Thanks. I looked it up on Wheaton's on line site and my library has it so I'll get it next time I go there.

Thanks. That sounds good.

sebee, that's pretty much my method as well. The only difference for me is that I generally add the green onions right at the end. Works every time.

toria wrote:The problem with carrots is if raw they would take too much time to get done.

A tip for raw carrots that applies in almost every similar situation: I use a vegetable peeler and make thin ribbons that cook quickly.

Hi,

I've been testing recipes recently for a Japanese cookbook. They had a technique for dealing with carrots that offers a different look and quick cooking:

Slice the carrots with a pairing knife as if you were whittling a stick. They come out thin and oblong.

I'll advise more on this cookbook once it is released sometime from now.

Regards,

Mhays wrote:

toria wrote:The problem with carrots is if raw they would take too much time to get done.

A tip for raw carrots that applies in almost every similar situation: I use a vegetable peeler and make thin ribbons that cook quickly.

Cut them in small cubes and add them to the wok first so they have a longer time to cook. I often use yellow onions and generally let them and the carrots have a little extra wok time together before adding any other veg. This has the added benefit of carmalizing the edges of the onions a bit before the wok cools down.

toria wrote:The problem with carrots is if raw they would take too much time to get done. The fried rice I recall did not have carrots, although in this day and age they are found in a lot of chinese dishes, including fried rice. Years ago you could get chinese food with real chinese vegetables, bok choy, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, black mushrooms, tree ear, lily buds. Now they chop up some green pepper, onions, and carrots drench it in a sweetish soy sauce and that's chinese food. Maybe I'm a victim of "suburban chinese food syndrome" and I need to go to China town.

The real problem with carrots is that they simply do not belong in the fried rice of my world.

If I see fried rice with that light tan colored fluffy rice dotted with the contents of a frozen bag of discount peas and carrots, I know I'm pretty much in for "glop" instead of Chinese food. I'm not sure when this started but I first noticed it in the southwest many, many moons ago. I laughed my butt off when my order of vegetable fried rice came as that stuff, and it went into my mental notes as a reason that the Southwest would never be for me. I thought I'd never see that in the Chicagoland area, but, apparently, here we are. When I'm wanting fried rice from a new place, and "vegetable fried rice is on the menu," I ask what vegetables are in it. Once you say, hold the frozen peas and carrots, and then list off actual vegetables that would belong in a vegetarian meal that the place should be actually proud to serve to someone, I usually get e decent concoction. I usually offer them the note that I would be happy if they would care to throw in any fresh peppers, or some chili garlic sauce, or other interesting bits they might have to the mix. Frozen peas and carrots tho - that's their way of saying "They will just eat whatever we slop out to them."

If you wanna get your wok screaming hot, I'd recommend a turkey fryer. I use my turkery fryer for everything but frying stuff. I put my cast iron on the burner to get it screaming hot for restaurant style steaks (sear on each side, finish in the oven or with indirect heat on a grill), for brewing beer outdoors, and best of all, for creating a wok that gets hotter than most indoor stoves will. I just prep everything and have the bowls lined up and ready to go. You can make fried rice in a couple of minutes, same with most Chinese dishes.

The bonus is your house doesn't reek like a chinese restaurant after you are done, since you did all the cooking outdoors.

seebee wrote:

toria wrote:The problem with carrots is if raw they would take too much time to get done. The fried rice I recall did not have carrots, although in this day and age they are found in a lot of chinese dishes, including fried rice. Years ago you could get chinese food with real chinese vegetables, bok choy, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, black mushrooms, tree ear, lily buds. Now they chop up some green pepper, onions, and carrots drench it in a sweetish soy sauce and that's chinese food. Maybe I'm a victim of "suburban chinese food syndrome" and I need to go to China town.

The real problem with carrots is that they simply do not belong in the fried rice of my world.

If I see fried rice with that light tan colored fluffy rice dotted with the contents of a frozen bag of discount peas and carrots, I know I'm pretty much in for "glop" instead of Chinese food. I'm not sure when this started but I first noticed it in the southwest many, many moons ago. I laughed my butt off when my order of vegetable fried rice came as that stuff, and it went into my mental notes as a reason that the Southwest would never be for me. I thought I'd never see that in the Chicagoland area, but, apparently, here we are. When I'm wanting fried rice from a new place, and "vegetable fried rice is on the menu," I ask what vegetables are in it. Once you say, hold the frozen peas and carrots, and then list off actual vegetables that would belong in a vegetarian meal that the place should be actually proud to serve to someone, I usually get e decent concoction. I usually offer them the note that I would be happy if they would care to throw in any fresh peppers, or some chili garlic sauce, or other interesting bits they might have to the mix. Frozen peas and carrots tho - that's their way of saying "They will just eat whatever we slop out to them."

N.B. When I talk of carrots in my fried rice, I mean real carrots, not those frozen orange cubes they mix in with peas.

you can put anything in fried rice if you are going with the lets use up the leftovers mode,even sliced hotdogs. but my holy grail for fried rice does not have carrots. One thing we did not talk about is what kind of rice do you use, what brand? I made some sona masuri rice to put in the fridge overnight but that is south indian, its the only kind I have now so we shall see. I am making it tomorrow. Is there a certain brand of rice chinese restaurants use?

