Egg Fried Rice

I first read this method of cooking egg fried rice in Yan Kit's Classic Chinese Cookbook in the early 1980s. I've been using it ever since and it's a success every time. It's also a good way of using up any boiled rice from a previous meal in a very easy, tasty way.

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Ingredients

• 400g (14oz) boiled rice left for 3-4 hours to dry out. Spreading it out flat after cooking will improve this process.
• 2 tbsp peanut (groundnut) oil
• 1 large egg beaten with 1/4 tsp of salt
• 2 spring onions cut into small rounds with the white and green separated
• 2 tsp Thick Soy Sauce

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Preparation

• Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan.

• Add the white part of the spring onion and stir a couple of times.

• Add the beaten egg and fry for 10 seconds.

• Add the rice and stir so that the egg adheres to it.

• Heat until the rice is warmed through and piping hot.

• Add the green part of the spring onion.

• Add the Soy Sauce and mix into the rice.
  

For variation try using duck eggs instead of hen. Duck eggs are much richer tasting and this intense flavor suits fried rice well. Another thing you can do is to fry some chopped bacon or pancetta and add it to the oil first. Fry until crisp and then add the white of the spring onion and continue the recipe from there. Adding bacon flavors the oil and ultimately the rice. Bacon and egg are a classic combo, so I'd recommend cooking it this way.

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Beef In Oyster Sauce

There's a school of thought that at its peak Chinese cookery is the best cuisine on the planet. There's also a theory that the best Chinese chefs work out of Hong Kong. In the book Chinese Cookery Masterclass, Willy Mark got the greatest masters for each region of Chinese cooking to part with their secrets and some of their best recipes.

This recipe for Beef with Oyster Sauce, hails from the Southern school (Cantonese) of Chinese cooking. As Beef in Oyster Sauce is my wifes favorite Chinese meal, and this is arguably the best recipe for it in the world, it's guaranteed to get a result with her.

Ingredients

11 oz Beef Steak (300g)
1 oz (25g) Root Ginger
3 oz (75g) white part of spring onion
450 ml (16 floz / 2 cups) peanut oil for frying the beef
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tsp Rice Wine

Marinade
1 1/2 tsp ginger juice (the first time I prepared this dish I squeezed the juice from a piece of ginger by hand. A process taking considerable time and effort. An easier alternative is to peel and dice some ginger, then press the result using a garlic press.)
1 1/2 tsp Rice Wine
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1 egg white
1/2 tsp meat tenderizer (optional)
1 tbsp peanut (groundnut) oil
1 tbsp cornflour

Sauce
1 1/2 tbsp good quality oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
3 tbsp stock or water
1 tsp cornflour

Preparation
Cut the beef into thin slices across the grain. Peel and slice the ginger and cut the white of the spring onions into 2 inch (4-5 cm) pieces. Mix the marinade ingredients, add the beef, cover and marinate for 1 hour in the fridge.

Heat a wok over a high heat and add the oil. Reduce to a low heat when the oil is hot. Cook the beef in the oil for 30 seconds before removing with a perforated spoon and alowing it to drain. This technique is called running through the oil (or velveting) and seals the meat trapping any flavors inside. It also imparts it with a velvety texture.

Remove the oil then heat the pan a second time over a high heat adding 2 tbsp oil. Fry the garlic, ginger and spring onion for 15 seconds then add the beef and add the rice wine, splashing it round the outside till the sizzling stops.

Mix the sauce ingredients and add to the pan stif frying over a high heat for about 30 seconds.

Serve hot and fresh from the pan.

I just cooked this recipe using some Puddledub Aberdeen Angus fillet steak and it was totally awesome. It definitely makes my top ten dishes of all time.