Kitchen Recipe Collection
Yangzhou Fried Rice
The most famous fried rice in China. A delicate, light, and colorful stir-fry of day-old rice, eggs, shrimp, Char Siu pork, and vegetables, without heavy soy sauce.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 4 servings
- 4 cups day-old cooked jasmine rice, cold
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 100g Char Siu (BBQ pork), diced
- 100g small raw shrimp, peeled
- 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1/2 cup carrots, finely diced
- 3 scallions, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
Equipment
- Large wok
- Spatula
Instructions
- 1
Prepare Rice
Use wet hands to break up any large clumps in the cold, day-old rice.
- 2
Prepare Ingredients
Ensure the Char Siu, shrimp, carrots, and peas are all diced to a uniform, small size.
- 3
Heat Wok
Heat a wok over high heat until smoking. Add 1 tbsp of oil.
- 4
Scramble Eggs
Pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble them quickly, breaking them into small pieces. Remove and set aside.
- 5
Sauté Meats
Add another tbsp of oil to the wok. Fry the shrimp and Char Siu for 1 minute until the shrimp turns pink.
- 6
Add Veggies
Add the carrots and peas. Toss for 30 seconds. Remove all ingredients from the wok and set aside with the eggs.
- 7
Fry the Rice
Add the final tbsp of oil to the wok. Add the cold rice. Fry vigorously over high heat.
- 8
Toss Continuously
Use the spatula to press and toss the rice, ensuring every grain gets heated and slightly toasted.
- 9
Season
Sprinkle the salt, white pepper, and Shaoxing wine over the rice. Notice there is no dark soy sauce; Yangzhou fried rice is meant to be bright and pale.
- 10
Combine
Return the eggs, meats, and vegetables to the wok.
- 11
Final Toss
Toss everything together rapidly for 1 minute until all ingredients are evenly distributed and steaming hot.
- 12
Garnish and Serve
Turn off the heat, stir in the chopped scallions, and serve immediately.
Cooking Tips
- Day-old, refrigerated rice is mandatory. Fresh rice contains too much moisture and will turn into mush when fried.
- True Yangzhou fried rice never uses dark soy sauce, which would muddy the beautiful colors of the eggs, shrimp, and peas.
Variations
- Vegetarian: Omit the meat and seafood, add diced firm tofu and extra vegetables.
- Golden Sand (Jin Sha): Mix the raw egg yolks directly into the cold rice before frying so every grain is coated in yellow.
Nutrition Estimate
380 calories · 18g protein · 48g carbs · 12g fat · 3g fiber per serving
