Pork fried rice, chicken fried rice and in fact, any fried rice, are staples in Chinese cuisine. This simple to make dish is served in poor families as a means to making full use of leftover meat and rice from the previous meal. In Chinese restaurants, fried rice is served at the end of all the delicacies and just before dessert, and will consist of ingredients vaguely consistent with the delicacies served in the same course. For example, if Peking Duck is served, and the meat does not appear alongside the delicious roasted skin served in Chinese pancakes, it is likely to be chopped or ground and used in a duck and and roast pork fried rice.
What do you do when you have leftover marinated pork chops or any other cut of pork, and vegetables from the previous day's barbeque and everyone would moan and groan at the mention of another barbeque? Use them all in pork fried rice! Nobody would realise that they are actually 'recycling' the previous day's food if you do not tell. Add freshly steamed long grain fragrant rice that is used in Asian fried rice and everyone will be transported to another world of cuisine.
Here is an easy recipe for light and fluffy fragrant pork fried rice. Before you read on, first, here is a simple way to disguise the leftover pork chop as a new meat dish. As plain rice would be added, here is a simple way of upping the salty taste without increasing the chances of high blood pressure and at the same time disguising the pork chop as Chinese pork chop. Before roasting or frying the pork chop in the wok, simply add the good 'old' light soya sauce to the marinated meat. For those who prefer the premium taste of soy sauce, use the XO-brewed soya sauce.
I have a sweet tooth on certain days but crave salty items on others. There are two versions of pork fried rice I would make, the sweet version and on other days, the salty version. You will notice that for both versions, I add very little oil. This is because pork contains lots of fats within which will ooze out during cooking.
What you would need for the sweet version:
Ingredients:
200g marinated pork chop - deboned and diced
Apple juice - 1/2 cup per 200g of pork
1-2 cups fruit or vegetables such as apples, carrots, whole grain corn, peas and beans
1/2 - 1 tablespoon corn oil
3 cups boiled rice to match gastronomic needs of the diners
5 - 8 fresh lettuce leaves - whole, depending on size of leaves
Preparation:
1. Heat up the corn oil in a wok large enough to hold all the ingredients.
2. Lightly toss and fry the diced meat until lightly golden brown. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes in its marinade and apple juice. Remove meat from the wok.
3. Stir in all the root vegetables except the fruit.
4. Add the boiled rice into the wok and stir fry until rice is hot.
5. Add the meat.
6. Turn off the flame and transfer the fried rice back into the rice cooker to keep warm.
7. Sprinkle the remaining fruit - diced - over the fried rice when ready to serve.
8. Twist each lettuce leaf into a cup and use a toothpick to hold it in place.
9. Dish the fried rice into the lettuce cups and serve with a smile.
What you would need for the salty version:
Ingredients:
200g marinated pork chop - deboned
1 fresh egg - one per cup of rice grains
Root vegetables such as carrots, whole grain corn, peas and beans
1 tablespoon corn oil
3 cups boiled rice to match gastronomic needs of the diners
2 leaves of lettuce and/or 1 onion, shredded
Salt and soya sauce for taste
Preparation:
1. Dice the pork chop and toss it in the wok until lightly browned. Remove from wok.
2. Scramble egg and onion in a tablespoon of oil.
3. Toss in the rice and meat.
4. Add soya sauce or salt for taste.
5. Spread the shredded lettuce over the rice just before serving.
For both versions, add a dash of Tabasco sauce or chili sauce during frying or when serving to spice things up if you enjoy hot stuff.