Char Siu Fried Rice

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Char Siu Fried Rice is a local favorite in Hawaii! It is a delicious way to use leftover rice. Make this with store bought or homemade char siu (aka Chinese bbq pork). This fried rice is simple, fast, and super ono ^_^

After a long week I asked my dad what he wanted for dinner. Char siu fried rice!

I looked in the fridge and we had plenty of leftover rice (perhaps the most important ingredient for making fried rice haha).

We had eggs and green onions. Ginger, yes. Garlic, yes. Seasonings in the pantry. The only thing missing was char siu.

If it was a weekend, I'd thinking about making char siu. But instead I just drove to Asian Mix, our go-to char siu shop. One pound, please!

Char Siu

Char Siu is one of the main ingredients in this recipe. You can use store bought char siu or make your own (recipe coming soon).

We like to buy char siu from Asian Mix on Beretania Street.

Go earlier in the day or call ahead to reserve your order because they often sell out by late afternoon. All the roast and bbq meats (we use their roast pork in recipes for lettuce wraps and summer rolls) are so tasty.

The owner of Asian Mix used to own Panda Cuisine which was one of the nice Chinese restaurants in town. We had so many birthday and family celebrations at Panda Cuisine in the 80s and 90! Even though Panda Cuisine is no longer around, I like that we can still enjoy his recipes from a takeout shop.

For this recipe, you'll need to chop the char siu into smaller bite size pieces.

My son likes char siu so much he requested a "mini bowl" of chopped char siu for snacking heheh.

Note: if you use store-bought char siu and it is on the saltier/saucier side, then use a little less soy sauce than the recipe calls for. Otherwise the final dish may be too salty.

*I forgot to include the onion in this photo! Please don't forget it ^_^

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need:

Eggs
Onion
Garlic
Char siu - Cut into small bite-sized pieces
Cooked white rice
Oyster sauce
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Ground white pepper
Green onions chopped

Instructions

Let's get cooking!

First, we cook the eggs! Beat the eggs in a small bowl and add a pinch of salt (optional). In a small pan over medium heat, add a little oil and scramble the eggs until just cooked. Remove the eggs to a plate and set aside.

In a large, deep pan (big enough to hold all the char siu and rice) over medium-high heat, add some oil followed by the diced onions.

Saute for 3 minutes until the onions soften.

Then add the garlic and saute for another 1 minute.

Then add the diced char siu. Stir to mix with the onion and garlic.

Then add the cooked rice. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the rice is fully warmed through. (You'll may need a couple minutes more if the rice is coming straight from the refrigerator.)

Now we season the dish! Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Stir and mix until everything is evenly seasoned.

Add the scrambled eggs, gently breaking up the eggs to distribute it evenly in the fried rice.

Turn off the heat, fold in the green onions.

Give everything a good mix and the fried rice is ready to eat! Enjoy ^_^`

Top Tip

Use cold, leftover rice!

We make fried rice when we have lots of leftover rice in the fridge. One big bowl here, one container there, etc. All that rice adds up. Leftover from takeout. Leftover from going out to dinner. Add it all together and make fried rice.

But what if you don't have any leftover rice? If you plan ahead, cook rice the day before you plan to make this recipe. Refrigerate it overnight and then you're set.

But what if you forgot to make rice? Contrary to popular belief, you can use freshly cooked rice! I do two things to "help" the rice. First is to use a little less water when cooking the rice (so that the rice is less moist and sticky). Second is to let it cool down at room temperature for an hour before cooking.

FAQ

How flexible is this recipe?

Very! You can use more or less of almost any ingredient in the recipe, adjusting it to fit your taste. When I prepare this fried rice for my family or a group, I make this recipe as written.

When I make it just for myself, I use less char siu and more eggs! I also add extra garlic, ginger, and white pepper. It's all about personal preference ^_^

Easy additions?

Bean sprouts! Frozen peas! For both these ingredients, I add them towards the end of the recipe (ideally right before you add the scrambled eggs).

Bean sprouts are especially nice because they help "lighten and lift" the dish. Also I just really love cooked bean sprouts in general.

Low sodium but still want the color?

I'm always open to new ideas for reducing unnecessary sodium intake. But the thing with fried rice is that some of that nice golden brown color of the finished dish comes from oyster sauce and soy sauce.

How do you keep the nice color of fried rice while using less of the sauces?

The answer is dark soy sauce! Dark soy sauce is less salty than regular soy sauce, but it gives beautiful color. When I want to cut down on the sodium I use much less oyster sauce and soy sauce (sometimes half the amount in the recipe). And then add a teaspoon of the dark soy sauce ^_^