Hokkien Fried Rice (福建炒飯 )
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That’s right, fried rice, or 炒飯 in Chinese, is probably one of the most well known stables in Chinese cuisine. In North America, fried rice has been popularized in the form sold at Chinese takeout restaurants throughout the US.
Although there are gazillion ways of making fried rice, in the States, the most common form of fried rice is made from mixing the rice with scrambled egg, bean sprouts, peas, and different types of chopped meats depending if it’s pork fried rice or chicken fried rice…..
Sounds old right? I think so too. Instead of making this yet another fried rice post I would like to introduce you to a different kind of fried rice dish called Hokkien fried rice – a popular variation of fried rice originated from Fujian province, China.)
Hokkien (aka Fukien or Fujian) fried rice is unique from the rest of the pack because it consists of two parts – a fried rice base and a juicy savory gravy that contains seafood, meat, and vegetables. With that said, this dish does require a little more work than to make the vanilla fried rice you get from an average takeout restaurant.
Let’s start with the rice part. I first began to make fried rice when I was probably 11 or 12. Over the years I’ve made some really delicious fried rice dishes along with some unsuccessful ones. If you are new to fried rice, I’ve come up with a few quick tips for you:
Yi’s Guide to Make Restaurant Style Fried Rice at Home
- Use long grain non-sticky rice. This would help achieve that signature fluffy and non-sticky texture you find in restaurants without having the same high heat stove that restaurants use.
- Use overnight leftover rice to efficiently avoid rice from lumping together. If you don’t have previously refrigerated rice then try to cook the rice with 1 tsp of cooking oil and slight less water. Cool the rice to room temperature before frying
- Fry over high heat. This is especially important if you add vegetables to the fry rice because you’ll end up with watery fried rice if your wok is not hot enough.
- Stir fry with a strategy. If you own a high output range stove like the ones used in the restaurants, you are definitely fine to employ the fancy frying skills like 2 feet high rice tossing or the turbo ladle stir action. For the rest of us who aren’t that lucky, I find the “wait-and-stir” technique to be very useful. More detail in the recipe section below.
Now on to the juicy part. The recipe for the brown gravy normally calls for a combination of shrimp, small scopes, roasted duck meat, and chicken. In my recipe, I have simplified the ingredients by excluding roasted duck and small scallops because I didn’t have them readily available on the day I made the dish. But still the dish came out absolute mouth-watering 🙂
If you happen to have duck and scallops though please feel free to use them. At the end of the day, fried rice is all about personal preference. So experiment!
Step by step illustrations:
Scramble the egg and add the rice and mix well.
Stir fry the rice using the “wait-and-stir” technique.
Saute all the ingredients for for the gravy except the tomatoes. Add the stock.
Add the tomatoes and the condiments. Use corn starch to thicken the gravy.
Ingredients
- 4 cups Cooked 1 day old rice
- 1 Egg, beaten
- Salt and pepper
- 12 small shrimp
- 2/3 cup Grilled chicken or duck (chopped)
- 1/2 cup Carrot, diced
- 2/3 cup Shiitake mushroom, diced
- 1 cup Tomatoes, diced
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp Cooking wine
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp White pepper powder
- 2 cup Stock
- Corn starch
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
Instructions
- Before cook the fried rice, make sure the rice doesn’t have any lumps in it. If so, gently break up to individual rice grain.
- Heat up 2 tbsp of oil in a wok over medium heat, add beaten eggs and scramble until almost cooked but still moisture. Add the rice and mix well with the rice.
- To get that restaurant texture, do not stir the rice non-stop, instead use the “wait-and-stir” technique. Turn up the heat. First spread out the rice to form a thin level and let it cook for 3 seconds or so. Then stir and scramble the rice quickly for few times. Repeat this two-process step for a few times. Flavor the rice with some salt and pepper. Set the rice aside and keep it warm.
