Eight-treasure fried rice

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This very special fried rice is perfect for a celebratory occasion such as Chinese New Year. The grains are studded with a variety of luxury ingredients including Chinese sausage, dried shrimp, shiitake mushrooms and peas, with a little fermented chilli bean paste for heat. It's important to make sure your long grain rice is well cooked and chilled in advance of making fried rice, otherwise it can turn mushy.

First published in 2020

This fried rice is made more celebratory by the addition of eight 'treasures'. Traditionally, eight-treasure rice could be sweet, made with steamed sticky rice and nuts and dried fruit; or savoury, such as in this recipe. The actual eight ingredients can vary household to household, but the idea is that we're using an abundance of ‘luxury’ ingredients that would have been relatively expensive or rare in the past, such as meat and seafood. This also means a much richer depth of flavours, colours and textures beyond your regular old egg-fried rice. I’ve opted for Chinese sausage, dried shrimp and roasted cashews, as well as a mix of vibrant vegetables for a fresher take on this classic.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Eight treasures

Method

1
Break up the cooked, chilled rice as much as possible to separate the grains, then set aside
2
Heat a wok or large frying pan over a high heat. Add a tablespoon of the vegetable oil then pour in the beaten eggs, swirling the pan to scramble them until they're softly set and slightly golden at the edges. Transfer to a plate and set aside
3
Add the remaining oil to the pan along with the garlic, ginger, chilli bean paste and drained dried shrimp. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, or until fragrant
4
Push the ingredients to the side of the wok, then add the Chinese sausage and spread out in a thin layer. Fry until golden at the edges, then add the shiitake mushrooms, peppers and sugar snap peas. Stir-fry for 1 minute, or until the vegetables are tender
5
Add the eggs back into the pan, along with the rice and peas. Toss well for 1 minute until mixed thoroughly
6
Add the soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar, stirring and cooking until each grain of rice is hot and evenly seasoned. Taste and check for seasoning, adding any salt if necessary
7
Finish with the roasted cashews, sesame seeds and spring onions, giving everything a final toss to mix

Shu grew up in Singapore and continues her nation's obsession with food in London, where she writes about food that's seasonal, British, yet Singaporean at the same time.

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