Yang Zhou rice rice, or 扬州炒饭 (yang zhou chao fan), is probably one of the most popular fried rice dishes. It is sometimes called Cantonese fried rice or simply pork fried rice. And it’s almost almost a default on the Chinese takeout menus throughout the US.
What is Yang Zhou fried rice
Yangzhou fried rice is from the city Yangzhou, located in Jiangsu province of China. It is said that the dish was invented by Yi Bingshou, a regional magistrate of Yangzhou. Hence the dish is named Yang Zhou Fried Rice. But there is a wide variety of stories about this dish with different origins.
No matter how the dish was invented, Yang Zhou fried rice reflects the true spirit of Chinese fried rice by turning leftover food scraps into a satisfying and delicious dish.
Ingredients for Yang Zhou fried rice
The beauty of Yang Zhou fried rice is that the ingredients are extremely versatile.
The most common ingredients include:
- char siu pork (Chinese BBQ pork) or Cantonese sausage (lap cheong).
- Although sometimes you will see chicken or duck in place of the pork.
- A small amount of shrimp is often used.
- The main aromatic is green onion.
- And there’s always small diced vegetables, such as carrots, bamboo shoots, peas, and corn.
- And of course eggs, scrambled into small pieces with the rice.
In my recipe, I picked some of the most popular and my favorite ingredients: char siu pork, shrimp, green peas, and eggs.
How to assemble your own Yang Zhou fried rice
But you can absolutely change up the ingredients according to what you have handy in your pantry. For example, diced roast beef, roast chicken, leftover ham, and even leftover stew meat are great substitutes for char siu pork.
If you do not have shrimp, you can simply skip it. You can also use a seafood mix to step up your game.
I always use thawed frozen vegetable mix for my fried rice to save prep time. I used green peas in this recipe. But feel free to use other veggie mixes such as corn, carrots, edamame, green beans and / or broccoli. And of course, you can definitely use fresh vegetables as well if you prefer. Chopped up Chinese broccoli stems and zucchini (remove the seeds) are great options.
If you decide to skip certain ingredients, for example, not adding the seafood or using no or less meat, you can increase the number of eggs from two to three. It makes the fried rice more balanced.
Cooking tips
Best pan to make Yang Zhou fried rice
Even though I’ve always recommended that home cooks use a skillet over a wok, this is one of the dishes that will benefit greatly if you do use a wok. Like I stated in my previous post on wok vs. skillet, I pointed out that simple dishes that use minimal seasonings benefit more from a wok.
That being said, it’s totally OK to use a skillet for this dish, and I’ve made a video to show you how to do it.
If you’re not very experienced with Chinese cooking, I highly recommend using a large nonstick skillet to make Yang Zhou fried rice. It saves you all the trouble dealing with rice that’s stuck to the pan.
You can also use a carbon steel pan (which I used in my video) or a cast iron skillet. In this case, you will need to increase the amount of oil to prevent the rice from sticking. If you notice the rice starting to stick, simply let it sit there for a minute. Once the rice is caramelized, the grains can be easily removed from the pan.
Why leftover rice
The goal is to use rice that is less sticky, so the grains will separate better during the stir fry. When you use rice that was cooked a day or a few days ago, the grains will lose moisture and achieve this result naturally.
If you just made fresh rice, you can spread the rice into a thin layer on a large plate so it cools off faster, and lets more moisture out. When it has cooled off a bit, transfer it to the fridge (without covering it) and let it sit until it’s cooled down completely before covering it. This will make the rice more suitable for fried rice.
If you want to plan your meals ahead, I also recommend cooking extra rice and freezing the portion for fried rice in ziplock bags. The rice will lose more moisture in the freezer and it will be perfect for fried rice.
