There are so many versions of fried rice. I’m not even going to try and guess how many there are. Yet, what makes it a fried rice? My mom once told me that the very basic Chinese version is just scallion, egg, and rice. That’s all you need for fried rice and any other additions are your choice.

Fancy Crab Fried Rice 4

The key to fried rice is to fry up the eggs first (described in recipe) and remove it from the wok. If you added the egg on to something else, the egg would coat it and you’d get an omelet of sort, not fried rice. Many of the other ingredients should be sauteed separately as well. When in doubt, just saute each ingredient separately and then put it all back together. It seems like a lot of bowls and steps, but it’s really very easy.

The flavors in this fried rice are bright and festive. Crab, pineapple, Chinese sausage, with a hint of curry, on a backdrop of ginger, garlic, and scallion is complex but so balanced. Salty, sweet, and tangy, seem to enhance the crab flavor which is still the centerpiece. I love it! Maybe you’ll make it for Chinese New Year? It’s coming up…

Fancy Crab Fried Rice 7

Fancy Crab Fried Rice
~2 one-bowl meals or 4 sides

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon agave (or 1/2 teaspoon sugar)
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/3 cup chopped Chinese sausage
  • 3 scallions, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
  • 2/3 cup cooked crab meat
  • 2 1/2 cups left-over cooked rice
  • 1/2 cup chopped pineapple
  • salt and white pepper to taste

Instructions –

1. Stir together soy sauce, curry powder, and agave in a small bowl. Set aside.

soy sauce and curry

2. Heat oil in a wok, on medium high heat, swirling it to coat the wok. Add eggs and stir as it cooks in seconds. Remove to a bowl, leaving any excess oil in the wok, and set aside.

3. Add sausage to the wok and toss. When the sausage has softened, remove to a bowl and set aside.

Chinese sausage

4. Add scallion, garlic, and ginger, with a sprinkle of salt. Toss for 1 minute. Add crab meat and toss just until warmed. Remove the contents of the wok into the bowl with the sausage. Set aside.

ginger, garlic, scallion

5. If the wok is dry you can add 1 teaspoon oil and swirl. Add rice and break up any lumps. Stir for 2 minutes. Add pineapple and stir for 1 minute or until rice has softened. Add soy sauce/curry mixture and toss. Add the egg, sausage, crab, scallion, ginger, and garlic back in and toss until well distributed.

rice and pineapple

6. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. (I only added pepper because the soy sauce was enough for me.) Serve immediately.

Fancy Crab Fried Rice 9

posted by jessica at 11:46 AM Filed under Fusion, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.