 | |
| Type | Fried rice |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | China |
| Region or state | Greater China |
| Main ingredients | Cooked rice |
| Variations | Hokkien fried rice,Yangzhou fried rice,yin yang fried rice |
| Chinese fried rice | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 炒飯 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 炒饭 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | fried rice | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Chinese fried rice[a] is a family offried rice dishes popular inGreater China and around the world. It is sometimes served as the penultimate dish inChinesebanquets,[1][2] just beforedessert.
The earliest record of fried rice is found in theSui dynasty (589–618 CE).[3] Though thestir-frying technique used for fried rice was recorded in a much earlier period, it was only in the lateMing dynasty (1368–1644 CE) that the technique became widely popular.[4]
Fried rice is believed to have started as a way to accommodateleftovers. Traditionally, Southern Chinese prefer their rice polished and plain, as a base staple to eat with meat and vegetables.[5] The vegetables, meat and rice leftovers from the day before—which have passed their prime but are still good to consume, and too good to be fed to animals—are seasoned withsoy sauce,lard andgarlic, and stir-fried, making a hot meal.[6]
The basic elements of Chinese fried rice include rice, meat and vegetables, soy sauce and garlic. A number of fried rice recipes have been developed in China, such asYangzhou andSichuan fried rice. Leftover cooked rice among theCantonese is commonly made into fried rice, prepared with chopped vegetables and meat.[5] It is believed[by whom?] that the basic stir-fried technique to cook fried rice, which required Chinesewok, spread from Southern China to otherrice farming cultures inEast andSoutheast Asia.
The basic elements of Chinese fried rice arecooked rice, meat, and vegetables mixed withegg, soy sauce andgarlic for flavour and seasoning; also cooking oil for greasing, eitherlard,vegetable oil orsesame oil. The oil and soy sauce grease and coat the rice grains, thus preventing them from burning and sticking to the cooking vessel. Sometimes choppedscallion,ginger,chili pepper andmushroom, and also diced processedpork, are added to the mixture. All ingredients are stir-fried on a strong fire in awok, and the rice is turned, stirred and agitated using a spatula to evenly cook the rice and distribute the seasoning.[7] Leftover rice is commonly used, and the dish can incorporate other leftover ingredients as well.[8][9]
The main ingredients of basic Chinese fried rice are cooked rice, stir-fried with chopped vegetables and meat, seasoned with soy sauce and garlic. Started as a humble and simple way to cook leftovers, initially there is no single exact recipe for fried rice in Chinese cuisine tradition, since any different leftovers and additional ingredients could lead to another different recipe. Each household might have its own way to cook fried rice. Varieties differ in the contents, seasonings, and spices. This versatility and its economic value to save food has led to the popularity of stir-fried rice in China.
Today, many recipes for Chinese fried rice exist. This includes regional varieties such asYangzhou fried rice (扬州炒饭;Yángzhōu chǎofàn) fromYangzhou,[10]Hokkien fried rice (Chinese:福建炒飯;Fuk1gin3 caau2faan6) fromFujian, and spicySichuan fried rice from Sichuan. Sichuan fried rice is notable for its tangy, hot and spicy flavour owed todoubanjiang chili sauce mixed with garlic, green and red onion.[11]
Chinese fried rice dishes have spread to other parts of the world. The stir-frying technique that requires the use of a Chinese wok, and the use of soy sauce as a seasoning in fried rice, spread to neighboring East Asian countries, the Southeast Asian region, and subsequently the rest of the world. For example, Japanesechāhan (チャーハン;炒飯) originated from the fried rice made by Chinese immigrants in the 19th century.[12] Despite having distinctly stronger flavour,Indonesiannasi goreng is also believed to have been initially influenced by Chinese fried rice.[13]
Latin American countries also have versions of Chinese fried rice,[14] such asarroz chaufa (Chinese Peruvian fried rice) andarroz frito (Cuban-Chinese fried rice andPuerto Rican-Chinese fried rice).[15] Indianpulao is also influenced by Chinese fried rice.[16]
Chinese fried rice is common inAmerican Chinese cuisine, especially in the form sold asfast food. The most common form of American Chinese fried rice consists of some mixture of eggs,scallions, and vegetables, with chopped meat added at the customer's discretion, and usually flavored withsoy sauce instead oftable salt (more typical for Chinese-style fried rice). Sometimes achop suey-fried rice combo is offered in Chinese restaurants in the United States.
The dish is also ubiquitous in Chinese restaurants in theUnited Kingdom (both sit-in and takeaway), and is common in theWest African nations ofNigeria,Ghana andTogo, both in restaurants and asstreet food.
In Korea,Korean Chinese-style fried rice is a separate genre of fried rice that differs fromKorean-style fried rice dishes.
McDonald's serves McChao, a Chinese fried rice dish named afterchǎofàn, which means "fried rice" in Chinese.[17]
Bacillus cereus poisoning is called "Chinese fried rice syndrome" due to its historical tie with fried rice dishes.[18]
Yang Chow is one of the most popular variations of Chinese fried rice recipes.,
Indianpulao is not the same as Persianpilaf and, though in recent years it has been influenced by Chinese fried rice, it is not fried rice either.
Bacillus cereus poisoning has historically been associated with fried rice, being referred to as the "Chinese fried rice syndrome".
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