Yangzhou Fried Rice
Eric Zhong | ezhong | Asian 261
I’ve had Yangzhou Fried Rice (扬州炒饭) in sticky laminated menus in Chinese restaurants in Strip malls across America to expensive restaurants in the New World district of Shanghai. This variation of fried rice is very popular across China, but why is it so popular across the world? And what are the ingredients symbolic of? And by tradition, what “exactly” is Yangzhou Fried Rice?
Yangzhou fried rice is a variation of fried rice from the city of Yangzhou in the Jiansu province of China. It was invented in the late Qing dynasty by a past magistrate of the city (~1800s). At the time, many merchants from Northern and Southern China traveled through Yangzhou, and is thus a blend of the varied sub-cuisuines within China. Now, it’s a staple in Chinese restaurants across the world — and was even officially added to the United Nation’s menu, where Michelle Obama specifically orders it at conferences, and Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump shared a plate.
Chances are, you have eaten Yangzhou fried rice without even knowing it! It’s called “special fried rice” in the UK, and “house fried rice” in the states. It might just be an unspoken global standard for fried rice. But the ingredients often vary from plate to plate — and so do their significances.
The traditional ingredients are:
- White Rice, preferably long grained, day-old rice (because fresh rice is too wet)
- Diced Cha Shao (叉烧) or Cha Siu, Chinese BBQ pork
- Scallions (green onions)
- Fresh vegetables (carrots, corn, peas, etc.)
- Egg, can either be poured directly onto the rice or stirred in
A note about the Cha Shao — Cha Shao (叉烧) is literally barbecued pork, but it’s not sweet and tangy like American barbecue, but rather just refers to the act of barbecuing. It’s tender, juicy, fatty, and has the crispiest skin. You’ve seen it in the windows of Chinese barbeque stores and (maybe) on the streets. While I was in China, I had Cha Shao Bao on the street for breakfast — sweet bbq pork within a soft bread-like dumplings (very hard to explain in english), Cha Shao Ya Zi (bbq duck) in fancy restaurants where you wrap the crispy duck skin in rice paper and vegetables. Chinese foodies love their Chao Shao, but from a nutritionist’s point of view — every piece of Chao Shao commands an hour and a half of exercise to burn off.
Many variations exist to these ingredients — small, bite-sized shrimp are added, restaurants in the west often add soy sauce directly to the rice or add chicken / beef instead of the pork, and more. While additions aren’t traditional, they are by no means bad, but just represent how Chinese cuisine is adapted and appreciated across the world.
However, people argue that these deviations from the “traditional” recipe of Yangzhou fried rice are detrimental to how Chinese food and subsequently culture are viewed by others. They believe that by giving these adaptations the name “Yangzhou fried rice”, the rich history and significance of the dish is lost. I don’t agree. While I don’t think that Panda Express is Chinese food, I believe that the diffusion of cultures into other countries is a natural result of the globalization of society. Also, where do you draw the line as to who can “authentically” Chinese enough to make a dish? First generation? Second? If we were to mandate that only Chinese people could cook Chinese food, we would be as disconnected from the modern world as people living before the silk road. I view the westernization of Chinese food as an effort to understand and experience another culture, but there is a definite line between that and appropriation.
During quarantine, I tried making Yangzhou fried rice at home. We didn’t have fresh barbeque pork on hand, but we had dried Chinese pork sausages (great replacements for the bbq pork). I’m not the best chef — but I tried my best.
Preparing the ingredients:
On the left:
- Chopped Carrots
- Diced dried Chinese sausage
- Shredded chicken
Not pictured: Peas, sliced scallions. I know that chicken isn’t usually in Yangzhou fried rice but I had some on hand and wanted to use them up.
Next, I stir-fried all of the vegetables and meat in a non-stick pan (no Wok here), letting the fat from the sausages and chicken infuse with the vegetables.
I realized that my rice was not ideal — we only had brown rice, which absorbs significantly more water than high quality long grained white rice.
I chose to drizzle the beaten egg over the rice — big mistake. The rice was already wetter than it was supposed to be and the egg just made this problem worse.
This is the final product, It’s not the prettiest … the rice was too wet and not ideal for making fried rice, but the vegetables and meat were great. I added a bit of soy sauce for color.
It tasted pretty good, but it’s a far cry to the traditional version of Yangzhou fried rice. But during a quarantine, you just have to cook with what you have on hand.
