Cantonese chicken, egg and pea fried rice

Name: Cantonese chicken, egg and pea fried rice
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 220 g Jasmine rice (fragrant Thai rice), uncooked (dry weight, cooked the day before to give about 550 g cold rice); 300 g Boneless skinless chicken thighs (pargiyot) (3 boneless chicken thighs, pargiyot, cut into 1.5 cm dice); 110 g Eggs (2 shelled eggs); 140 g Frozen peas (frozen; add straight to the wok); 100 g Carrots (1 small carrot, cut into 4 mm dice); 45 g Spring onions (3 spring onions, white and green parts separated); 8 g Garlic (1–2 cloves, chopped); 10 g Fresh ginger (peeled and chopped); 30 g Soya sauce (2 tbsp: 5 g for the marinade, 25 g for the rice, split into 12 g and 13 g); 10 g Kosher dry white wine (2 tsp kosher wine for the marinade, in place of Chinese cooking wine); 6 g Cornflour (2 level tsp for the marinade); 3 g White sugar (½ tsp, dissolved in the soya sauce for the rice); 3 g Fine salt (½ tsp: 1 g in the eggs and 1 g per batch of rice); 1 g Ground white pepper (2 generous pinches; use ground black pepper if unavailable); 40 g Sunflower oil, for frying or as a neutral oil (5 g for the marinade, 10 g for the eggs, 5 g for the chicken, 5 g for the vegetables, 15 g for the rice, 7.5 g per batch); 5 g Toasted sesame oil (1 tsp, to finish); 330 g Water (for cooking the rice the day before)

meat Chinese · 3/5 · medium · 35 min, including 30 hands-on

Well-seasoned fried rice with separate grains, tender golden chicken, soft eggs and peas. Cook the rice the day before, or an hour ahead using the alternative method; finish dinner in the wok in two batches.

regular version

Ingredients for two

220 g	Jasmine rice (fragrant Thai rice), uncooked dry weight, cooked the day before to give about 550 g cold rice
300 g	Boneless skinless chicken thighs (pargiyot) 3 boneless chicken thighs, pargiyot, cut into 1.5 cm dice
110 g	Eggs 2 shelled eggs
140 g	Frozen peas frozen; add straight to the wok
100 g	Carrots 1 small carrot, cut into 4 mm dice
45 g	Spring onions 3 spring onions, white and green parts separated
8 g	Garlic 1–2 cloves, chopped
10 g	Fresh ginger peeled and chopped
30 g	Soya sauce 2 tbsp: 5 g for the marinade, 25 g for the rice, split into 12 g and 13 g
10 g	Kosher dry white wine 2 tsp kosher wine for the marinade, in place of Chinese cooking wine
6 g	Cornflour 2 level tsp for the marinade
3 g	White sugar ½ tsp, dissolved in the soya sauce for the rice
3 g	Fine salt ½ tsp: 1 g in the eggs and 1 g per batch of rice
1 g	Ground white pepper 2 generous pinches; use ground black pepper if unavailable
40 g	Sunflower oil, for frying or as a neutral oil 5 g for the marinade, 10 g for the eggs, 5 g for the chicken, 5 g for the vegetables, 15 g for the rice, 7.5 g per batch
5 g	Toasted sesame oil 1 tsp, to finish
330 g	Water for cooking the rice the day before

