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How to Make Yangzhou Fried Rice

Yangzhou fried rice is an upgraded version of egg fried rice. It takes longer to prepare, but the steps are simple.

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★★

Essential Ingredients and Tools

  • Cold rice (drier is better)
  • Eggs
  • Frozen, peeled, deveined white shrimp
  • Canned luncheon meat
  • Green peas
  • Carrots
  • Corn kernels (optional)
  • Scallions (green onions)
  • Cooking oil
  • Salt

Calculations

Determine how many servings you want to make before starting. One serving is sufficient for 1–2 people.

Per serving:

  • Cold rice: 500g
  • Eggs: 2–3
  • Frozen, peeled, deveined white shrimp: 10–15 pieces
  • Canned luncheon meat: 150g (Shanghai Maylin ham luncheon meat is recommended; each can is 340g, so use half a can per batch)
  • Green peas: 30g
  • Carrots: 30g
  • Corn kernels: 30g
  • Scallions: 1 stalk
  • Cooking oil: 30–40ml
  • Salt: 12–15g

Instructions

  • Dice carrots into 0.2cm × 0.2cm × 0.2cm cubes. Set aside.
  • Dice luncheon meat into 0.2cm × 0.2cm × 0.2cm cubes. Set aside.
  • Separate the white and green parts of the scallion. Cut each into 0.25–0.5cm segments and set them aside separately.
  • Beat the eggs in a bowl, mix well, and set aside.
  • Boil the carrots, green peas, and corn kernels until cooked, then remove and set aside (do not discard the water).
  • Boil the shrimp until cooked, then remove and set aside (the water can be discarded).
  • Heat the wok and add oil. Refer to Learning Stir-frying and Pan-frying for the "hot wok, cold oil" technique.
  • For the second addition of oil, use 20–30ml. Once the oil is heated, slowly pour in the beaten eggs (maintaining a stream diameter of about 0.5cm from the bowl to the oil). Do not stir immediately.
  • As soon as the eggs set, remove them from the wok and set aside.
  • Add the luncheon meat, green peas, carrots, corn kernels, and shrimp to the wok. Stir-fry for 1–2 minutes, then remove and set aside.
  • Rinse the wok with water to remove any residue, ensuring it is clean (oil is fine, but no food particles should remain).
  • Heat the wok again with 10ml of oil. Add the white parts of the scallion and stir-fry until fragrant.
  • Reduce the heat to low (if the oil temperature is too high, turn off the heat for 1–2 minutes). Add the rice and use a spatula to quickly press and toss the rice, ensuring it is evenly coated with oil and the grains remain separate.
  • Add the cooked eggs back in. Continue pressing and tossing to break up the eggs and mix them thoroughly with the rice.
  • Increase the heat to high. Add all the remaining reserved ingredients. Stir-fry quickly for 1–2 minutes.
  • Sprinkle in the salt and stir-fry until fully incorporated.
  • Add the green parts of the scallion and stir-fry for 1 minute.
  • Turn off the heat and plate the dish.

Additional Notes

  • If your arms feel sore after cooking, this is normal. Consider strengthening your upper body exercises.
  • Supermarkets often sell frozen mixed bags of peas, carrots, and corn. Using these can save you the trouble of dicing. Pams Mixed Veges is recommended for its low price, or any similar product will work (see image below).

Pams Mixed Veges

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improving the process while following this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull request.