Fried Rice

Fried Rice is a wonderful staple food, good as a full main meal, or save the leftovers for a side to Chicken or Pork Chops.  I got started with a basic recipe from June Gavilan, the cook at CCC, and went on from there. 

June Gavilan's Basic Fried Rice. 

One Onion, One Carrot, One Green Bell Pepper. 

One Pound of Rice, 2 Cups of water. 

Lots of Soy Sauce

Left over meat. 

That's about all June gave me to go on, but that's enough.  Here are the particulars, and Sr. Ric's special treatment. 

Do this a little ahead of time. Use one pound of rice (or three cups, if you're serving an army) and two (or three) cups of water. Boil the water and rice until the water disappears and then turn down, cook very slowly for 15 minutes.  This will give you slightly underdone rice which is what you want, because you're going to cook it a little more when you fry it. (!!)

Cool the rice down and pour it out into another bowl.  Wet your fingers a little, and be sure that all the clumps and chunks are separated into single grains.  Cover the bowl with a tea towel and save it to use at the end of the fry. 

Meat.  You can use one of several different kinds of meat. If you really have a leftover, like roast beef or pork, be sure that it is cut up very fine.  Big chunks of meat spoil the effect.  If you don't have leftovers, use one of the following:

+ Pork.  Boil 3/4 pound of pork roast with about 4 oz. of sliced ginger until the pork is very tender.  (This will take hours in Belize, because the pork is so lean.)  Cut the meat into very fine fragments.

+ Shrimp. If you have big shrimp, peal and cut them into thirds.  If you have small shrimp, or (in the States) if you can get popcorn shrimp, use about 3/4 pound of these.  You will cook the shrimp briefly with the vegetables if they are uncooked to start with.  

+ Chicken. Boil 3/4 pound of legs (legs & thighs) until the meat is falling off the bone.  Cut the meat into small pieces, and separate with your fingers until there are no big clumps of meat. 

NEW:  Bill Hinard ("Green River Bill") is a meat-smoker extraordinaire.  He smokes chickens or pork, and sells 20, 30, 40 orders a week!!  If you have smoked meat like this, I have a special (secrete) ingredient that will make your fried rice scrumdiddly-icious!

Vegetables.  Cook June's basic three (Onion, Carrot, Pepper) as follows. 

For shrimp, cut all vegetables into a "shirmp shape" i.e. semi-circles.  For feef or pork, cut into 1/2" squares.  For chicken, cut into smaller longer pieces. 

Season the wok.  Cut a little batch of fresh ginger (1 or 2 Tbsp) and two or three cloves of garlic into fragments.  Add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of Chinese "crushed red pepper" to the spice mix.  Heat 1/4 cup oil in the wok until it begins to smoke, add the spice mix and swirl once to season the oil, and then start adding veggies. 

+ Carrot.  Cook first, in oil, and be sure it's soft. 

+ Onion.  Cook later.  Use black pepper as you are cooking.  Cook until soft. 

+ Green Pepper.  Like onion, cook later.  Cook this with the onion, and it will be a little crisper than the onion and very nice. 

In addition to June's basic three, I add two or three of the following.  

+ Celery.  Cut two stalks into small pieces or shrimp shapes and cook first. 

+ Green Beans.  Cut into 1/2" pieces & cook first. 

+ Cabbage.  Shred several tablespoons of cabbage and cook last.

+ Okra.  Cut into little circles and cook last. 

+ Bean Sprouts.  Add last, and cook quickly. 

New:  If you're cooking smoked meat, you should chop up one Chipotle pepper very fine, and add it to the mix before you add the meat.  You buy these by the can, and save them in water (they keep for months) in a sealed Tupperware dish.   Only use one, and you may cut down on the Chinese crushed red pepper -- Chipotles are HOT!!  They add a dark smoky flavor that complements the smoked meat. 

Marriage.  After the veggies are all added, add about 1 Tbsp of Soy Sauce, and stir.  Add 1 tsp MSG if you dare.  Add three Tbsp water, cover and simmer for three or four minutes.  Add meat.  Stir to heat or (for shrimp) to cook.

Add half the rice, and two or three Tbsp. of Soy Sauce.  Stir until rice is coloured, and hot.  Add remaining rice.  Stir until all is coloured and mixed.  Turn off fire, cover mix, and let it marry for three or four minutes.  Let guests serve themselves.  Serves 4 to 6. 

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