A good bowl of Sichuan fried rice—ANY fried rice, really—can work wonders on your outlook on life. It’s an all-in-one meal with starch, veggies, meat, and, of course, it’s the perfect vehicle for your favorite hot sauce or chili oil.
Many Fried Rice Recipes
Over the years, we’ve posted many fried rice recipes:
- Shrimp Fried Rice
- Supreme Soy Sauce Fried Rice
- Ginger Garlic Shrimp Fried Rice
- Classic Beef Fried Rice
- Classic Chicken Fried Rice
- Young Chow Fried Rice
- Egg Fried Rice
- Crab Fried Rice
- Bacon and Egg Fried Rice
- Thai Basil Shrimp Fried Rice
- Classic Pork Fried Rice
- Scallop Fried Rice with Crispy Garlic and XO Sauce
- Kimchi Fried Rice
- Cantonese Chicken and Salted Fish Fried Rice
- Vegetable Fried Rice
- …and Banquet Fried Rice
ALLLLL THE FRIED RICE.
However, I would humbly argue that this Chengdu-Style Sichuan Fried Rice is my personal favorite pick-me-up.
What is Sichuan Fried Rice?
Chengdu-Style Sichuan Fried Rice is salty, a little greasy, toasted at the edges of every grain, and packed with salty and delicious bits of Jinhua ham, sui mi ya cai (a Chinese preserved vegetable), and life-affirming scrambled egg, of course. A healthy amount of scallions adds that necessary green element and onion-y flavor.
The secret to a good Sichuan Fried Rice is its minimalist approach to the ingredients and a super hot wok. The ham and scallions get perfectly crisped along with the rice, and pouring scrambled raw egg over the top of the whole thing makes sure it’s perfectly, evenly incorporated.
Plus, it only has 8 ingredients!
Just add chili oil or a heaping spoonful of our garlicky chiu chow sauce, and everything will be A-okay.
A SourCe for sichuan ingredients
If you can’t find sui mi ya cai at your local Chinese grocery, or you don’t have a grocer near you, check out The Mala Market. They have a curated collection of spices, dry goods, pickles, and sauces, and they also sell sui mi ya cai!
Sichuan Fried Rice: Recipe Instructions
Place the Jinhua ham in a heatproof bowl or plate. Heat up your choice of steaming device (e.g., an actual steamer pot, a wok with water and a metal rack, etc.), and steam the ham for 15 minutes.
Remove from the steamer and cool. Chop up the ham and then mince it finely.
Next, heat 5 tablespoons of oil in the the wok over high heat. Add the ham and stir fry until it’s lightly crisped at the edges.
Add the suimi ya cai and stir fry for 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the scallions and stir-fry until the scallions get lightly blistered.
Add the cooked jasmine rice to the wok and stir fry to distribute the ingredients evenly.
Spread the rice out in one layer and let “fry” for 2 minutes. Add the white pepper and Shaoxing wine. Stir the rice to combine.
Spread out again and let the rice fry for another 2 minutes. Stir to combine, and spread it out and let it fry again. Next, drizzle the beaten eggs over the rice.
Stir fry the rice, allowing the egg to cook and distribute throughout. Serve!
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Recipe
Chengdu-Style Sichuan Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 5 ounces Jinhua ham (140g, or any standard salt cured ham sold at your Asian grocery store)
- 5 tablespoons oil
- 1 packet suimi ya cai (2.8 oz./80g)
- 6 scallions (chopped)
- 7 cups cooked jasmine rice
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 4 eggs (beaten)
Instructions
- Place the jinhua ham in a heatproof bowl or plate. Heat up your choice of steaming device (e.g., an actual steamer pot, a wok with water and a metal rack, etc.), and steam the ham for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the steamer and cool. Chop up the ham and then mince it finely.
- Next, heat 5 tablespoons of oil in the the wok over high heat. Add the ham and stir fry until it’s lightly crisped at the edges. Add the suimi ya cai and stir fry for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the scallions and stir-fry until the scallions get lightly blistered.
- Add the rice to the wok and stir fry to distribute the ingredients evenly. Spread the rice out in one layer and let “fry” for 2 minutes. Add the white pepper and Shaoxing wine. Stir the rice to combine.
- Spread out again and let the rice fry for another 2 minutes. Stir to combine, and spread it out and let it fry again. Next, drizzle the beaten eggs over the rice. Stir fry the rice, allowing the egg to cook and distribute throughout. Serve!
