In my opinion, every stir-frying lesson should start with this dish, the Chinese equivalent to the French omelette challenge, says Jeremy Pang. It is a real test of your control of heat, or wok hei: not hot enough, the egg will stick to the base, while too hot and the food is bound to burn. And if you combine your ingredients in the wrong order, you will end up with a rice omelette. No pressure, then. Still, if you master this, you will have picked up a valuable skill that will serve you well on your Chinese cookery journey.
Ingredients
- 250g boiled/steamed and cooled jasmine rice
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- 80g petits pois
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- vegetable oil
- black pepper
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced, to garnish
Method
- Run a spoon through the cooked grains of rice to separate them as much as possible, breaking up any clumps. (This will help when you add the rice to the dish later.)
- Build your “wok clock” by placing the ingredients around a work surface or plate in the order they will be added to the wok. Start at 12 o’clock with the beaten egg, followed by the cooked rice, petits pois and finally the light soy sauce.
- Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a wok over a high heat until smoking hot. Pour in the beaten egg and allow to bubble, then scramble it slightly. Allow to bubble again, then repeat this process 2-3 times. Push the egg to one side of the wok to allow space for the next ingredients.
- Drizzle a little more vegetable oil into the wok, add the rice and stir-fry for a minute or so, pressing into the rice to separate the grains out further while cooking them through. Then add the peas and continue to stir-fry for 1 minute.
- Pour the soy sauce over the rice and stir-fry for 30-60 seconds until the rice has absorbed it all and become drier. Once the grains are “jumping” around the base of your wok, the rice is ready.
- Add the sesame oil and mix together well, then season to taste and scatter over the spring onion.
Taken from “Chinese Kitchen: Simple Techniques and Recipes to Enjoy Delicious Chinese Food at Home” by Jeremy Pang.
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