Cantonese Rice (or Cantonese rice or Chinese fried rice): a classic of Chinese cuisine that has become beloved on our tables as well! Who doesn’t know it? It’s one of those dishes we always order at the Chinese restaurant because it’s simple, tasty, and pleases everyone. I love it so much that I learned to prepare it at home, just like almond chicken or Chinese sweet and sour sauce.
The Cantonese rice recipe, also called Chinese rice, is one of the most well-known Chinese ethnic recipes in Italy: a dish made with basmati rice, peas, cooked ham, and scrambled eggs. In some versions, shrimp are also added to make it even richer and more flavorful. Everything is seasoned with soy sauce, which gives that unmistakable, slightly savory, and aromatic taste. However, if you want to cook Cantonese rice without soy, it can be done easily. The flavor will still be delicious.
Cantonese rice can be served hot or cold, and thanks to the presence of proteins and vegetables, it can be considered a complete single dish. For example, I often prepare the ingredients for Cantonese rice in advance and ‘assemble’ them at the last minute, especially in summer: it’s also perfect as an ethnic rice salad, a different and original way to bring cold dishes to the table, which are so popular in summer.
Perhaps not everyone knows that Cantonese rice as we know it doesn’t exactly exist in China! Its name is a bit misleading: in fact, the recipe originates from a traditional Chinese dish, but Chinese restaurants abroad, many of which come from the Canton area, have adapted it to our Western tastes, creating the version we all know today. In China, fried rice originated as a way to use up leftover rice and is prepared in many different ways, with ingredients that vary from one region to another, to avoid wasting anything.
So we can say that what we eat and know is an Italian-style Cantonese rice, which is far from what is actually eaten in China.
Now let’s see together how to prepare homemade Cantonese rice, with a few ingredients and in just a few minutes, to obtain a dish like those from ‘Italian’ Chinese restaurants, but even tastier and more genuine!
Before moving on to the recipe, here are some other tempting ideas to try!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 361.78 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 23.62 (g) of which sugars 2.81 (g)
- Proteins 16.99 (g)
- Fat 21.42 (g) of which saturated 4.72 (g)of which unsaturated 14.81 (g)
- Fibers 2.31 (g)
- Sodium 893.42 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 355 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Cantonese Rice Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Basmati rice
- 1 white onion
- 1/3 lbs cooked ham (diced)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 4 eggs (medium or 5 small)
- to taste sunflower oil
- to taste soy sauce
- to taste salt
Tools
- Wok non-stick
- Pan
- Cutting Board
- Knife
Preparation of Cantonese Rice
Preparing Cantonese rice is very simple. Let’s see the procedure together.
Let’s start the preparation by boiling the basmati rice. The best method to cook rice is ‘absorption method’. Rinse the rice several times until the water is clear. Then cook it in salted water using about 1 part rice to 1.5 parts water (in our case, for example, we’ll use 1.5 cups of rice and 2.25 cups of water). Cover with a lid and cook over low heat for 10-12 minutes. After this time, let it rest for 5 minutes before fluffing it with a fork. Rinse it under water for a few seconds to remove the starch: this way, when you mix it with the other ingredients, it will stay fluffy.
In a separate pot, bring slightly salted water to a boil and add the peas. Blanch them for 3-4 minutes.
Drain them and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and maintain the bright color.
Finely chop a white onion.
Take a non-stick wok (or a heavy-bottomed pan), cover the bottom with sunflower oil, and heat it up. Add the onion.
Cook it over low heat until it softens. It will take about 5-6 minutes. It should not darken.
Add the diced cooked ham to the pan and continue cooking, still over moderate heat, for a few more minutes.
In a bowl, crack the eggs and beat them quickly with a fork.
Pour them into the pan along with the onion and diced cooked ham.
Using a spatula, stir continuously until the eggs begin to set.
After a few minutes, add the peas and continue cooking until the eggs are completely set.
At this point, the seasoning is ready.
Add the basmati rice to the pan.
Over high heat, stir the rice and toss it with the seasoning to let it absorb the flavors for a few minutes. Adjust the salt.
To finish, you can season the Cantonese rice with soy sauce. The quantity is up to you, but if it’s a seasoning you don’t use often, I recommend adding it little by little to dose it correctly and avoid its flavor becoming too strong.
If you don’t like it, you can omit the sauce and enjoy the Cantonese rice as it is.
You can enjoy it hot and freshly made, lukewarm, or at room temperature. In any case, it will be delicious!
Storage
– Cantonese rice can also be prepared a few hours in advance and then reheated when it needs to be consumed.
– If there are leftovers, store it in the refrigerator in a well-sealed container. It keeps well for 2-3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best rice for Cantonese rice?
The ideal rice is long grain rice like basmati or Jasmine rice, even though you could use the Italian equivalent of basmati rice, known as ‘long type B’. I do not recommend risotto rice, which is too high in starch and would give a ‘sticky’ effect to the Cantonese rice.
Can you use leftover rice from the day before, or can you cook it in advance?
Sure! In fact, it’s the best way to achieve perfect Cantonese rice. Cooked rice that has cooled for a few hours or overnight is drier and tosses better in the wok.
Are there any variations of Cantonese rice?
Yes, some people replace cooked ham with shrimp. In some versions, both ham and shrimp are used and seasoned with soy sauce or sesame oil.
Why is the wok used to prepare Cantonese rice?
The wok is widely used in Asian cuisine and is ideal for preparing Cantonese rice because it allows rapid, even, and uniform cooking due to its concave shape.
If I don’t have a wok, what can I use instead?
If you don’t have a wok, you can use a wide non-stick pan or a heavy-bottomed steel pan, preferably with high sides. The important thing is that it allows you to cook it over high heat and toss it without it spilling out.
Does Cantonese rice really exist in China?
Not really, or at least not as we understand it and know it in Chinese restaurants in Italy. The name ‘Cantonese’ comes from the fact that many Chinese restaurants abroad are run by people from the Canton area. This is why it has been renamed ‘Cantonese rice’. The traditional Chinese dish is instead a version of classic Chinese fried rice, made to reuse leftover rice and enrich it with vegetables, meat, and shrimp. There are therefore many variations. In Western Chinese restaurants, the versions have been adapted to our tastes and the ingredients commonly found in our area, like cooked ham.
