🍚 How a Chinese Chef makes Hokkien Fried Rice (福建炒飯)!

Summary

Join us in mastering the art of Hokkien Fried Rice, a delectable dish with a rich seafood gravy over a fragrant egg fried rice base. Learn the meticulous preparation of ingredients, including marinated chicken, shrimp, and scallops, alongside the aromatic incorporation of dried shiitake mushrooms and carrots. Discover the dish's origins, distinct characteristics, and the secret to achieving that restaurant-quality thick sauce. This culinary journey promises to elevate your fried rice skills and satisfy your taste buds.

Takeaways

• 🍚 The dish being taught is Hokkien Fried Rice, a fancier classic among fried rice dishes.
• 🧂 The rice preparation involves washing 18 oz of Thai jasmine rice with water and cooking it with slightly less water than usual for fried rice.
• 🔪 The chicken breast is diced and marinated with cornstarch, water, and salt before cooking.
• 🦐 Shrimp are halved and marinated with cornstarch and white pepper to remove any fishiness.
• 🍤 Scallops are marinated with cornstarch and white pepper for even seasoning.
• 🍄 Dried shiitake mushrooms are rehydrated and diced for their unique umami flavor, which cannot be substituted with fresh mushrooms.
• 🥕 Carrots are sliced and can be cut into a pattern for aesthetic appeal.
• 🧄 Garlic, ginger, and green onions are prepared by slicing and dicing for use in the dish.
• 📚 Hokkien Fried Rice's name comes from the Fujian province in China, but it's said to have been developed in Taiwan and popularized in Hong Kong.
• 🍲 The dish is characterized by its saucy texture and the presence of seafood, which is essential for its identity.
• 🍳 The cooking process includes stir-frying the marinated ingredients and the rice with eggs, seasoning, and finally adding a sauce for flavor and texture.

Q & A

What is Hokkien Fried Rice?

Hokkien Fried Rice is a fancy classic dish among fried rice varieties, known for its saucy seafood gravy over a base of egg fried rice. It is a dish that every fried rice connoisseur loves.

What type of rice is used in making Hokkien Fried Rice?

Thai jasmine rice is used, with a specific ratio of 18 oz of rice to 16 oz of water, as slightly less water is used for fried rice to achieve the desired texture.

How is the rice prepared before cooking?

The rice is washed by rinsing it off with water to remove any dust, without scrubbing hard, and then drained. This process is repeated with fresh water two more times before adding it to the rice cooker pot.

What is the purpose of marinating the chicken, shrimp, and scallops?

Marinating the chicken, shrimp, and scallops with cornstarch, water, salt, and white pepper helps to tenderize the proteins and add flavor, while also preventing any fishiness in the case of the shrimp.

Why can't fresh mushrooms substitute for dried shiitake mushrooms in this recipe?

Dried shiitake mushrooms cannot be substituted with fresh mushrooms because of their unique umami flavor, which is essential for the authentic taste of Hokkien Fried Rice.

What is the origin of Hokkien Fried Rice?

Although named after the Fujian province in China, Hokkien Fried Rice is believed to have been developed by chefs in Taiwan, influenced by Fujian's seafood cuisine, and later popularized in Hong Kong and Cantonese restaurants worldwide.

What are the key characteristics that make Hokkien Fried Rice distinct?

The key characteristics of Hokkien Fried Rice are its saucy texture, which makes it smooth and tender, and the inclusion of seafood, which is essential for the dish's identity.

How is the sauce for Hokkien Fried Rice made?

The sauce is made with oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, chicken bouillon powder, sugar, white pepper, and cooking wine, mixed together and then thickened with a potato starch slurry.

What technique is used to achieve a restaurant-like gravy thickness?

To achieve a thick gravy like in restaurants, the sauce is thickened with potato starch and cooked on high heat to reduce and thicken it appropriately without making it too much.

What are the final steps to serve Hokkien Fried Rice?

The final steps include shaping the fried rice into a mound, ladling the sauce on top, and sprinkling the remaining diced green onions before serving.

Why is boiling water used when adding it to the stir-fry?

Boiling water is used to ensure that the seasoning doesn't wash off the chicken and that it cooks quickly, keeping the juices in the meat.

