Everybody loves a good old simple fried rice. Fried rice doesn’t have to be normal and boring. To indulge, just throw in some seafood and fish roe for that golden touch and it’s a dish worthy to be served during Chinese New Year.
By Josephine Chan
Everyone knows how to make fried rice and it doesn’t need to be a boring dish. There are many ways to make fried rice interesting and appealing – like adding touches of seafood for more luxe, chicken for more protein or preserved ingredients like salty radish for bold flavours. Lots of ideas for simple fried rice, right? 
Then, I saw Billy Law’s special fried rice recipe from his cookbook, Have You Eaten and immediately liked the idea of adding scallops and tobiko roe to instantly turn a simple fried rice to superior fried rice – so luxe, decadent and fancy. Love the golden hues from lots of tobiko roe on top of the fried rice because it symbolizes gold and to the Chinese, that means prosperity.
Chinese Superior Fried Rice
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Who say fried rice is boring? Get creative and indulge in this dish and wow your family this Chinese New Year.
Ingredients
- 3 cups 1-day old refrigerated cooked jasmine rice (see note)
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 lap cheong (chinese sausage), thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 8 fresh scallops, chopped into small cubes
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas, soaked in warm water for 10 secs
- 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, soaked in warm water for 10 secs
- 1/2 carrot, skinned and diced
- 3 eggs, mixed with 3 1/2 tbsp water and lightly beaten
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup tobiko roe (fresh or frozen), for garnish
Seasoning
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark caramel sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
Instructions
- Pour 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil into a wok over high heat. Add garlic and fry for 1 minute. Then add shallots and stir fry until fragrant. Lastly add lap cheong and scallops. Stir fry until lap cheong turns crisp and scallops are just cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- Pour the remaining vegetable oil into the wok over high heat. Pour the egg mixture into the wok and leave it to cook on one side, while the top is still runny. After about 10 secs, add rice, peas, corn and carrot on top of the egg. Turn down to medium heat. Gently mix everything with spatula, ensuring that the rice is well coated with egg bits. Use the edge of the spatula to break large clumps of rice.
- Add seasoning and stir fry the rice to mix them well into the seasoning, turning them over and over again, until there is no specks of white rice left. Return the lap cheong and scallop into the rice and toss to combine. Remove from the heat.
- To serve, arrange tobiko roe at the bottom of a large bowl. Then scoop the fried rice into the bowl up to the brim of the bowl, tightly pack the bowl. Place the bowl upside down on a serving plate and release the bowl so the roe is now on top of the rice. Serve.
Notes
Fried rice is best cooked with 1-day old cold rice. Refrigerated day-old rice has less moisture and won’t clump together when fried. Never ever use freshly-cooked rice because it will release moisture and your dish will be a soggy gloop of mess.
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Chinese
