (egg, meat or seafood), it’s a complete meal on its own. Preparing fried rice is a great way to give cooked rice a new life. But what if you suddenly fancy making some Chinese fried rice then realize you don’t have any cooked rice to hand? Don’t worry, you can use uncooked rice instead! Today I’m going to show you how to use raw rice to make Chinese soy sauce rice pilaf which looks and tastes like authentic fried rice.
To be honest, I seldom cook fried rice, simply because I rarely have leftover rice available. A few years ago, I learned how to cook rice pilaf from Tzu-i Chuang, a well-known Taiwanese food writer. The general method is to fry raw rice in oil then add broth or water to steam it through. I’ve been making Chinese-style pilaf since then. Guess what? All of my dinner guests just assumed what I served them was authentic Chinese fried rice. What’s more, I think it’s even better in some sense. 1. The rice has a more springy texture which I prefer. 2. The flavour of the seasoning penetrates deeper into the grains.
Today’s recipe is based on a classic Chinese dish, soy sauce fried rice (酱油炒饭). The use of dark soy sauce gives this dish an appetizing brownish shine, and a rich, slightly sweet taste too. If you wish to replace it with light soy sauce, you might need to slightly reduce the amount of salt needed, as light soy sauce tastes saltier in general (Read my post in Fundamentals for more information: Soy sauce: light or dark).
In order to make a healthy, substantial and complete meal, I add various vegetables (different in colours and texture) and honey garlic prawns to my Chinese soy sauce pilaf. As you might have noticed, green peas are a very popular ingredient in Chinese fried rice. Actually, fresh green soy beans are an excellent substitute (commonly available as frozen vegetable in supermarkets). If you haven’t tasted fresh soy beans yet, this recipe will give you an opportunity to discover their rather unique flavour. Being a big fan of fresh soy beans, I will definitely write more recipes using them as main ingredient.
In this recipe, honey garlic prawns need to be fried separately (like I do for “Purple sprouting broccoli and prawn stir-fry”). They taste best when briefly cooked. By the way, honey garlic prawns make a great stir-fry dish on their own (or cooked with some vegetable, asparagus for example).
Want to make “fried rice” but no cooked rice available? This Chinese soy sauce rice pilaf comes to the rescue. Easy to prepare and better than takeaway.
Ingredients
- 200g / 7oz prawns
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce (see note 1)
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine (optional)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 200g / 1 cup Thai jasmine rice, rinsed (see note 2)
- 1 stalk spring onion, chopped
- 250g / 9oz fresh green soy beans (or green peas)
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1/2 bell pepper, diced
- 10 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and diced (see note 3)
- 400ml / 1.75 cups hot water
- 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce (see note 1)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Marinate the prawns: In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients from group 1 (except for the oil). Set aside.
- In a wok (or a deep frying pan), heat up 1 tablespoon of oil on a medium high heat. Stir in spring onion and leave to sizzle for 10 seconds or so. Put in rice. Fry until every grain is covered by oil. Add all the vegetables. Continue frying for a while. When everything appears to be very dry, pour in hot water and dark soy sauce. Bring the water to a boil then cover the wok. Turn the heat down to low. Leave to simmer for 12-15 minutes. Then move the wok from the heat. Let it rest for a further 5 minutes.
- While the rice is resting, heat up 1 teaspoon of oil in a frying pan. Place in marinated prawns. Cook both sides until they curl up tight (It should take very short time).
- Sprinkle salt and sesame oil over the rice. Stir well. Serve it hot with the fried prawns.
Notes
1. Dark soy sauce gives the dish a brownish colour. It can be substituted with light soy sauce if you wish.
2. Thai jasmine rice works best for this dish. However, you may replace it with other long grain rice. Adjust the water volume accordingly.
3. How to rehydrate shiitake mushrooms: soak them in cold water for at least 8 to 12 hours (depends on the size) until very soft. Trim and discard the stem before cutting.
Try my Chinese soy sauce rice pilaf! It’s likely to be better than any fried rice you can get from a takeaway!
Happy cooking!
This looks terrific Wei! You’ve inspired me to revisit my original post. 🙂 I loved reading the back story too. Sharing!
Thank you so much Nagi! Have a lovely day!