It takes more than soy sauce to make a proper Chinese Fried Rice, just like what you get at Chinese restaurants. I learnt how to make proper Chinese Fried Rice from Australia’s most well known Chinese chef, Kylie Kwong! Show
The first thing some might notice is that there’s bacon in this Fried Rice. “That’s not authentic!”, you may be thinking. And that’s true. Authentic Chinese restaurants make Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage. I’m betting that the vast majority of readers have never bought or cooked Chinese Sausage before. But you know what? Kylie Kwong says bacon is ok. In fact, it’s the alternative in her recipe to Chinese Sausage. And as someone who has bought, cooked and eaten Chinese Sausage, I can assure you that bacon brings a very similar salty / oily / meaty pop to fried rice. And as someone who has eaten a lot of fried rice in her time, here in Sydney, in China, Hong Kong, the US and London, I can also tell you that I’ve seen a fair share of fried rice made with bacon and even with ham! So this recipe I have for you today is not so much about exactly what should be in the Fried Rice. Because even in China, and certainly in Chinese restaurants around the world, it’s clear that there are no hard and fast rules about what should be in a fried rice. However! And there is a big “however”. While I give much concession to the additions, the thing you cannot skimp on is the sauce! The sauce has to be right – and it isn’t just soy sauce and chicken broth! So here are my 10 8 commandments for making a great (proper!) Fried Rice. (I really wanted to say 10, but I can only think of 8 key ones.)
This recipe that I’m sharing with you today is how I make it as a usual midweek meal, hence why it has bacon in it rather than Chinese sausage. I swap out the prawns for whatever other proteins I have on hand, or leave it out. I’ve also been known to increase the veggies in this – and for a super speedy version, to even use frozen diced veggies. If you substantially increase the veggies, reduce the quantity of rice, otherwise there won’t be enough sauce. Really, other than the rice, the cooking technique and the sauce, feel free to substitute the other ingredients for whatever you want. That’s the beauty of fried rice – it’s so flexible! – Nagi x Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates. Chinese Fried Rice with Shrimp / PrawnsAuthor: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats Prep: 10 mins Cook: 10 mins Total: 20 mins Dinner, Side Asian, Chinese 4.98 from 41 votes Servings3 - 5 Tap or hover to scale
This is a simple, traditional Chinese Fried Rice recipe by Kylie Kwong, Australia's most well known Chinese Chef. The key to an authentic tasting fried rice like you get at proper Chinese restaurants is the Sauce, using day old or cold fresh cooked rice and ensuring you don't overcrowd the wok, causing the rice to stew instead of stir fry! Feel free to add more vegetables (not too much otherwise the sauce will thin out) or substitute the prawns with other proteins. Ingredients
Sauce
Instructions
Recipe Notes:1. The original recipe uses Chinese Sausage, but Kylie recommends bacon as a substitute and that's what I usually use, though Chinese Sausage is available in vacuum sealed packets in Asian section of large supermarkets. The flavour it adds to the fried rice is very similar.2. The Chinese cooking wine is key to this recipe. You can substitute with dry sherry for Japanese cooking sake. If you can't consume alcohol, as a last resort, substitute with chicken broth/chicken stock.3. Ordinarily whenever I cook shrimp/prawns, I use fresh raw ones I peel myself. This is one of the rare occasions when I buy already cooked and peeled prawns - because the best ones to use are small prawns and they are a PAIN to peel myself! Cooked prawns, at least in Australia, from good fish mongers are really great quality because they are often cooked on the fishing boat the minute they are caught. Now THAT's fresh cooking!4. Please ensure you use day old or at least refrigerator cold freshly cooked rice - this is key! If making this with freshly cooked rice, spread it out on a baking tray then refrigerate until cold.Long grain rice is the authentic rice to use for fried rice. Medium grain will be ok but will be a bit stickier. Short grain rice, risotto, basmati or jasmine rice are not suitable. Brown rice will be ok but will have a nutty flavour from the rice.3 cups may not sound like a lot of rice but once you stir fry it, it fluffs up and makes lots more than you expect!5. You can use light soy sauce or all purpose soy sauce. Dark soy sauce is not suitable for this recipe.6. This Chinese Fried Rice recipe is based on this recipe by Kylie Kwong, Australia's most well known Chinese Chef. Here are the amendments I made:i) Scaled the recipe down - her idea of a "large wok" is much larger than mine (about 30cm/1 foot diameter); Nutrition Information:Serving: 165gCalories: 522cal (26%)Carbohydrates: 42.5g (14%)Protein: 19.2g (38%)Fat: 30.1g (46%)Saturated Fat: 7.5g (47%)Cholesterol: 142mg (47%)Sodium: 1227mg (53%)Potassium: 356mg (10%)Fiber: 1.5g (6%)Sugar: 2.2g (2%)Vitamin A: 300IU (6%)Vitamin C: 6.6mg (8%)Calcium: 50mg (5%)Iron: 3.4mg (19%) Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats. Lucky 8: Eight more Chinese takeout favouritesHoney Prawns – stays crispy! General Tso’s Chicken Chinese Crispy Pork Belly Chow Mein Mongolian Lamb Cashew Chicken Sweet and Sour Pork – best ever! Char Siu Pork (Chinese BBQ Pork) Chinese recipes Life of DozerJust another day in the Hard Life of Dozer – starting with breakfast at The Boathouse in Palm Beach, Sydney. For visitors to Australia, this is a MUST VISIT!! What is the secret of Chinese fried rice?They cook rice with less water and remove them from the cooker before it gets completely cooked. That is to give rice the moisture and chewiness while at the same time, perserve its rigidity as it gets fried.
What does shrimp fried rice contain?This shrimp fried rice highlights the best of Chinese takeout in a quick and easy recipe. Made with rice, shrimp, peas, carrots, onion, and egg, plus savory Asian flavors, it's the best stir fry recipe ever – and healthy too!
What makes Chinese fried rice yellow?The yellow color comes from food coloring that is added which is optional. Yellow Fried Rice is specifically from the U.S. and is not authentic Chinese fried rice. The yellow color comes from food coloring that is added which is optional.
What gives Chinese fried rice its color?Many people think that the golden-brown color in the rice comes from soy sauce and sesame oil. And while both of those ingredients do add a bit of color, most of the color actually comes from properly cooking the rice on its own to a golden color before adding the rest of the ingredients.
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