Fried Rice is the perfect example of a dish that uses up all manner of items in your fridge, do not be fooled, almost anything can go into Fried Rice and be delicious.
People are probably going to freak out or get all excited about the idea of using Animal Fat in their cooking. Trust me when I say this, most really good dishes in Authentic Southern Chinese or in particular Chinese-Malay cooking (which is my wife's family heritage) use Lard.
Char Kway Teow - A wok fried noodle dish is the pinnacle of this purposeful use of animal fat. You need high heat, fast cooking and a smoky flavour that is almost impossible to replicate in any other way...this heat/smoke combination is known as 'Wok Hei'
Also - if you want to use something else, go ahead. I used Chicken Fat because it was in my fridge the flavour is milder but the end result is comparable.
Please enjoy how this is not only tasty it also uses up lots of leftover food from your fridge that might not have another use.
(Serves 2 people or 1 person if you haven’t eaten all day like me when I cooked it)
Ingredients
2 tsp Lard or Chicken Fat or Veg Oil
Pork Loin Steak approx. 75g, cut into cubed pieces
2 tsp Garlic Paste
2 tsp Ginger Paste
½ Onion, diced
1 Small Carrot, diced
½ Courgette, diced
¼ Cabbage, shredded
3 Broccoli florets, quartered
Thumb Sized Piece of Broccoli Stem, diced
1/4 Pepper, diced
50g Frozen Peas
150g Cooked Jasmine Rice
2 beaten eggs, with 15ml Soy Sauce added
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sesame Oil
3 pinches of White Pepper
Salt, to taste
2 Spring Onion, Sliced
1 tsp Sesame Seeds
Method:
1. The most crucial part of this is making sure all your vegetables are of a similar size in dice, so that they cook evenly. Otherwise you will have to add everything at different times…It’s all in the preparation as the dish moves very quickly, this is called - Mise En Place; I'm certainly not the bedst in the world but I know it's importance here...
"Mise En Place is the religion of all good line cooks. Do not fuck with a line cook’s ‘meez’ — meaning his setup, his carefully arranged supplies..." Anthony Bourdain
2. Remove the Middle of the loin from the Fatty outer, muscle. Dice them and reserve them separately, as you will cook the fatty pieces first.
3. Close the door to your kitchen and turn your extract fan on high…
4. Get the wok smoking hot, this is the "Wok Hei"
5. Add the fat to the pan, and when they shimmer & smoke add the fatty pieces of Pork.
6. Cook for 2-3 mins until golden in colour, add garlic, ginger first and the vegetables 30 secs after. Keep moving the veg around the pan. You should hear loud sizzling, this is the moisture from the vegetables.
7. Make a well in the middle of the ingredients and add the lean pork meat and cook for 2 minutes.
8. Add the rice and use the back of a spatula, wooden spoon or wok shovel to break apart the grains of rice. This ensures it cooks evenly and absorbs the flavours of the Meat & Vegetables.
9. Once the rice is broken into it’s individual grains, move it into a mound in the middle of the pan.
10. Pour the egg mix around the outside of the rice & vegetables, and cover with a lid for 45 seconds.
11. Using your chosen stirring tool, scrape the formed omelette from around the pan and mix it through the rice
12. Season with White Pepper, Soy & Sesame Oil – turn off the heat and allow it to sit for 5 mins covered with a lid
13. Garnish it with the Spring Onion & Sesame, serve with Chilli Oil on the side.
14. Revel in how good your Riesling tastes with your Dinner.
Ha