The keys to making restaurant quality fried rice at home

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When chef Mario Scoredato does not make fresh pasta in his primary company, pasta bar, in Mchenry, Illinois, he works as a private chef at Bunker Hill FarmsA private golf resort about 60 miles northwest of the center of Chicago. As part of that performance, he gives cooking lessons for guests – often coaching of amateurs on the finer points of making fresh pasta at home. “The big surprise for people,” he says, “is how easy it is to make.”

The same applies to the classic Chinese take -out dishes of Cerrtain, such as fried rice, which chef chef score dato often cooks at home for his family -although he will occasionally break the ingredients for a cooking lesson in Asian collection meals in the resort, but only as guests ask. Fortunately for you we asked the chef for his advice about cooking the typical Chinese side dish, and he obliged. That means you don’t have to book a stay at Bunker Hill Farms to learn his secrets. (However, you have to book a stay at Bunker Hill Farms to experience the unique golf course of the building. But that is a different story for a different time.)

Fresh is not the best

Most dishes benefit from per minute to cook. Baked rice is not one of them. The starch in freshly cooked rice grains is too pronounced, which means that it will not interact with hot oil as you want. “It will stay,” says Scoredato. “It will be mushy. It just doesn’t work well.”

What works well, the chef advises, is a day old rice or at least rice that is cooked the morning and is allowed in the fridge. “There are so many dishes in so many different kitchens that are made to use remaining ingredients, and fried rice is one of that,” he says. “So it works best if you left, cooked rice.”

Good chance

If you have ever been to a Teppanyaki restaurant (better known as Hibachi here in the United States) and you have seen how the chef rose a batch of baked rice on the flattop, you know that those delicious grains are anything but good for you. The amount of butter that has been added to the mix is ​​amazing.

But as you will see in the recipe of Chef Scoredato (below), fried rice at home is at least marginal better for you – two tablespoons of neutral oil is not the problem; It is the six grams of bacon that neutralizes part of the health gains. Nevertheless, when you are the one who wears the apron, you can dictate the details. “As a chef, you have control over one of the most important factors – the fat,” says Scodato. “Not only the quantity used, but the type of fat and quality.”

Dranches or avocado oil are the preferred options of the chef because they are processed at least, which means that they are the healthiest of the couple.

Open for interpretation

Speaking of control, fried rice gives chefs a lot at home, which is a different attraction. “You can easily make it from yourself,” says Scoredato. “Baked rice is not a dish with strict guidelines. It is not a situation in which someone will say:” Well, according to the ancient Chinese tradition it must be these four things. ” It doesn’t matter if there are things in the recipe, is great.

Bigger * is * better

Once you have decided your ingredients and have cooked the rice in advance, you need the right barrel. Excellent fried rice is just as well a product from where it is cooked as the ingredients used to make it. A large wok is the preferred choice, but it is not a requirement. A traditional frying pan can also suffer as long as it meets one criteria. “Thinking in the language of Jaw“Says the chef,” sometimes you need a larger boat. “

The translation? The larger the Sauté pan, the better. “Only because it fits,” he says about all the ingredients, “did not mean to cook exactly there.” You not only want a pan that can hold the rice and all its equipment, but you want to ensure that there is enough space for some open space as soon as all those ingredients have been added. The air flow and the extra surface are which ensures that everything becomes crispy.

Fire

And about that subject, the best baked rice offers an element of crunch, which can only be parted when you get the heat. So, in the words of chef -chef score dato, don’t be afraid to use it. “The less experienced cook tends to use less heat than they need in many cases,” he explains. “But if we want to get a very nice crispy and brown on our fried rice, we must be willing to take the chance that we can make a mistake and take it too far.”

Mario Score Datoes’s favorite baked rice

Proceeds: 4 portions

Active cooking time: 20 minutes

Start by ending: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons. grape or neutral oil
6 Oz. bacon, medium -sized dice
1/2 yellow onion, medium dice
1/2 cup of peas
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 teaspoon. fresh ginger, peeled and minced meat
2 cups of cooked and cooled long -grained rice
2 eggs, well beaten
2 teaspoon. I am sauce
1 teaspoon. sesame oil
1 tablespoons. oyster sauce
Salt to taste

Ingredients for garnish:

2 spring -from, only green parts, thinly cut into a bias
2 tablespoons. Sesame seeds, roasted

Preparation:

Heat a large anti -stick frying pan over medium heat, add the oil, then the bacon and fry the golden brown around the edges and almost crispy.

Add the onion and cook until it is soft and then add the garlic and ginger. Boil until the garlic and onion are light colored.

Increase the heat to high and stir in the rice, broke it with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook until the rice is completely through and in some places golden brown.

Push the rice aside from the pan. Pour into the eggs in the open space and clamber light. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the rice.

Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce and salt to taste. Stir in the peas and cook until it is heated. Taste and add more soy sauce, if necessary.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced ​​spring onions and serve.