Mhays wrote:I would suggest: make sure you're using both ginger and garlic as seasoning, and toss in some sesame oil along with your soy - I think this is the standard "takeout chinese" seasoning. The texture is where I run into trouble - cold rice is critical, but I've also failed with it, so that's not the only variable (I have had some minor success using brown rice just because the bran protects it a bit from mushiness.)

I agree with this advice on the seasoning, perhaps adding a bit of oyster sauce if it's handy. But I would add the ginger and sesame oil later in the preparation to avoid dulling their flavor - stir in just before removing from the pan. Also add some chopped scallions when serving. That said, I have also produced tasty fried rice with just soy sauce and sesame oil.

Brown rice is our default, and using cold leftover cooked brown rice has always yielded good results for me. I use a short-grain variety. (on that subject: is anyone else having difficulty locating short-grain brown rice lately? I can find it only at Whole Foods these days. I used to be able to get it at my local Jewel!)

this comes down more to technique than a set recipe.

Here is the most valuable tip I can render: quickly scramble your eggs in a hot pan with a generous amount of oil (or a non-stick pan with a little oil), and then dump your rice right into the eggs while the eggs are only barely half-cooked. they should still be very wet. stir your rice into the eggs and as a result you get a beautiful creamy egg texture throughout the fried rice. This is where I would splash in the soy and garlic and stir till uniformly hot and sizzling.

if you want to add vegetables: they should be pre-cooked and chopped small and combined with the cold rice before you begin frying the eggs. (predictably, some vegetables don't need to be pre-cooked, like snow peas)

if you want to add some shrimp or ham or other meat: chop into small pieces and fry before frying the eggs. combine with the rice (and vegetables) then proceed.

sarcon wrote:Brown rice is our default, and using cold leftover cooked brown rice has always yielded good results for me. I use a short-grain variety. (on that subject: is anyone else having difficulty locating short-grain brown rice lately? I can find it only at Whole Foods these days. I used to be able to get it at my local Jewel!)

I get my brown rice (short grain also) at H-mart. It was on sale for less than $10 for a big bag!

One rather cool thing is that Lodge makes a cast iron wok with a flat base. If you have a glasstop electric stove, you can damn near make that sucker glow red. Weighs about a ton, of course, but that's great thermal inertia.

Geo

And if you REALLY want to do it right, here's the cheapest, most authentic solution.

Blast off!

Geo

Cool equipment. Not going to happen a my house though. No room and too heavy. I will have to make do with my faux wok and a high output burner on my stove.

I made my first attempt at fried rice. I used raw fine strips of a rib eye steak for the meat. I marinated this in some teriyaki, ginger, garlic, soy and green onions for a few hours. I heated the pan and put oil in and threw in the meat and white parts of green onion.and cooked that on high heat. then I put in the egg and scrambled, dumped in the rice and soy sauce. Green onion parts, bamboo sprouts and sesame oil went in at the end. A pinch of sugar. All in all I think it was good I would give it a 7 out of ten. Not the most delicious fried rice but good for a first attempt. Color and texture is right on. I have come to be a believer in sugar. I need to add a bit more next time. but it still did not have the missing taste I am looking for...I guess that will still be a memory unless I can find it in a restaurant.
What about bead molasses? I dont here this talked about much.

toria wrote:I am looking to make the brown colored delicious fried rice you used to be able to get at chinese takeouts. It was addictive and had rice, scrambled eggs, green onions, small pieces of meat, sometimes pork or beef, and bean sprouts in it, as well as soy sauce.

I used to crave Pago Pago's fried rice. From memory it had chicken, tiny shrimp, bbq pork, egg, bean sprouts, and lettuce(!). The bottom of the container was especially delicious because of the slightly oily quality which seemed to concentrate the flavors.

toria wrote:but it still did not have the missing taste I am looking for...

I wonder if what you are missing is umami?, the "fifth taste"?

Being were talking about restaurant flavor Chinese food, and human memory, I'm guessing trying monosodium glutamate in your cooking might do the trick.

Try an experiment. Get all your ingredients for a batch of your fried rice. Split them in two. Make one batch like you normally do, and for the second batch throw a teaspoon full of Accent into your process early on. Plate both preparations and do a side by side taste test.

Possibly but I was not even aware that accent is still being sold. I'm leery of putting msg in a dish. I think I'll give up trying to duplicate my favorite fried rice at home. I'll still make it but only as a vehicle to use up leftovers. I'll glady throw in bacon, peas, carrots the whole ball of wax as long as it taste good. It won't be authentic. I'll order fried rice out and I'll continue my quest, using the best fried rice thread as a guide to where to go.

toria wrote: I'm leery of putting msg in a dish.

It would be all in the name of science of the culinary arts!

FWIW, I know this is a tangent in the fried rice thread, but there's MSG in all kinds of things many of us normally ingest.

Had fried rice at Sun Wah last night. Definitely has sesame oil in it. Not a lot, just a touch. Green peas, meat, egg, tiny bits of scallion or chive.