Outlines

00:00

🍚 Preparing the Rice and Ingredients for Hokkien Fried Rice

The video script begins with a lesson on making Hokkien Fried Rice, a sophisticated dish popular among fried rice enthusiasts. The process starts with washing and cooking 18 oz of Thai jasmine rice with 16 oz of water, a method slightly modified for fried rice. While the rice cooks, the chef prepares the protein components by dicing and marinating 6 oz of chicken breast with cornstache, water, and salt, and marinating shrimp and scallops with cornstarch and white pepper. Dried shiitake mushrooms are rehydrated and diced, alongside carrots, garlic, ginger, and green onions. The origin of Hokkien Fried Rice is also discussed, noting its development in Taiwan and popularity in Hong Kong and Cantonese cuisines.

05:00

🍳 Cooking the Proteins and Creating the Sauce

The script continues with the cooking process, starting with the preparation of the sauce using oyster sauce, light and dark soy sauce, chicken bouillon powder, sugar, white pepper, and cooking wine. Potato starch is prepared as a slurry for thickening. The rice is fluffed and set aside as the chef moves on to stir-fry eggs in a wok, followed by the addition of rice to create a fried rice base seasoned with salt and light soy sauce. The chef then stir-fries the ginger, garlic, and green onions before adding mushrooms, chicken, scallops, and shrimp in sequence, each cooked briefly to retain their flavors and textures. Cooking wine is added for deglazing, and the dish is seasoned with salt before the sauce is incorporated to create a rich, savory gravy.

10:01

🥄 Finishing the Hokkien Fried Rice with a Succulent Gravy

The final part of the script describes the completion of Hokkien Fried Rice. The chef adds carrots to the stir-fry, followed by the sauce mixture and boiling water to create a succulent gravy. Additional salt and dark soy sauce are used to adjust the flavor and color. The gravy is thickened with the potato starch slurry, cooked on high heat to reduce and achieve a restaurant-quality thickness. Finally, sesame oil and neutral oil are added for a glossy finish. The fried rice is shaped into a mound, topped with the rich sauce, and garnished with diced green onions before serving. The video concludes with the family enjoying the completed dish, emphasizing its comfort and luxury due to the variety of seafood and the distinctive sauce.

Keywords

💡Hokkien Fried Rice

Hokkien Fried Rice is a dish named after the Hokkien province in China, known for its rich seafood gravy and egg fried rice base. It is a central theme of the video, showcasing a Chinese culinary classic. The script describes the dish's preparation, emphasizing the importance of seafood and sauce, which are characteristic of Hokkien Fried Rice.

💡Rice washing

Rice washing is the process of rinsing rice to remove any dust or impurities before cooking. In the video, it is mentioned as the initial step in preparing Hokkien Fried Rice, highlighting the attention to detail required in cooking this dish. The script specifies not to scrub the rice hard, indicating a gentle approach to preserve the rice's quality.

💡Marination

Marination is the process of seasoning food with spices and flavors, often using a liquid solution, to enhance taste before cooking. The script describes marinating the chicken, shrimp, and scallops with cornstarch, water, salt, and white pepper, which is crucial for the dish's flavor profile and the seafood's tenderness.

💡Diced

Dicing refers to cutting food into small, uniform cubes. The script mentions dicing the chicken breast, mushrooms, and carrots, which is essential for even cooking and presentation in Hokkien Fried Rice. The uniform size ensures that each ingredient cooks properly and contributes to the dish's texture.

💡Umami flavor

Umami is one of the five basic tastes, often described as savory. The script specifically mentions dried shiitake mushrooms, which are used in the dish for their unique umami flavor that cannot be substituted with fresh mushrooms, emphasizing the depth of flavor in Hokkien Fried Rice.

💡Sauce

Sauce in this context refers to the flavorful liquid that is a signature element of Hokkien Fried Rice. The script details the creation of the sauce with ingredients like oyster sauce, light soy sauce, and chicken bouillon powder, which contributes to the dish's rich and comforting taste.

💡Slurry

A slurry is a mixture, often of starch and water, used to thicken sauces or gravies. In the video, potato starch and water are combined to create a slurry that thickens the sauce for Hokkien Fried Rice, achieving the desired consistency similar to restaurant-quality dishes.

💡Stir-frying

Stir-frying is a cooking technique where ingredients are quickly cooked in a small amount of hot oil over high heat. The script describes the process of stir-frying the rice with eggs and separately stir-frying the other ingredients for the sauce, which is fundamental to the preparation of Hokkien Fried Rice.

