Recipe: Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage

the appetizer:

Make an authentic Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage using this recipe's overnight technique. From The Culinary Institute of America One Dish Meals cookbook.

Cookbook

Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage

Makes 6 servings

Good fried rice calls for cold, cooked rice. Steam the rice according to the instructions below, then chill it overnight in the refrigerator. Before you use it to make fried rice, break up the clumps of rice into individual grains. Wet your hands with cool water and rub the rice until it separates.

2 tablespoons peanut or light sesame oil
1/2 lb Chinese sausage, cut into medium dice
1-1/2 cups minced onion
2/3 cup medium dice carrot
1/2 cup shiitake mushroom caps
3/4 cup red or green bell pepper, cut into strips
2 cups shredded Napa cabbage
6 cups steamed long-grain rice, cold (see note below)
Salt as needed
Freshly ground black pepper as needed
1-1/2 cups snow peas, sliced on the diagonal
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce

1. Heat the oil in wok over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the diced sausage and stir-fry until the fat is released and the sausage is very hot, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and continue to stir-fry until golden, 4 to 5 minutes.

2. Add the carrot and stir-fry until hot, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry until they begin to release a little moisture, about 2 minutes. Add the peppers and stir-fry until they are limp, about 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and stir-fry until the cabbage is very hot, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the rice and stir-fry until rice is hot and begins to brown. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When the rice begins to turn golden in spots, add the snow peas and stir-fry until they are bright green, about 3 minutes.

4. Pour the beaten eggs into the wok around the edge of the rice. Leave the eggs undisturbed until they begin to turn opaque, then fold them into the rice and cook until the eggs are set and the dish is very hot, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with mushroom soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Serve at once on a heated platter or plates.

Note: Steamed Rice

Steamed rice is a perfect backdrop to many of the dishes featured in the book. Perfectly steamed rice should be hot and fragrant. The type of rice you choose will have an effect on the cooked grain's texture. Jasmine or basmati rice has long kernels that are dry and have a tendency to separate. Sticky rice, as well as short- and medium-grain varieties, are moister with a greater tendency to hold together. Saffron rice has a rich golden hue.

Measure the rice, planning on about 1 cup dried rice for 6 people. Combine the rice and 2 cups cold water in a sauce pan. Add about 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to your taste) and bring the water to a boil over high heat. (For saffron rice, add 4 or 5 crushed saffron threads.) Immediately turn the heat to low, cover the pan tightly, and cook until the rice is tender. Check the rice from time to time as it steams; you may need to add a bit more water if the pot is dry but the rice is still crunchy. White rice usually takes about 15 minutes. Brown rice can take anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes.

Buy the Book

from:
The Culinary Institute of America One Dish Meals
Flavorful Single-Dish Meals from
the World's Premier Culinary College
From the Culinary Institute of America
Lebhar-Friedman Books
$35.00/hardcover
More than 100 color photographs
ISBN: 0-86730-908-3
Recipe reprinted by permission.