What is Fujian Cuisine?
If you’ve read our post on the 8 Great Cuisines of China, you already know a little bit about Fujian’s food, known as Min cuisine. Fujian Province is located right on the ocean, so there are many dishes cooked with both fresh and dried seafood. As in Cantonese cuisine, preserving the pure flavor of the original ingredients is important, as well as creating umami (known in Chinese cooking as xiān wèi – 鲜味). Fujianese dishes are sometimes referred to as Fukien or Hokkien style, or after the province’s capital of Fuzhou. You may see Fujian fried rice also referred to as “hokkien fried rice.” Some say that this style of fried rice actually originated in Taiwan, as Taiwanese food is heavily influenced by Min cuisine.
One of Our New Favorite Fried Rice Dishes
The very first time I tried Fujian fried rice, I was hooked by the hints of five spice, comforting seafood flavors, and of course the combination of flavorful glossy sauce and tasty fried rice. It’s like I got two dishes in one—as if I’d ordered a saucy meat and vegetable stir-fry and poured it over my fried rice! Simply delicious. Oftentimes, we simply whip together fried rice with whatever we’ve got in the refrigerator. Of course, this has given us some of our favorite fried rice combinations over the years, like Bacon and Egg Fried Rice, Fried Brown Rice, and Mushroom Fried Rice, to name just a few. That said, it’s actually pretty rare that I follow one of our own fried rice recipes to the letter! With this Fujian fried rice, however, we’ve re-ignited our love of fried rice made with extra care. We’ve ordered this out at our favorite Chinese restaurants, and have made it at home a few times. It’s so delicious and comforting.
Your Fried Rice is As Successful As Your Preparation
Fried rice can seem intimidating, as you have to prep a fair number of ingredients. And I admit, there are lots of steps to this dish! Rehydrating dried seafood and mushrooms, searing meats, stir-frying rice and mixing sauces… But each step is fairly straightforward, so follow them closely, and you’ll be happy with the results! Trust me when I say it’s all worth the trouble in the end. If you have any doubts, just look at the final dish!
Recipe Instructions
1. PREP THE MUSHROOMS & SCALLOPS
Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water for 2 hours (longer is fine) until the mushrooms are fully hydrated. Dice the mushrooms and set aside. Soak the dried scallops in hot water for 1 hour or longer until softened. Use your fingers to break apart the hydrated scallops and set aside.
2. PREP THE RICE & REMAINING ADD-INS
If you are using freshly cooked rice, spread it out onto a large shallow bowl to cool. If using day-old rice from the refrigerator, rinse your hands in water and break up any large clumps of rice and set aside. Measure and prep the eggs, shrimp, shallots, garlic, and peas and carrots.
3. VELVET THE PORK & CHICKEN
Cut the pork belly into small bite-sized pieces about ½-inch (1cm) thick and wide. Add the 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine along with ¼ teaspoon each of salt, sugar, five spice powder, and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside. Dice the chicken into ½-inch (1cm) cubes and stir in the 1 tablespoon water, 2 teaspoons oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon oil, and ½ teaspoon cornstarch. Set aside to marinate.
4. MAKE THE RICE SEASONING SAUCE & Sauce Base
For the rice seasoning sauce, mix ¼ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons light soy sauce and 2 tablespoons warm water until everything is dissolved and set aside. For the sauce base, combine 2½ cups chicken stock, 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon white pepper.
5. ASSEMBLE THE DISH
Now that you’ve prepared everything, you’re ready to fire up the wok and start cooking! Heat the wok over high heat until just smoking, then reduce to medium heat. Coat the wok with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the beaten eggs. Stir until they’re about 90% cooked, breaking up into smaller pieces. Turn down the heat if needed to prevent the eggs from scorching. Transfer back to the bowl and set aside. Increase the heat to high until the wok is lightly smoking. Add ½ tablespoon canola oil around the perimeter of the wok, followed by the rice. Stir-fry to heat the rice through. (Day-old refrigerated rice will take longer than freshly cooked rice.) Next, add the rice seasoning sauce and continue stir-frying until the sauce is fully incorporated and the rice is steaming. Mix in the cooked eggs. Stir-fry until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a large shallow serving dish and set aside (there should be enough room in the dish to hold the sauce you will be pouring on top of the rice). Over high heat once again (the wok should be lightly smoking), add another ½ tablespoon oil to the wok, along with the marinated pork. Spread the pork out evenly. Sear for 30 seconds. Then stir-fry for another 30 seconds to evenly sear the meat. Remove from the wok and set aside. Heat the wok until just smoking (you should start feeling confident now—there is a lot of repetition!). Add ½ tablespoon canola oil to the wok, followed by the marinated chicken. Spread the chicken out evenly. Sear for 30 seconds. Stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Remove from the wok and set aside. With the wok set over medium-high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok. Add the rehydrated scallops, and stir-fry for 20 seconds or until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for another 20 seconds. Mix in the shallots and the garlic. Next, add the shrimp. Stir fry for 30 seconds—just to get a light sear, not to cook it through. Give the prepared sauce base a stir, and pour it into the wok. Let the sauce come up to a simmer. Once it does, stir in the peas and carrots, pork, and chicken. Bring the sauce mixture to a simmer again. Stir in the cornstarch slurry until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon. Add more cornstarch and water mix if you like the sauce thicker. Scoop the sauce mixture on top of the fried rice. Serve and enjoy!
