Fried rice is one of my comfort foods but until Yoshi showed me his technique for chahan, I was never able to get it to taste right when I made it at home. So today’s Recipe Thursday is not a recipe as much as a tsukurikata, a way of making.
Yoshi has one secret ingredient that I will share with you: Ajinomoto’s Chuka Aji, “Chinese flavor.” It’s a mix of salt, pork extract, vegetable extract, oil, oyster sauce, and MSG. It looks a little bit like fish food, but it makes the fried rice taste right. And because it’s a dry ingredient, it doesn’t add any moisture to the frying.
Fried rice is a good way to use up leftovers. I try to use at least three times as much rice as other ingredients. The extra bits are for flavor and show, but rice is the star of the show.
This goes very quickly, so be sure to have all the ingredients ready before you begin. Total cooking time is about 5 minutes in the pan.
Yoshi’s Fried Rice
for one serving:
1 1/2 cup cold cooked rice
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 Tblspn onion, chopped
1 egg, well beaten
oil for frying
Chuka Aji
soy sauce
1/2 cup other ingredients: chopped pork, chicken, salmon, carrots, spinach, peas, mushrooms, etc.
Heat the pan until it is very hot. Medium hot will ruin your fried rice. HOT!
Coat pan with oil and don’t be stingy—oil is good and the rice soaks it up. Fry the garlic and onion for about 15 seconds, then add your “other ingredients” and fry until just starting to get done, maybe 45 seconds.
Push everything over to the side and tilt the pan so the oil puddles in one corner. Add the egg and scramble. You want to incorporate the oil into the egg to keep it moist. Cook until solid but still soft—the egg will continue to cook as you go.
Now, put the pan back down and add the rice. Using a strong wooden spoon or paddle mix the oil and ingredients into the rice thoroughly. Lumps are not acceptable so be vigorous—this is good exercise. Attack that rice!
Sprinkle generously with Chuka Aji and keep stirring. The rice should be making crackling sounds now. The egg and other ingredients are browned. Splash with soy sauce to color the rice a pale brown. Mix well one final time and serve.
Posted by kuri at May 29, 2003 08:56 AM*doesn’t bother to read as she has it made for her*
Posted by: gomichild on May 29, 2003 02:10 PMI always make the scrambled egg first coz that’s what is says on the back of the packet!!!
Posted by: Tracey on May 29, 2003 02:59 PMThis was sounds better…
Posted by: Tracey on May 29, 2003 03:00 PMFor even better results, I suggest to either use warm rice
that has just been cooked, of if you are using some cold
leftover rice, to microwave it first so that it’s hot before
pouring it in the pan :-)
Warm rice, really? I thought that using chilled rice was part of the magic!
Thanks, Yoshi. Your new tip will make my chahan experience easier—I hardly ever have leftover rice, so I usually make fresh rice and chill it. Not any more…
Posted by: Kuri on May 30, 2003 11:13 AMooh — tried out the chuka aji tonight. wow. restaurant style for sure. thanks for the secret.
Posted by: james on May 31, 2003 11:35 PM*Belatedly*
I would like to share with you sometime my home receipe for vegetable fried rice. :-)) Might not be as good as Yoshi’s chahan, but its very original. :0)