💡Seasoning

Seasoning refers to the process of adding spices, herbs, or other flavorings to food. The script mentions adding salt and light soy sauce to the stir-fried rice, as well as tasting and adjusting the sauce's seasoning, which is crucial for balancing the flavors in Hokkien Fried Rice.

💡Cantonese

Cantonese is both a language and a culinary tradition. The script explains that Hokkien Fried Rice, despite its name, became popular in Hong Kong and is associated with Cantonese cuisine. This highlights the cultural and culinary exchange within Chinese regional dishes.

💡Food styling

Food styling is the art of presenting food to make it visually appealing, often for photography or videography. The script briefly mentions food styling props and the process of plating the rice and sauce, which is part of making the final dish look attractive and appetizing.

Highlights

Introduction to making Hokkien Fried Rice, a fancy classic dish among fried rice connoisseurs.

Washing and rinsing rice properly to remove dust without scrubbing hard.

Using 18 oz of rice with 16 oz of water for a slightly less water content typical for fried rice.

Dicing chicken breast and marinating it with cornstarch, water, and salt for texture and flavor.

Marinating shrimp and scallops with cornstarch and white pepper to enhance taste and remove fishiness.

Using dried shiitake mushrooms for their unique umami flavor, which cannot be substituted with fresh mushrooms.

The importance of soaking dried mushrooms in warm water to rehydrate before cooking.

Slicing carrots and adding a decorative pattern for visual appeal.

Cutting garlic, ginger, and green onions for the aromatic base of the fried rice.

Hokkien Fried Rice's origin story, developed in Taiwan and popularized in Hong Kong, with a unique seafood gravy.

The necessity of seafood for the dish to be considered Hokkien Fried Rice, emphasizing its seafood base.

Creating a sauce with oyster sauce, light soy sauce, and other ingredients for the signature Hokkien flavor.

Using potato starch for a restaurant-quality thickening of the sauce.

Cooking the rice and fluffing it with chopsticks to prevent clumping.

Stir-frying eggs and rice together to create a harmonious base for the fried rice.

Seasoning the fried rice with salt and light soy sauce for a well-balanced taste.

Adding aromatics like ginger, garlic, and green onions to the wok for the initial stir-fry.

Stir-frying the marinated proteins and vegetables in sequence to develop flavors.

Incorporating the sauce and slurry into the stir-fry to create the rich gravy of Hokkien Fried Rice.

Final adjustments with additional salt and dark soy sauce for depth of flavor and color.

Thickening the sauce on high heat with constant stirring for a glossy finish.

Adding sesame oil and neutral oil for a glossy and aromatic final touch.

Plating the Hokkien Fried Rice with a mound shape and ladling the sauce on top for presentation.

Completion of the dish with a garnish of diced green onions and serving.

Transcripts

Today my dad’s gonna teach us how to make

Hokkien Fried Rice!

As far as fried rice goes,

this is one of the fancier classics

that every fried rice connoisseur loves.

In this video, we’re gonna learn

how a Chinese chef crafts the sauciest seafood gravy

on top of a beautiful egg fried rice base,

along with where this dish actually comes from.

Cheers!

Let’s dive in.

We're going to use 18 oz of rice.

First, we'll wash the rice.

You don't have to scrub the rice hard.

The rice is quite clean, we're just rinsing off any dust.

Pour this water out.

After washing, we’ll drain the water.

Then repeat with fresh water 2 more times.

Now, we’ll add the rice to the rice cooker pot.

Pour the rice in.

I'm adding 16 oz of water.

Now, we’ll add in 2 cups of water.

Then we can put the pot into the rice cooker, close it,

and start cooking.

To recap, that’s 18oz of Thai jasmine rice

with 16oz of water

(as my dad always uses slightly less water with fried rice)

For our Uncle Roger-approved fried rice masterclass,

check out this video.

The rice is cooking,

Let's cut the chicken breast.

This is 6 oz of chicken breast.

We're going to dice it.

We’ll first cut into thick slices.

Cut it.

Then cut those slices in half.

Cut each slice into two strips.

Don't make the pieces too small.

We’ll rotate 90 degrees and cut into cubes.

See?

Then we’ll repeat with the rest:

first cutting into strips, then into cubes.

After cutting the chicken, we’ll marinate it.

1 tsp of cornstarch,

1 tbsp of water,

and just 1/2 tsp of salt.

Then we’ll mix it in by hand,

squeezing the seasoning into the chicken.

We got our shrimp from Safeway,

and it's already peeled and deveined.

