# Spicy Fried [expletive] rice - so good



## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

One of the first Chinese dishes I had as a kid was fried rice. SO GOOD. I still love the stuff, and it's so easy to make you'd almost have be brain-dead to mess it up.

Get some cold (preferably refrigerated) brown or white rice of any type (I like short-grain brown); a cast-iron pan or a wok; about 2 tablespoons of olive oil (other will work, olive oil keeps the cardiologist happy).

Heat pan till hot on medium heat, put in the olive oil, then put in some cut onion (I like red onion) and a clove of garlic, grated and cook until the onion is clear. Add some cubed carrots and peas, cook some more, until heated through.

Cook on high heat till the rice browns on the bottom, use a spatula to keep turning it over and browning it. 

Add any fully-cooked meat you like. I like grilled fish, but anything works. 

Mix up and wolf down, accompanied by some beer . . . . 

VARIATIONS

You can leave out the onion and garlic, or add a bit of hot pepper at the beginning.

Or . . . pan-sear some scallops or shrimp, cook till done, remove from pan, start process above, and add at end.

Or . . . grill thin fish like tilapia or sole in the pan, no oil, just slap in there and cook till it turns opaque around the edges, flip and cook till done, take out, do the process, add at end. Scrape bits of browned fish into the rice with spatula.

You can even dispense with everything except the rice and oil. Or, use garlic alone. 

Oink . . . . :w00t:


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Yes, I make it basically the same way ...and at the end (just before 
removing it from the stove) add chopped scallions and bean sprouts.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

My recipe also except we prefer Sesame seed oil.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

I just started eating fried rice and don't know why its been missing from my life till now.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

I have 3 large leftover pork chops that are going into my version shortly. Very similar except I add a lot of scrambled eggs to the top. Don't know where my mom picked that up but adds a touch to the flavor mix. For veggies I make it simple and grab a frozen package of whatever I have on hand, best for me is the California mix.

Quick story, daughter had her "picky eater" girl friend over for dinner and she kind of turned up her nose at the casserole dish we put on the center of the table. Being polite she took a small serving. A few minutes later she asked for more and said, that is really good.

I use either pork, chicken or shrimp but never disappoints. 

PS I use my liquid salt to flavor, a splash of soy sauce. 

Bud


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## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

Don't forget the bean sprouts!

I want to start sprouting my own; they're so expensive in the store, and there's usually only one kind.


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## Druidia (Oct 9, 2011)

CaptTom said:


> Don't forget the bean sprouts!
> 
> I want to start sprouting my own; they're so expensive in the store, and there's usually only one kind.


If you have Asian stores around, even small grocery stores, try them. Bean sprouts are cheap and you can buy as little or as much as you want to grab off a big bag/tub. 

I buy a lot of vegies from ethnic stores. Their regular prices are very cheap, even cheaper sometimes than sale prices at mainstream American stores.

I made the mistake of grabbing what turned out to be soybean sprouts. My, they were chewy. I prefer mungbean sprouts - crispy crunchy in stir fries and Phos.


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## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

We have exactly one Asian market nearby, and it's tiny. I notice all their prices are WAY above the same stuff in the supermarket, and although I can't be sure, they seem high on the things the regular supermarket doesn't carry, too.

I always wondered if maybe those posted prices are just there for us non-Asians. I can't believe most customers really pay that much.


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## Druidia (Oct 9, 2011)

CaptTom said:


> We have exactly one Asian market nearby, and it's tiny. I notice all their prices are WAY above the same stuff in the supermarket, and although I can't be sure, they seem high on the things the regular supermarket doesn't carry, too.
> 
> I always wondered if maybe those posted prices are just there for us non-Asians. I can't believe most customers really pay that much.




That does happen in places where there are very few ethnic stores. I’ve lived in a few places like that. Even in other countries, like New Zealand (Auckland), ethnic stores are quite rare. Their prices are very high. 

I love Chicago for the multitude of ethnic stores around me - Asian, Hispanic, Caribbean African, Eastern European, etc. I enjoy going down all the aisles and wondering and trying out food items I don’t normally see in mainstream American stores. Exploring their cooking/kitchen gadget items is also fun! 

