WW wokking through Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge
by Grace Young
This is my new favorite. Unbelievably simple, healthy, and delicious!
Mise en place.
Bowl 1: Shrimp
Bowl 2: Rice, peas
Bowl 3: Ham, scallions
Bowl 4: Salt, white pepper
I was skeptical while making this stir-fry - with no seasonings other than salt and white pepper - and as hard as it was, I did refrain from adding that little bit of garlic, and soy sauce that is typical of fried rice recipes.
This took me by surprise - it really was full of flavor - no other seasonings are needed, and the white pepper added the perfect amount of heat. No wonder in China, Yangchow fried rice is prized for its clean and fresh flavors (perfect description btw). I have said before, simple can be best, and it rings true with this recipe.
This was so simple to prepare: the shrimp is stir-fried in a small amount of oil just until it turns color, add a little more oil, and the rice and peas, stir until heated through, throw in the ham, scallions, and seasonings, mix all together, and it's done. A most delicious meal in mere minutes.
This also would be utterly delicious made Catonese style, with Chinese barbecued pork in place of the ham.
Do give this recipe a try; you'll be missing out if you don't.
We as a group do not post the recipes on our blogs, but lucky for you, the recipe is published on Fine Cooking's website, and of course, you can always find it on page 259 of Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, by Grace Young.
I'm wondering if the oil takes on a faint flavor of the shrimp, which then coats the rice... It's sure a mystery as to why it is sooooo good, but it is! Great post and fantastic photos as always. New favorite for me too!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Karen. I agree, it must be the shrimp.
DeleteKaren, It is a magical recipe. There's hardly any seasoning although you're right, the shrimp definitely flavors the oil. The key to a great stir-fry is to use quality ingredients. This is an example of how stir-frying punches up the flavors of the ingredients so that you barely need to season.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh I think we must be kindred cookbook spirits! My family calls my cookbooks "mom's fictional library". This stir fry sounds amazing. I wonder if it would be good veggie-ized as I'm a vegetarian?
ReplyDeleteOnly one way to find out, Vicki!! As mentioned above, the shrimp does add flavor to the oil - but vegetable fried rice would be tasty too - just make sure to use the freshest ingredients you can get. And do use white pepper, I think it added a lot to the flavor in this stir-fry.
DeleteThis is perfect for me, Cathleen! No garlic to leave out! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI will definitely try this soon!
I did think of you David as I was making this! Hope you enjoy it!
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