They're quite large, so we'll halve them.

Since these are tail-on shrimp,

we’ll first remove the tails.

Just slice down the middle.

Halve it.

These are larger shrimp, so my dad will cut them in half horizontally.

If you get smaller shrimp, you can skip this step.

We're also going to marinate the shrimp with 1 tsp of cornstarch

and a bit of white pepper in case there's any fishiness.

Again, we’ll use our hands to mix in the seasoning well.

Marinate the scallops with 1 tsp of cornstarch.

My dad likes to use his hand to sprinkle on the cornstarch evenly.

A little bit of white pepper.

And again, we’ll mix in the seasoning with our hands.

We'll dice the mushrooms too.

First, we’ll cut the mushrooms into thick slices.

This was 1/2 oz of dried shiitake mushrooms.

Looked like this.

Rinse and soak in warm water for 1/2 an hour,

and they'll be ready to cut.

Dice the mushrooms.

We’ll line up the slices and cut into small cubes,

then repeat for the rest of the mushrooms.

Dried shiitake mushrooms cannot be substituted with fresh mushrooms,

because of its one-of-a-kind umami flavor.

But first, like my dad mentioned, you’ll have to soak them in warm water

for at least 20-30 minutes to rehydrate them

before cooking with them.

If you want to learn more about the different kinds of

dried mushrooms and fungi we use in Chinese cooking

and how to prepare them,

click the link in our description for Lesson 16.2

in our Fundamentals Library.

We'll just slice the carrot.

If you'd like to make a pattern,

cut a few notches along the sides.

Cut notches into the sides.

Then we’ll cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

We'll slice 2 cloves of garlic.

We’ll first peel the garlic, then trim off the hard ends.

Then cut into thin slices.

We'll slice 1/2 oz of ginger.

We’ll cut the ginger in half, then into thin slices.

We'll cut up the green onion whites first.

We're going to fry these with the other ingredients.

Cut into small chunks.

Chunks.

We'll chop the green parts.

Now, we’ll line up our pieces of the green parts of green onions

and we’ll dice them.

Today's dish is Hokkien Fried Rice,

named after the province in China in its native language of Hokkien.

In Mandarin, the province is called Fujian,

and in Cantonese, fuk gin.

The twist is that this dish does not originate from this province.

According to one story, chefs in Taiwan developed this dish,

influenced by the seafood in Fujian's cuisine.

The dish then became hugely popular in Hong Kong

and spread throughout Cantonese restaurants everywhere.

The succulent gravy is super comforting

while the variety of seafood gives a sense of luxury with every bite.

In fact, high-class restaurants often include expensive seafood

like dried scallops or abalone.

Here my dad explains what is distinct about this dish.

What makes it Hokkien [Fried Rice]?

What are the characteristics that make it Hokkien [Fried Rice]?

You see it has some sauce,

making it smooth, tender, and tasty.

It has seafood, too.

If you had no seafood, would it still be Hokkien [Fried Rice]?

It isn't Hokkien Fried Rice without seafood.

It has to be seafood-based.

Thank you, brother!

Here you go!

Thank you, buddy!

These are all my food styling props.

More, I want more.

What do you want more of, rice?

Yeah!

Here you go!

Oh my god, thank you, buddy.

I think this is enough.

Which one should I use to scoop rice for Maya?

That one!

This one?

This one with the holes?

Mom, you want some too?

Kat.

This works well, buddy.

Now, we'll make the sauce.

For the sauce, we’ll use 2 tbsp of oyster sauce,

1 tbsp of light soy sauce, a 1/2 tsp of dark soy sauce,

1 tsp of chicken bouillon powder, 1 tsp of sugar

a 1/4 tsp of white pepper, and 1 tbsp of cooking wine.

Then we’ll mix it together.

We have all of these ingredients listed on our blog at madewithlau.com

along with step-by-step instructions and video clips

to guide you as you make the recipe at home.

We'll use potato starch for our slurry today.

2 tsp of potato starch.

Depending on how the dish turns out, we may not use all of it.

We'll just start with 2 tsp of potato starch

and 2 tbsp of water.

We'll add water to the ingredients before thickening the dish.

Our rice is done.

We’ll open the rice cooker.

First, we'll fluff the rice with chopsticks.

Then fluff the rice.

Keep the lid open so the steam can escape.

Then we’ll remove the rice cooker pot.

Bring the rice over.

Now we’ll scoop the rice onto a plate.

