Fried rice

Prepare all the ingredients before you turn on the wok for this fried rice because once that wok is hot, it’s all about speed. You don’t want to pause in the middle of cooking to cut Chinese sausage or defrost peas. If you do, you will lose heat and end up with a sticky fried rice rather than a nice fluffy one.

You can make fried rice as simple as egg and spring onion or add fried chicken and seafood. Use whatever you have in the fridge. It’s a great way to use up leftover Christmas ham. I cut the ham into small cubes and freeze. Add to the fried rice without defrosting. So yummy and easy.

See below for my notes on buying and cooking rice.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp	Rice bran oil, or any non-flavoured oil such as canola, grapeseed or vegetable
2	Eggs, beaten (Main)
½ medium	Shallots, sliced
1	Garlic clove, sliced
¼	Carrots, cut into small dice
1	Chinese sausage, sliced diagonally (Main)
6	Prawn cutlets, sliced (Main)
2 cups	Jasmine rice, cooked, see notes below (Main)
2 Tbsp	Peas, thawed if frozen
1 tsp	Soy sauce
½ tsp	Sesame oil
1/8 tsp	White pepper, use up to ¼ tsp
¾ tsp	Salt
½	Spring onions, chopped

Directions

1. Place a wok over high heat. Add 1 Tbsp oil.
2. Add eggs to the wok to make an omelette. Remove and set aside.
3. Add the other Tbsp oil, shallot and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
4. Add Chinese sausage and carrot and give it a quick stir before adding prawns. Cook for another minute and add the cooked rice. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes and add the omelette and green peas. Break the omelette with your wooden spatula and add soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper and salt.
5. Add spring onion, give it a quick stir and serve.

Rice notes

• Day-old rice is perfect for fried rice. Steaming hot, freshly cooked rice has too much moisture in the grain and you won't achieve fluffy fried rice. A good tip is to cook rice for your dinner the previous day and have enough left over to reserve for fried rice the next day. You can also freeze rice in plastic wrap and defrost just before use.
• I use jasmine rice if I am making Chinese or Southeast Asian fried rice. If I am cooking Japanese-style fried rice, I will use short or medium grain.
• To cook:First, wash the rice. Add it to a pot, fill it with cold water, swirl the rice around and then drain the milky water. Now use your palm to push the rice around a couple of times. Add water, swirl the rice and drain the milky water. Repeat a couple of times or until the water runs clear. Drain the water completely and place the rice in a rice cooker or a pot. Add clean water (1 cup rice to 1 cup water) and soak for 30 minutes before cooking. Turn on the rice cooker. If cooking in a pot, cover with lid, turn on high heat, bring to the boil. As soon as it has boiled, turn down to simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and rest for 5 minutes before you open the lid to perfect rice.