A hot pan and enough oil are the key
No matter whether you’re using a wok or not, high heat and a hot pan will create a much better fried rice by crisping up the grains and searing the meat and vegetables. Even with a nonstick pan, if you heat up the pan properly and let the rice toast long enough in the pan, it will become crispy. You should also make sure to use enough oil, otherwise the rice will have a dry mouthfeel once toasted.
How to make Yang Zhou fried rice
Making Yang Zhou fried rice is super fast and easy:
- Sear the char siu pork and shrimp
- Toast the rice with hot oil and soy sauce
- Scramble the eggs and mix them into the rice
- Cook with vegetables
- Add back the cooked protein and finish up
That’s it!
Now you have a big plate of authentic tasting Yang Zhou fried rice that’s loaded with goodies. You can serve it as a side dish, but this one is so satisfying that I often eat it as a main dish for lunch.
Afterthoughts
You might have noticed from the picture that my version of Yang Zhou fried rice uses a few more shrimp than the regular takeout version. Because I prefer my fried rice to be more substantial. And that’s why I think homemade fried rice is much better than takeout.
Yang Zhou fried rice is an excellent way to use leftover food from your fridge, too. I hope you give this one a try and enjoy it as much as I do!
Other delicious Chinese recipes
Serve Yang Zhou fried rice with the dishes below to make a Chinese takeout style dinner at home:
- Scallion Beef Stir Fry (葱爆牛肉)
- Air Fryer Chinese Chicken Wings
- Chicken and Broccoli (Chinese Takeout Style)
- Egg Drop Soup
- Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (蚝油芥蓝, Gai Lan)
- Bok Choy and Mushroom Stir Fry
Chinese Cooking Made Easy
Are you new to this website? This free email series is a great place to start. I’ll walk you through a few of my most popular recipes and show you how and why they work. You’ll quickly start to cook better Chinese food in your own kitchen.
Yang Zhou Fried Rice (扬州炒饭)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 4 oz (110 g) char siu pork , diced (or ham, or sausage)
- 6 oz (225 g) shrimp , peeled and deveined (*Footnote 1)
- 1/2 cup frozen vegetable mix , thawed (I used frozen green peas)
- 4 cups leftover cooked white rice (*Footnote 2)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 large eggs , beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 4 green onions , chopped
Instructions
- Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a wok or a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Swirl to coat the bottom of the pan with the oil. Add the ham and shrimp. Cook for 30 seconds without disturbing. Stir and cook until the shrimp turn white. Immediately transfer the ham and shrimp to a separate plate.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil and the rice. Stir and cook for 1 minute to coat the rice with oil. Pour in the soy sauce. Stir and cook until the soy sauce is evenly distributed. And the grains are separated.
- Move the rice to one side of the pan and add oil and the beaten eggs to the other side. Let cook for 30 seconds until the bottom is just set. Stir gently to scramble the eggs, then mix the rice with the eggs. Stir and cook until the eggs are separated into small pieces, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the vegetable mix and green onion. Sprinkle salt and white pepper. Stir and cook for another minute.
- Return the cooked shrimp and char siu. Give it a final mix. Turn to low heat, carefully taste the rice and adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer to serving bowls and serve hot as a side dish, or a light main dish.
Video
Notes
- If you use large shrimp, you can cut each shrimp into 3 to 4 small bite-size pieces. So the shrimp will disperse into the rice evenly and every bite of rice will have a piece of shrimp in it.
- If you’re cooking from raw rice, 1 1/2 cups of raw rice will yield 4 cups of cooked rice.
Nutrition
Have a question or feedback? Add a Comment
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cookcoda
This Yangzhou fried rice recipe is rich in texture, the rice is Q-bouncy and sticky, and the ingredients are fresh and varied, so you can feel the different flavors in every bite.
J-Mom
Another great recipe! Relatively simple and quick but full of flavor! Thank you for the recipe.
marcy youker
can wait to make it, sounds very good. thanks.
Cindy Brooks
I love fried rice and it’s fun to make. I can’t wait to make it using your tips! Thanks!