Now, let's crack the eggs and start cooking.

Now, we’ll crack two eggs into a bowl.

Then beat them.

Now we can heat the wok on high.

High heat.

Lower the heat, then add 1 tbsp of oil.

We’ll spread the oil all around the wok with the spatula.

Then we’ll add the eggs.

We’ll immediately stir the eggs around

to prevent them from burning.

We don't have to cook the eggs too much.

This is fine.

Then, add the rice.

Then we’ll add the rice and stir-fry it with the eggs.

We'll patiently stir-fry this on a lower heat at first.

Press the rice clumps apart.

Add a bit of oil along the sides.

We’ll add a tbsp of oil along the sides here to get a better fry.

The oil along the sides will help the rice stir-fry nicely.

We've de-clumped most of the rice.

Stir-fry with quicker motions now.

After 2 minutes of stir-frying, we can add some seasoning.

We'll add just 1/2 tsp of salt to season.

2 tsp of light soy sauce.

Then we’ll stir-fry to mix in the seasoning.

A little bit of the chopped green onions for aroma.

We’ll add roughly half of our diced green onion greens

and mix them in.

Okay, let's taste the rice.

We can turn up the heat so the rice really crackles.

Hear that?

After a final 2 minutes of stir-frying on high,

we turn off the heat.

Okay, heat off.

Let's plate the rice.

Now we’ll put the fried rice onto a serving plate,

spreading it out so we can scoop the sauce onto it later.

Make the rice base nice.

Then we’ll set it aside so we can cook everything else.

Okay, now we can cook the other ingredients,

no need to wash the wok.

Turn on the heat to start cooking.

High heat.

The wok is hot enough now.

Add 1 tbsp of oil.

Fry the ginger.

Garlic.

We’ll stir-fry the ginger and garlic until aromatic, or just 10-15 seconds.

Green onion bulbs.

After another 10-15 seconds, we’ll add the mushrooms.

Then, stir-fry the mushrooms so they're aromatic.

Dried mushrooms need to be bloomed to release their aroma.

We’ll stir-fry the mushrooms for just 30-40 seconds,

then add the chicken.

Now, add the chicken.

We’ll stir-fry the chicken for just 40-50 seconds.

Flip it.

The bottom is white.

Add the scallops.

We’ll cook the scallops for just 30-40 seconds.

Add more oil for the scallops.

Now, we'll add the shrimp.

Add the carrots.

Stir-fry to mix, another 30-40 seconds.

2 tsp of cooking wine.

We’ll splash in cooking wine from the side of the wok,

and stir-fry for another 20-30 seconds

Now, add the water.

We’ll add 1.5 cups of boiling water here.

Make sure it's boiling water.

Using boiling water ensures

the seasoning doesn't just wash off the chicken.

It'll cook fast so the juices stay in the chicken.

Add the sauce, too.

My dad likes to swirl around some water in the bowl

to get all of the sauce out.

Now, we'll try it for taste.

Let's add another 1/2 tsp of salt.

We haven't added salt yet.

Now we'll add 1/2 tsp of salt.

This is our slurry.

Mix it, then slowly stir it in.

Now we’ll pour in the slurry a bit at a time,

while stirring the sauce with the spatula.

Add another 1/2 tsp of dark soy sauce.

We’ll add a bit more dark soy sauce to get a deeper color.

Perfect now.

Our sauce is perfect with that 2 tsp potato starch.

How do you get the gravy thick like in restaurants?

Thicken it appropriately, not too much.

At the end, cook it on high heat.

It'll reduce a bit.

So after you add the slurry, cook on high heat.

Keep stirring it, and it'll reduce a bit more.

It'll be thick.

Also, it'll thicken really well if you use potato starch.

With the heat off.

A bit of sesame oil.

We’ll add a tsp of sesame oil as well as some neutral oil.

And 1 tsp of oil so it's glossy.

See?

Come try.

Good?

It's good!

Okay.

So good.

Good.

After the taste test, we’ll shape the fried rice into a mound.

Then we’ll ladle the sauce on top of it.

Finally, we’ll sprinkle on the rest of our diced green onions and serve.

Hello, friends!

Our Hokkien Fried Rice is complete!

I hope you all enjoy it!

Hong Doy, Mui Mui, come eat Hokkien Fried Rice!

Ooh, for you Daddy.

Oh my god, thank you!

That's very kind of you!

Smart girl!

Feed Daddy, give it to Daddy.