That looks amazing - is there a recipe you like?
For disclosure, that is a random photo I found on the internet. 
I didn’t make it.
Recipe for fried rice? All my various versions of fried rice are really based on the simple egg fried rice. I do have recipes, but I think they don’t really capture what I aim for.
A couple key points for my fried rice are:
(1) I try not to overwhelm my stove/wok. If I need to stir fry the rice in 2-3 batches, so be it. It is important for me to make the fried rice at hot temperature.
(2) Add oil to the hot wok first, then add beaten egg. When the egg is about 70-80% done (solidified but still soft), then I add the rice
(3) Constantly moving the fried rice in the wok at hot temperature – as hot can I get it to be
(4) I try to aim that my fried rice can freely move in my wok as individual grain. They should not be stuck together at the end. So, I will constantly break the rice grain up if I need to
(5) Also, I try to add enough oil, but I also try to add as little oil I can get away with. This way my end product won’t be as greasy and oily. However, if I don’t add enough oil, then the fried rice won’t have that “fried” flavor. It will have more grill/burn flavor
– I suppose I could have just say making my fried rice at “hot” and “fast” conditions
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For chow fun / ho fun, which I love, but have never made at home. Thanks for the fried rice recipe though! Bookmarking it…
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I’m going to try to save this in the fried rice thread.
I’ve used all kinds of brands but for the last twenty I’ve tended to use Wan Ja Shan (esp. the aged) and Kimlan.
Wow, that’s kind of an odd read. The writer comes off as kind of a jerk. Also inaccurate - there have been Chinese restaurants in England since the 19th century.
From the chinadaily article:
"However, the earliest Chinese eateries in London predate Poon’s by a century, says the British Chinese Heritage Centre. They stretch all the way back to the 1880s when stalls sprang up around London’s docklands, where Chinese sailors had settled.
The Limehouse area of East London housed the first Chinatown in the British capital but it was the International Health Exhibition in the West London district of South Kensington in 1884 that introduced Chinese food to the British public in a big way, something that was followed in 1908 by the first recorded opening of a formal Chinese restaurant, in Glasshouse Street, Piccadilly Circus, which was appropriately named The Chinese Restaurant.
Similar things were happening in other cities. In Liverpool in the 1930s, ex-Chinese sailors were serving dishes from Ningbo, Fuzhou, Hainan, Shantou, and Shanghai, including chop suey (a mix of meat and vegetables cooked together), fishcakes, and black jam cakes. And, in 1938, chop suey, chow mein and fried rice were popular among students at a restaurant in Cambridge because of their affordability.
A key moment in the journey of Chinese food in the UK came with the introduction of simple Chinese recipes on BBC broadcasts by Jean Sterling in 1939 and with Chinese cooking ingredients becoming available at the Shanghai Emporium on Greek Street in London."
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Second a great recipe for beef ho fun.
I was a longtime Koon Chun thin user, but I have recently switched to Pearl River Bridge Golden Label when I can get it. I keep a bottle of San-J soy-only tamari around.
I am always trying out different salt-fermented protein sauces - some coco aminos are pretty good, and Red Boat 40° fish sauce is pretty amazing. But the 2 above are constant staples.
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Thank you! I was thinking that I never see the items I remember eating at the Chinese restaurants of my youth on the East coast, and was wondering what happened, besides me moving to California. I know it was a good thing, but I miss this ribs!
About egg in fried rice: I’ve noted that most recipes and online videos start with egg in preheated oil, which I’ve done some times. But the first recipe I came across is one I mostly use: it involves putting the egg(s) in near to last (before herbs and green onions), whereby you have all the main ingredients in and hot, and then add egg(s), break the yolks and stir a bit, fold the rice, etc. over the egg(s), and leave it to let the eggs cook mainly in residual heat. Take about 30 seconds, and then give a stir, so the whites and the yolks are well broken up but still somewhat distinct.
I think it keeps the egg element from overcooking, but I haven’t done a side-by-side, and I bet much depends on one’s pan and BTUs.
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Yeah, you are right. There isn’t one way to do it. As you have said, one can put the beaten egg at the end and fold/mix the rice to cook the egg. This allows the beaten egg to be further absorbed into the rice and also resulting much small egg pierces.
The other way I used to do (and many do) is to cook the beaten egg in the beginning much like an omelette. Take the omelette out and then slice/cut it. Then put these egg slices back in toward the very end. This results in almost no egg absorption into the rice, and very neat equal size egg slices in the fried rice. I cannot find a good photo. The below one is somewhat an exaggeration, but you get the idea.
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No, it is brown, unless we are talking about different types of tamarind.
I like to add. For Chinese soy sauce, I like Koon Chun Superior Soy Sauce. For Japanese shoyu, I like Chiba Shoyu/Kiokejikomi
I remember once someone asked me about white soy sauce. For people who like a clear soy sauce, Shiro shoyu is a good alternative.
Have fun
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I have never seen that Superior First Extract variety. Where do you purchase it?
Googling for an answer I came across this article which I found almost as interesting as this thread. 
I learn a lot hanging out here.
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I bought it from supermarkets – and I have seen a few carrying it. However, when I first came to West Coast, it took me 5-6 Asian supermarket trip to find it. So I won’t say it is easy to hunt down.
Superior First Extract soy sauce (頭抽) is more rare as it is the first extract. For a given soy sauce factory and a given process, the first extract is usually considered the superior. The second extract is usually called “gold”. So you probably noticed that many soy sauces are named golden labeled. These are actually soy sauce from second extract. Good, but not considered as refine as the first extract. The third extract is usually labeled “silver”
Almost certain that any flavored soy sauce (with extra sugar or extra flavoring)… are from further extract. Anything like “steam fish soy sauce” or “abalone soy sauce”…
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Do you use it to cook or only for final touch or for dipping?
In theory, it is best for final touch and dipping to preserve its use, but I really use it for everything. The reason is that it is easier to keep one bottle instead of two bottles (although currently, I do have two bottles… the first extract one, and a regular one)
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So sorry about the cathedral fire. Is it effecting you? Or your soy sauce options? (In an attempt to be on topic).
Wow there is a lot of cool info in this thread. I have to sift through it all. How about this? Any thoughts?
Bourbon barrel aged soy sauce? 9.35 with free shipping on prime doesn’t seem too bad. Yes the bottle is small but I like bourbon and think I will try one out.
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It is not too expensive. I would definitely think it is worth a try. I won’t use it as soy sauce. I think we should think of it as a completely different sauce.
On paper, I think I would rather go with the Bourbon Worcestershire. However, far more people buy the Bourbon soy sauce on Amazon, and it also received better rating.
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