We have a large supermarket here - Tony’s - that seems to be a mix of white American/Eastern European/Hispanic with a bit of Asian. Ha ha ha. In terms of customers, it can be considered mainstream American but it’s very very different from Jewel Osco/Mariano’s/Dominic’s. Lots of Eastern European cakes and candies!

I get my dry spices from ethnic
stores - $3.99 to $5.99 in containers that can hold up to 16 oz (depending on if it’s the dense powder or dried leaf spice type). Compare that with mainstream stores that carry only brands like McCormick that are $$ per tiny bottle. Fresh herbs are cheaper too. 

My favorite rice is Basmati and they’re definitely cheaper at ethnic stores - $10 per 10 lb but frequently on sale for less. Brown basmati rice is a rare sight in regular stores but is in abundance in ethnic stores (except Southeast Asian stores). I love the texture and smell of white Jasmine rice but brown Jasmine rice is way too compact once put in the fridge. Brown Basmati rice doesn’t become compacted into a solid dense mass when fridge-cooled. 

Every weekend, a couple of large ethnic stores on nearby streets get a lot of customers driving in from nearby Wisconsin and Indiana. I suppose they do a monthly (maybe twice a month?) shopping trip to ethnic stores in Chicago.

We have a lot of Aldi stores here. I like Aldi’s European origin because it means they sell a lot of European cakes and pastries - yummy!


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

I'm told it is a bad thing because it removes a lot of starch but I find a quick rinse in colander under the faucet with cold water keeps plain old white rice from clumping when chilled. Makes great fried rice.


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## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

A picture with grilled fish

Lunch in the Dark Tower


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## Druidia (Oct 9, 2011)

Colbyt said:


> I'm told it is a bad thing because it removes a lot of starch but I find a quick rinse in colander under the faucet with cold water keeps plain old white rice from clumping when chilled. Makes great fried rice.




When you’re cooking brown rice, you really have to wash to avoid excessive foaming (which could be really messy). I also add a few drops of oil to reduce foaming.


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## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

Druidia said:


> When you’re cooking brown rice, you really have to wash to avoid excessive foaming (which could be really messy). I also add a few drops of oil to reduce foaming.


Or do as I do, and undercook the rice, then, when ready to serve, add water in the microwave or oven top pot and finish cooking. No foam.


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## Druidia (Oct 9, 2011)

Being surrounded by lots of Asian restaurants, I’ve eaten lots of different kinds of fried rice. My favorite is actually simple - just white rice and garlic. There was one $$ to $$$ restaurant (forgot the name. It’s gone now) in downtown Chicago that served the most delicious garlic fried white rice I’ve ever tasted. For all its simplicity, it was very flavorful. Not oily, not shiny, not soggy, not clumpy, not too loose, not dry, not wet, not over fried, not hard, not mushy. The texture was just perfect. (Or maybe I was just hungry?! ). Of course, not having anything in it but rice and garlic, it’s eaten with other meat or veggie dishes. 

I wish I have their chef’s recipe. 

I once ate at a French Vietnamese restaurant, the type that aims to transform Asian dishes to fine dining. Their fried rice was over fried (lots of hard rice bits). You find consistently good fried rice in hole in the wall Asian restaurants that local Asians patronize.


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## Druidia (Oct 9, 2011)

DoomsDave said:


> Or do as I do, and undercook the rice, then, when ready to serve, add water in the microwave or oven top pot and finish cooking. No foam.



Undercook = 80% through the cooking process?

Brown rice is very foamy even when it’s still halfway through the cooking process.


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## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

Druidia said:


> Undercook = 80% through the cooking process?
> 
> Brown rice is very foamy even when it’s still halfway through the cooking process.


The recipe calls for 2 parts of water to 1 part rice. But I use 1 and 1/4 parts water. Comes out a bit tough, but still edible. Then it gets cooked the rest of way when I re-heat. Or use in fried rice. Some people hate it that way, but I like it.


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