Chinese Preserved Mustard Fried Rice

If you never tried adding preserved mustard into fried rice you are really missing out!!! Fried rice is a staple food in our household and this recipe combines the fragrant and almost wine like fermented flavor of the dried pickled mustard with the sweet and savory Chinese sausage to add an incredibly complex flavor profile that’s super delicious.

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Next time you check out your local Asian grocery store, be sure to pick up a pack of the dried preserved mustard also known as ‘Mei Gan Cai” roughly translated as marinated dried vegetables. I know what you’re thinking…eww but trust me the herbaceous flavor this ingredient brings really takes any fried rice to whole other level. The process to make them is lengthy by using mustard or cabbage greens and sun drying, salting, fermenting, and steaming followed by a final drying step in order to preserve them for years at a time.

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Now to make really great fried rice I have a few tips and tricks for you so you can make it almost like at the restaurant and not like a soggy mushy oily mess. The key to great fried rice is to have all the rice granules and ingredients separate not clumped up.

• Always use old cold leftover cooked rice. Fresh rice is too wet for making good fried rice.
• Break up the rice into individual granules with your hands before cooking. This helps to prevent clumping and the rice sticking to the wok.
• Cook the egg first by scrambling in the wok and putting it aside when cooked. If you put the egg in last it will make the rice soggy.
• Use medium high heat at all times and constantly stir while cooking.
• Do not add too much soy sauce. The rice should still look white, so just a little dash is plenty.

Okay now that you know the secrets give this fried rice recipe a try!

Chinese Preserved Mustard Fried Rice

Prep time: 5 min     
Cook time: 10 min    
Total time: 15 min    
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 6 cups of cooked leftover white rice (grains separated)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup dried Chinese preserved mustard
• 2 Chinese sausages diced
• 1 carrot diced
• 1 green onion chopped
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 3 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp oil

Instructions

1. In a small bowl place dried Chinese preserved mustard and cover with hot water to hydrate for 5 min. Then drain the liquid and chop it into small pieces.
2. In a large wok, heat oil to medium high and scramble eggs until just cooked. Remove from the wok, break it into small pieces, and place aside.
3. Heat a little more oil in the wok and stir fry carrots with Chinese sausage for 2 min.
4. Add in the rice and Chinese preserved mustard, then stir quickly to incorporate all ingredients for 3-4 min.
5. Add in the cooked eggs, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and green onions and stir fry for another 2 min.
6. Serve immediately while still hot. Enjoy!