Arroz Chaufa

Ingredients

• 800 g day-old cooked long-grain or jasmine rice, refrigerated overnight, grains fully separated and dry
• 300 g boneless chicken thigh, cut into 1 cm dice
• 150 g char siu (Chinese roast pork), cut into 1 cm dice
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 45 ml soy sauce, added in stages at the end of frying
• 10 g fresh ginger, finely grated
• 15 ml toasted sesame oil, used only as a final aromatic finish, not for cooking
• 1 tbsp ají amarillo paste, added near the end of cooking, not at the start
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced; white and green parts separated
• 30 ml neutral cooking oil, high smoke-point; for wok

Method

1. 1
   Place a carbon steel wok over the highest available heat. Preheat the empty wok for 3 minutes until the surface is smoking and a drop of water vaporises on contact. Add the neutral oil and swirl to coat. The wok is ready when wisps of smoke rise continuously from the surface.
2. 2
   Add the diced chicken thigh in a single layer. Do not move it for 30 seconds, then toss to sear all surfaces. Cook until the pieces are golden and just cooked through. Remove and set aside. The exterior should carry visible colour, not pale steamed grey.
3. 3
   Return the wok to full heat. Pour the beaten eggs directly onto the wok surface and scramble rapidly, breaking into coarse pieces before they fully set. Remove and hold with the chicken. The curds should be just set and still glossy.
4. 4
   This is where the dish lives or dies. Return the wok to smoking heat. Add the cold day-old rice in one batch no larger than will cover the wok base in a shallow layer — work in two batches if the wok is small. Scoop under the rice and flip repeatedly; do not stir. The goal is maximum grain-to-surface contact. Within 2 to 3 minutes each grain should be individually hot, slightly translucent at its edges, and carrying faint char on its surface. If steam rises in clouds, the wok temperature has dropped: increase heat immediately and do not add further ingredients until the steam clears.
5. 5
   Add the grated ginger and the white parts of the spring onion. Toss for 30 seconds until fragrant. Return the chicken and scrambled egg to the wok along with the diced char siu. The char siu pieces will begin to fragment and distribute through the rice, releasing sweet-smoke aromatics detectable by smell.
6. 6
   Drizzle the soy sauce around the outer rim of the wok in two additions, 20 ml then 25 ml, tossing between each. Add the ají amarillo paste and the green parts of the spring onion. Toss for a further 30 seconds. Taste: the rice should be savoury and subtly hot, not salty. Adjust with a few drops more soy sauce only if required.
7. 7
   Remove from heat. Drizzle the toasted sesame oil over the surface and toss once to distribute. The oil must not contact the hot wok surface directly or it will burn. Serve immediately: the nutty sesame fragrance should be clean and present without bitterness.