ChineseCookingDemystified

Early Look: Fujian Fried Rice (福建炒饭)

Added 2024-08-06 08:06:20 +0000 UTC

I’ve always had a real soft spot for Fujian fried rice.

For many years in Shenzhen I lived right across the street from a Hong Kong style Cha Chaan Teng called Sun Fat, and – like I think happens to us all when you live upstairs from a quality restaurant – Sun Fat delivery became practically a food group. But even amidst the Roast Meat Platters, the Deep Fried French Toast… there were two dishes that I’d get delivered again and again: Cheesy Seafood Rice, which I’ve waxed poetic about before, and Fujian fried rice.

Egg Fried Rice? Check.

A ton of gravy? Check.

Shrimp and chicken for some semblance of protein? Check.

Just one of those comfortable choices to eat when you just can’t be asked to think about what to eat. An order that hit that ‘hangover food’ middle ground in between “brunch and bloody marys with friends” and “saltines and ibuprofen”. And, you know, complete enough... as twenty-something me wasn’t overly concerned about the lack of vegetable.

Now, I’m not going guarantee the dish’ll end up hitting the same spot for you. Recreating this in the home kitchen isn’t difficult, but between making the fried rice and making the gravy… there’s a couple moving pieces which makes the time add up (I’d estimate 90 minutes of cooking door-to-door). So while it probably won’t end up being your comfort food or anything, it’s a good dish, and the sauce is versatile. So if you don’t feel like frying some rice? Top it over noodles, or even over rice-rice.

Great dish, great sauce.