Chinese takeaway favourite Char Siu Fried Rice recipe made with leftover char siu, rice, fluffy egg, and simple seasonings. It's super easy and bursts with flavours. Learn how to make it at home in 15 minutes with my simple tips and tricks.
Fried rice one of my favourite dishes for busy day dinners. It's so quick to prepare, versatile, and so satisfying. I add fried rice in my weekly meals, varying the proteins and vegetables. So my family never gets tired of it. Prawns fried rice and Chicken fried rice are also my go-to fried rice recipes, which I'm confident you'll also enjoy.
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Basic Ingredients
You will need Chinese BBQ Chicken or Pork, cooked rice, egg, choice of vegetables, and simple pantry-friendly seasonings. Following is a quick guide with photos and please find the measurements on the recipe card.
- BBQ Meat ( Char Siu ): Char Siu is a Chinese-style marinated roasted pork or chicken with a sweet and savoury taste. You can make it at home or buy the pre-made one at Asian supermarkets. I used leftover Char Siu Chicken, which I've roasted yesterday.
- Rice: Use jasmine rice or a choice of long-grain cooked rice. Make sure to use a day-old, chilled rice to achieve the perfect fried rice texture.
- Garlic & spring onion: Freshly chopped garlic and spring onions ( green onion ) adds depth and aroma to the dish.
- Eggs: Fluffy scrambled egg is a must-add ingredient to Char Siu fried rice which brings both colour and texture.
- Regular Soy Sauce: Soy sauce is an essential savoury seasoning. You can use regular ( all-purpose ) soy sauce or light soy sauce.
- Dark Soy: A simple trick to make your fried rice more appetizing and inviting is to add a splash of dark thick soy sauce. Natural soy sauce strain colour is a perfect combination with rice.
- Sesame Oil: Just a touch of toasted sesame oil enhances nutty flavour.
- White Pepper: It has a mild pepper heat that complements the dish without overwhelming it.
How to Prepare Rice
Following is a simple step that I love to make whenever I make takeaway-style fried rice and I'm sure you will love this trick.
- Use a day-old cold rice which is the best when making fried rice. If you are using freshly cooked rice, spread the rice on a tray and then refrigerate for a couple of hours to allow it to dry out and cool.
- Cold rice separates easily when you stir fry with high heat, it also prevents the rice grains from getting mushy.
- You need to find a large bowl to combine rice and seasonings. Place the cold rice in the bowl. Add light soy, dark soy, chicken powder, and sugar. Mix everything gently and break up any rice lumps, by using your hand or a spatula.
How to Cook It
- Heat the large wok or a large skillet over medium-high heat until it's hot.
- Add oil to the wok and toss in the white part of spring onions, and garlic. Stir fry for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Push the garlic and spring onions to one side of the wok and pour the beaten eggs in. Scramble them into small pieces.
- Next, add the char siu chicken pieces, and green peas, and follow with the prepared rice. Toss everything well for 1-2 minutes.
- Drizzle sesame oil, Shao Xing wine, and white pepper. Finish with a green part of spring onions. Make a taste test and adjust salt and pepper to your taste.
Cooking Tips & Variations:
- Use a large wok or pan that allows the rice and other ingredients to heat up quickly without getting mushy and overcooking. It also gives enough room to toss the ingredients without falling out of the pan and cook evenly.
- Prepare all the ingredients before heating the wok, as stir frying is a fast process.
- Beside Char Siu meat, you can use chicken, prawns, shrimp, minced meat, tofu or a choice of cooked meat.
- You can be creative by trying different vegetables such as bell peppers, mushrooms, sweetcorn, baby corn, broccoli, etc.
- Spice up by adding some dried chilli flakes, fresh chilli slices, or a drizzle of chilli oil.
- For a kick of nutty flavour and crunchiness, you can add toasted cashew nuts or peanuts.
- Recommend using neutral vegetable oil like sunflower, peanut, corn, or canola for stir-frying. Neutral flavour oil won't overpower the flavour of the dish and it has a high smoke point.
Frequently Asked Questions
While jasmine rice is the traditional choice, you can use brown rice, or cauliflower for a healthier option. Just keep in mind that brown rice or cauliflower rice has a different texture and flavour.
Store any leftover Chinese Char Siu Fried Rice in an airtight container in the fridge. It usually lasts in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat it in a wok or skillet with a touch of oil to maintain its texture. You can also reheat it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot. Add a splash of water to prevent the rice from drying out.
Absolutely! Simply omit the Char Siu and use tofu, mushroom, vegan meat, or a variety of vegetables as your meat-free protein source.
How to serve it
To create a full-course Chinese dinner alongside Char Siu Fried Rice, consider pairing it with appetizers like Spring Rolls or Pan Fried Dumplings. Follow it up with a soup, such as Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup or Hot and Sour Soup. For the main course fried rice can be accompanied with Kung Pao Prawns, Chinese Chicken and Broccoli, or Hoisin Chicken. Finish with a dessert like mango sago, or coconut sago for a satisfying complete dinner.
More Delicious Fried Rice Recipes
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Char Siu Fried Rice
Equipment
- 1 Large wok or pan Non-stick or traditional wok
Ingredients
- 150 grams Char Siu Chinese BBQ chicken, pork, or a choice of cooked meat or sausage
- 3 cup Cooked rice Long grain cooked rice
- 2 Eggs Whisked
- 2 cloves Garlic Finely chopped
- 3-4 Spring onion Divide white part and green part, cut thin slices
- 50 grams Green peas Defrosted
- 3 tbsp Cooking oil Neutral flavour oil, sunflower, canola, peanut oil, etc.
Seasonings
- 1 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 2 tsp Dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp Sesame oil
- 2 tsp Shao Xing wine
- 1 tsp Chicken powder
- ½ tsp White pepper
- 1 tsp Sugar
Instructions
- Place the cold rice in the bowl. Add light soy, dark soy, chicken powder, and sugar. Mix everything gently and break up any rice lumps, by using your hand or a spatula.
- Heat the large wok or a large skillet over medium-high heat until it's hot.Add oil to the wok and toss in the white part of spring onions, and garlic.
- Stir fry for a few seconds until fragrant.Push the garlic and spring onions to one side of the wok and pour the beaten eggs in.
- Scramble them into small pieces.Next, add the char siu chicken pieces, and green peas, and follow with the prepared rice. Toss everything well for 1-2 minutes.
- Drizzle Shao Xing wine, sesame oil, and sprinkle white pepper to taste. Finish with a green part of spring onions. Make a taste test and adjust salt and pepper to your taste.
Notes
- Beside Char Siu meat, you can use chicken, prawns, shrimp, minced meat, tofu or a choice of cooked meat.
- You can be creative by trying different vegetables such as bell peppers, mushrooms, sweetcorn, baby corn, broccoli, etc.
- Spice up by adding some dried chilli flakes, fresh chilli slices, or a drizzle of chilli oil.
- For a kick of nutty flavour and crunchiness, you can add toasted cashew nuts or peanuts.
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