Fried rice is one of those elusive Chinese specialties that so many of us love, yet refuse to attempt to make.
While few home cooks are facile enough to neatly execute a multi-course Chinese dinner, there`s no reason you can`t serve up a hearty panful of fried rice from your own kitchen.
At home, we`ve taken to serving it as the entree, rather than a side dish. ”But isn`t that too light?” you might ask. Actually not-not if you`re following the type of high-carbohydrate, limited-meat sort of diet that`s in keeping with today`s smart style of eating.
The tasty and satisfying dish provides plenty of energy without that tether-me-down and paint-Goodyear-on-my-side kind of feeling that follows stodgy meals.
Brown rice provides plenty of flavor and texture, as well as dietary fiber. Mushrooms, mung bean sprouts and a little scrambled egg (we`ve discarded one of two yolks to reduce fat and cholesterol, while leaving a trace of color and texture) lend different kinds of bite. Bits of red bell pepper and green chili peppers provide a bright splash of color and lively bite-a delectable accompaniment to the sweet, subtle flavor of shrimp deliciously ”stretched” in this dish.
The recipe yields four large or six more modest portions. As a side dish
(say, with grilled or steamed fish) or along with another entree (a stir-fry with vegetables) it might satisfy six to eight diners.
A single pound of shrimp is used. Although I`ve prepared the dish with small to medium-size shrimp, I won`t do it again, only because few chores are more tedious than shelling and deveining the little critters. A better approach: Choose large, even jumbo, shrimp, and once they`re cleaned and deveined, split them in half lengthwise.
This satisfies the eye-it affords the characteristic ”curl” of cooked shrimp-while stretching the meat with minimal effort.
(If you like to clean shrimp, more power to you. Either way, save the shells to make the optional shrimp stock in which the rice is cooked. You can skip this step and use either plain water or chicken stock, but the homemade broth yields a flavorful rice that lends depth to the dish.)
HOME-STYLE SHRIMP FRIED RICE
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
This home-style version may not taste precisely like the restaurant kind, but it`s fairly easy and awfully good. Round out the meal with steamed or poached fresh bok choy, which is delicious tossed with a little commercially bottled spicy Szechwan, sweet soy or even teriyaki sauce. Beer, iced tea or a semi-sweet white wine accompany nicely.
1 pound large or jumbo shrimp in the shell
4 cups shrimp stock, recipe follows, or chicken broth or water
Salt to taste, optional
1 cup long-grain brown rice
1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium sweet red bell pepper, diced
1 medium mild green chili pepper, diced
1 large sweet onion, peeled, minced
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
4 ounces fresh mung bean sprouts
2-4 ounces fresh pea pods, trimmed, cut diagonally
Optional egg garnish, recipe follows
1-2 teaspoons tamari sauce, see note
About 1 teaspoon soy sauce, preferably reduced-sodium version
Drops of sesame oil, see note
1. Preliminaries: Clean and devein the shrimp, reserving the shells for shrimp stock if you wish to make it. Halve the shrimp lengthwise, to form a pair of curved halves. Cover and refrigerate the shrimp.
2. Prepare the rice: Heat the shrimp stock, broth or water to a rolling boil; season with salt if desired. Stir in the rice; return to the boil, then cook, uncovered, boiling hard for 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer slowly until rice is tender-about 45 minutes, just until al dente. 3. Procedure: In a large skillet or wok, warm the oil over medium-high heat until sizzling. Stir in the bell pepper, chili, onion and mushrooms. Cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, crumbling if it clumps. Cook, stirring, until rice is heated through. When rice is hot, add the halved shrimp, the pea pods and bean sprouts. Cook, stirring gently, so that meat and vegetables steam through and release any juices throughout the rice. (Cook optional egg garnish as shrimp and sprouts steam.)
4. Splash the tamari and soy sauce over the rice and toss to mix well. Add more if desired. Taking care to distribute evenly, sprinkle on a few drops of sesame oil and toss.
5. Presentation: Add egg garnish and toss if desired. Serve hot.
Notes: Even if you choose not to use homemade shrimp stock for this dish, it costs you very little to make and can be frozen for a month or so until needed. If you wish, cook the brown rice in advance. Then cover and chill for up to 3 days before proceding with recipe. If you do so, remove from refrigerator about 20 minutes before cooking to lose the chill.
Look for sesame oil and tamari sauce in imported or Oriental-foods sections of supermarkets, or in Asian groceries. Sesame oil generally comes in two varieties. Supermarkets mostly carry an intensely flavorful version pressed from toasted sesame seeds. Natural-foods stores more often sell a cold-pressed version with a taste that is far more subtle. Both should be refrigerated to preserve quality and prevent rancidity. Tamari sauce is a thicker, unrefined type of soy sauce. The flavor tends to be more intense, mellowing when distributed through a dish.
SHRIMP STOCK
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 1 quart
Reserved shells from 1 pound shrimp
1-2 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
1 carrot, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups water or a combination of water, white wine, see note
1. Procedure: Place shrimp shells in a 3-quart saucepan. Add parsley, bay leaf, carrot and salt. Cover with water or water and wine. Heat to a full boil; skim off any foam, taking care not to remove herbs, then cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove lid and cook, uncovered, until liquid is reduced to about 4 cups. Increase heat if necessary.
2. Pour liquid into a strainer set over a heat-proof bowl. Use back of a large spoon to press out any liquid trapped in shells. Discard shells. Measure liquid and, if necessary, add water or wine to total 4 cups.
3. Presentation: Use immediately or freeze for up to 1 month. If freezing, bear in mind that you must leave 1-inch space at the top to avoid broken freezer containers.
Note: A combination of 3 to 4 cups of water and 1 to 2 cups dry white wine works well for this dish.
EGG GARNISH
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 2 to 3 minutes
1 whole egg
1 egg white
2 tablespoons water
Salt to taste
1. Procedure: Beat the whole egg with the egg white in a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons cold water and sprinkle with salt if desired, then whisk. Over medium heat, warm a large, non-stick frying pan until hot, then pour in the egg mixture. Cook in a thin sheet without stirring, until egg is cooked through. Turn egg out onto a plate and either chop coarsely or cut into small squares. Keep warm while you complete cooking of fried rice.
SPICY BOK CHOY
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Water, vegetable stock or chicken broth
4 baby bok choy or one large boy choy, cut in half lengthwise
Szechuan sauce, soy sauce or teriyaki sauce to taste
1. Heat water, vegetable stock or chicken broth in a wide, shallow saucepan or Dutch oven. When liquid is boiling, add bok choy. Reduce heat to simmer. Poach only long enough to render bok choy fork tender-no more than a few minutes.
2. Drain (reserve the liquid for another dish where a profoundly flavorful stock is desired) and return vegetable to the pan. Drizzle with a little bottled Szechwan sauce, sweet soy sauce or teriyaki sauce-just enough to coat lightly. Toss gently over medium heat until vegetable is piping hot. Serve immediately. –