Method

The day before, rinse the rice under cold water until it runs almost clear, then drain. Cook with the 330 g water: bring to the boil, cover and cook over a very low heat for 12 minutes, then leave to rest for 10 minutes without lifting the lid. Spread the rice on a tray, let it cool for 15 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.
In the evening, prepare everything before heating the wok. Cut the chicken into 1.5 cm dice and mix with 5 g soya sauce, the wine, cornflour and 5 g oil, without salt, as the meat is koshered. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, separate the cold rice grains by hand and cut the carrot, spring onions, garlic and ginger. Beat the eggs with 1 g salt. Dissolve the sugar in the remaining 25 g soya sauce.
Heat the wok over a high heat until lightly smoking, add 10 g oil, then pour in all the eggs. Stir in broad folds for 45 seconds, until set but still glossy and soft. Transfer to a bowl. Add another 5 g oil, spread the chicken in a single layer and sear untouched for 2 minutes, then stir-fry for 1–2 minutes. The cubes should be golden and firm, with no pink at the centre when one is cut open. Set aside with the eggs.
Add another 5 g oil and stir-fry the carrot and spring onion whites over a high heat for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and still-frozen peas and cook for 2 minutes: the peas should be glossy and hot, and the carrot still slightly crisp. Transfer to the bowl with the chicken, break the eggs into pieces and mix. This is the chicken, egg and vegetable mixture; divide it in half.
Fry the rice in two complete batches. For each batch, heat the wok until smoking, add 7.5 g oil, spread out half the rice and leave to sizzle untouched for 1 minute, then stir-fry for 2 minutes. Sprinkle in 1 g salt, pour half the sweetened soya sauce onto the hot side of the wok and stir for 30 seconds. Taste: the rice should be well seasoned. Add half the chicken, egg and vegetable mixture and stir constantly for 1 minute over the highest heat, uncovered: everything should be piping hot, with no cold clumps. Transfer the first batch to a covered mixing bowl and leave the second in the wok.
Turn off the heat and return the first batch to the wok with the spring onion greens and white pepper. Stir for 20 seconds. Taste and adjust the salt, then drizzle with sesame oil. Serve immediately, piping hot.

Lighter version

Jasmine rice (fragrant Thai rice), uncooked : 160 g
Water : 240 g
Sunflower oil, for frying or as a neutral oil : 30 g
Frozen peas : 200 g
Carrots : 150 g
Boneless skinless chicken thighs (pargiyot) : removed
add Skinless chicken breast escalopes (150 g each) 300 g (2 chicken breasts, cut into 1.5 cm dice, in place of the thighs)

Step 1: cook 160 g rice with 240 g water.

Step 3: use the same marinade and cooking method for the diced chicken breast, but remove as soon as opaque at the centre, after 2 minutes untouched and 1 minute stirring. It finishes cooking with the rice.

Step 2: omit the oil from the marinade, using only soya sauce, wine and cornflour.

Step 4: allow 1 extra minute for the larger quantity of carrot.

Step 5: use 5 g oil per batch of rice instead of 7.5 g.

Less rice and oil, more vegetables, and chicken breast instead of thighs, using the same wok method and seasoning.

On your plate

Recipe

945 kcal · protein 51 g · carbs 102 g · fat 36 g

Quantities per person

110 g Jasmine rice (fragrant Thai rice), uncooked
150 g Boneless skinless chicken thighs (pargiyot)
55 g Eggs
70 g Frozen peas
50 g Carrots
22.5 g Spring onions
4 g Garlic
5 g Fresh ginger
15 g Soya sauce
5 g Kosher dry white wine
3 g Cornflour
1.5 g White sugar
1.5 g Fine salt
0.5 g Ground white pepper
20 g Sunflower oil, for frying or as a neutral oil
2.5 g Toasted sesame oil
165 g Water

Cooking tips

Rice cooked the day before, cooled quickly and refrigerated should be eaten within 24 hours and reheated only once. The 35 minutes covers the evening cooking only, with the rice already cooked. If you have no day-old rice, the alternative method starts cooking it as soon as you get home and chills it in the freezer, taking 1 hour 10 minutes in total. The chicken and vegetables can be cut the day before, alongside the rice, and kept in containers in the refrigerator; this cuts the evening cooking to 25 minutes. If using 2 chicken breasts, 300 g, use the same marinade but remove from the wok as soon as they are opaque at the centre. For a variation, add 100 g sliced mushrooms or Chinese cabbage with the carrot. Basmati rice also works. Reheat leftovers in the wok over a high heat for 3 minutes. Use unsweetened kosher pareve soya sauce.

Equipment : flat-bottomed wok or large 28–30 cm frying pan, saucepan with a lid, tray or wide dish for spreading out the rice, chopping board, bowls for the prepared ingredients, mixing bowl with a lid or plate to cover, spatula

Family-style Cantonese fried rice, adapted with chicken and eggs; rice quantities are given as dry weight.

Cantonese chicken, egg and pea fried rice

Method

On your plate

Recipe

Cooking tips

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