- To make the gravy, saute the shrimp, chicken/duck, carrots, and shiitake mushroom over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add stock to the saute pan and bring to boil.
- Immediate add soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, cooking wine, and tomatoes. Mix well and bring to boil again. As soon as it is boiling, add sesame oil and white pepper powder for flavoring. Add some salt if necessary. Thicken the sauce with some corn starch.
- In a rice bowl, place one scope of rice on the bottom. Top the rice with about ½ scope of the gravy and serve it hot.
What’s your favorite fried rice?
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Delicious Recipe for me i can’t wait more
Worked really well .
The step by step method with photos was clear and concise.
My wife called it “restaurant quality”
I just call it delicious
Pingback: Hokkein Fried Rice ~ Fujian/ Fukien Fried Rice
your recipe sounds really good, Im looking forward to trying it. I do have a question. What are small scopes? I couldn’t find it on the ingredient list.
you have it listed “Now on to the juicy part. The recipe for the brown gravy normally calls for a combination of shrimp, small scopes, roasted duck meat,”
Thanks, Kat
Hello, the recipe was really good. Very easy to make. Thank you.
Thanks Piyali for your feedback. I am gald that you liked this recipe. Thanks.
Hi, came across your blog 1st time, and tried this one, wow! delicious recipe. Thank you for easy and easy on your pocket but excellent recipe.
what kind of stock did you use for this recipe?
hello food addict, I normally use chicken stock for this dish. However you can also use beef stock, seafood stock, and etc. as long as it’s savory. Thanks for stopping by.
Delicious! Same as steamed fried rice.
The gravy part over the rice seems quite similar to the Cantonese “Wat Dan” (silky egg gravy with seafood, meat , veggies) over rice. To-date, there is no fried rice that I don’t enjoy. 🙂
Thanks tigerfish. You are right, the gravy does resemble the silky egg with seafood topping served over rice. Thanks for mentioning that.
Hi Yi, lovely blog you got here! I make fried rice myself all of the time – but never tried making Hokkien fried rice. I will have to try soon. Looks fantastic!
Thanks Gomo for your visit. I also make fried rice all the time but I definitely make this Hokkien fried rice that often…it’s one of those dishes I make for special occasions. hope you’ll get to enjoy it!
Yi, this fried rice looks delicious, I love your step-by-step pictures…I love the creamy sauce on top of the rice.
Thanks for this recipe and hope you have a wonderful week ahead 🙂
Thanks Juliana. You too have a great week!
This is a really great recipe. It particularly is good for Western cooks, who probably don’t have a high enough heat source to stir fry properly. The “wait and stir” technique is genius. And making the gravy separately makes so much sense. Really great recipe – thanks so much.
Hello kitchenriffs, thanks for your kind comment.
This is a great recipe. Still diggin’ your lighting setup…especially around the Wok. Great work, Yi.
Thanks Pam. I am luncky to have a window next to my stove in the kitchen hence the good lighting 🙂
Hi Yi! This posting gives me the warm and fuzzies, because my grandparents (Mom’s side) is from 福建. Though I don’t remember ever eating fried rice this way. My Mom has made something similar and poured the gravy/topping over plain white rice, maybe it’s from the same origin? Can’t wait to give the recipe a try soon!
Hi Jeno thanks stopping by. I’ve never been Fujian province but I have the fujian cuisines here in NY multiple times. I am definitely a fan. Hope you get to try this fried rice recipe.
Every recipe you post looks fantastic!
Thanks Joe1000 for your kind comment.
Hi Yi! I like your new profile picture with your little kitty! YUM!!! This is one of my favorite fried rice!!!! We once in a while order it but I’ve never made it at home. Got to pin and save the recipe. =)
Thanks Nami for checking out this fried rice recipe. Hope you get to try it.
What a great recipe! Hokkien Fried Rice is one of my favorite dishes.
Love the beautiful photos as usual. Great Job!
thanks Health Bee for your comment. I am glad that you like this dish!