Mary Jane's Authentic Chicken
Fried Rice Before the Green Onions are Added
The reason I say "authentic"' fried rice is because even though I'm an American (ancestors from Europe) and was born in the US, my family lived in the Orient for 3 years when I was a child. We lived in the Philippine Islands where we ate Chinese Fried Rice along with other dishes at a Chinese restaurant every Sunday after church. Actually it was the restaurant at a Hotel, right next to the ocean. I can't spell it, or I'd list it. A sweet little old, very poor, lady insisted on paying for our family to eat there at her expense. "Auntie" was so special and thoughtful to do that for us. We learned to love Chinese food there but we also got to visit Hong Kong and Japan. The Filipinos had their style of fried rice too, so we got to experience different types and flavors.
It's really difficult, though, in my opinion to find what I call that "authentic" Chinese taste. I've had 100's of different versions of fried rice over the years, whether it be at a restaurant or recipes I've found in cookbooks or on the web. I was never satisfied with the taste until I decided sesame oil was the ingredient that made Chinese food taste authentic to me. Some people don't use as much in their recipes as I do, but I use a lot of it, even more than what I wrote down for this recipe. So add more if you want! You won't always see water chestnuts in fried rice, but I love it for the crunch. The onions and garlic are always in authentic fried rice too. Another note is that if you want your rice to separate and not stick together, then you need to cook it the day before and put it in the refrigerator so it will be cold. They say to rinse your rice before cooking it & even though I've done that many times, it turns out just as good when I don't rinse it.
Mary Jane's Authentic Chinese Fried Rice |
*Whatever you do, do not leave out the sesame oil. I buy it in the large red can!*
Another secret ingredient I have not tried yet - Mirin a sweet rice wine
Peanut or Canola oil
Butter
1 cup onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
4-5 cups cooked cold Basmati or Jasmine rice (cooked the day before)
2-3 cups frozen Grilled Chicken Strips, thawed or any other chopped meat.
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
4-5 cups cooked cold Basmati or Jasmine rice (cooked the day before)
2-3 cups frozen Grilled Chicken Strips, thawed or any other chopped meat.
1/18/20 I'm using rotisserie chicken)
6/22/21- I decided to use fresh chicken breast this time like I used to. See my note below of how I tenderize it.
4 eggs, scrambled
1 can sliced water chestnuts, sliced into strips
1 cup corn
1½-2 cups frozen peas and carrots, pre-thawed in the microwave for 2 mins
2 Tb Toasted Sesame oil (add this toward the end)
4 tsp Lite soy sauce or Coconut Aminos to taste (mostly for color. Too much will make it salty)
Chinese cooking wine
Oyster sauce
1 tsp Accent (unless you are gluten intolerant)
Salt to taste
1 can sliced water chestnuts, sliced into strips
1 cup corn
1½-2 cups frozen peas and carrots, pre-thawed in the microwave for 2 mins
2 Tb Toasted Sesame oil (add this toward the end)
4 tsp Lite soy sauce or Coconut Aminos to taste (mostly for color. Too much will make it salty)
Chinese cooking wine
Oyster sauce
1 tsp Accent (unless you are gluten intolerant)
Salt to taste
Ground white pepper - toward the end. Not too much or it might be too hot/spicy for you.
For Top:
1-2 Tb toasted sesame seeds
6-8 green onions (raw), chopped (for top after the rice is cooked)
Optional:
Oyster sauce and Chinese cooking wine (most Chinese use this in their fried rice), dash of garlic powder, onion powder, ½-1 tsp fresh grated ginger (I don't like ginger but sometimes use powdered ginger), fish sauce. If you have white pepper by all means use it. The Chinese use it a lot in their cooking, which gives it a distinct flavor.
Note: sometimes I use chopped pork, ham or shrimp, but my favorite is chicken.
Note: 6/22/21
I used an Asian tenderizing technique called "velveting", which is totally worth it. That's how meats in Chinese dishes are so tender. You just cut up the meat in small pieces and soak it in a little cornstarch or baking soda for about an hour. Some will tell you to add an egg, Chinese cooking wine, rice vinegar, soy sauce, etc. You can find that technique many places online including YouTube videos.
For Top:
1-2 Tb toasted sesame seeds
6-8 green onions (raw), chopped (for top after the rice is cooked)
Optional:
Oyster sauce and Chinese cooking wine (most Chinese use this in their fried rice), dash of garlic powder, onion powder, ½-1 tsp fresh grated ginger (I don't like ginger but sometimes use powdered ginger), fish sauce. If you have white pepper by all means use it. The Chinese use it a lot in their cooking, which gives it a distinct flavor.
Note: sometimes I use chopped pork, ham or shrimp, but my favorite is chicken.
Note: 6/22/21
I used an Asian tenderizing technique called "velveting", which is totally worth it. That's how meats in Chinese dishes are so tender. You just cut up the meat in small pieces and soak it in a little cornstarch or baking soda for about an hour. Some will tell you to add an egg, Chinese cooking wine, rice vinegar, soy sauce, etc. You can find that technique many places online including YouTube videos.
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