P
Chinese · Yangzhou
Jiangsu Yangzhou Fried Rice (Yang Zhou Chao Fan)
Yangzhou fried rice: the refined, gold-and-silver style fried rice of Jiangsu (Su) cuisine — day-old jasmine rice stir-fried with egg, shrimp, char siu, green peas, spring onion, and spring onion oil. Named for Yangzhou city, one of China's most historically refined culinary centres. The 'gold and silver' refers to the egg whites and yolks separated — egg yolks coat the rice grains (gold) while whites cook separately (silver).
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I
The Market List
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600 g
day-old cooked jasmine rice
long-grain; refrigerated overnight, grains separated
Your own market
3
eggs
yolks and whites separated
Your own market
150 g
raw shrimp
peeled and deveined
Your own market
120 g
char siu (Chinese roast pork)
cut into small dice
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
80 g
3
spring onions
finely sliced
Your own market
3 tbsp
spring onion oil
or neutral cooking oil
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
fine sea salt
Your own market
½ tsp
ground white pepper
Your own market
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II
The Method
1
Separate the eggs. Pour the yolks over the cold day-old rice and work them through with clean hands or a spoon until every grain is coated in yellow — this is the 'gold' of the dish. The rice should look uniformly golden and no yolk should pool at the base of the bowl. Reserve the whites in a separate bowl.
2
Heat the wok over the highest available flame until it begins to smoke. Add half the spring onion oil and swirl to coat. Add the shrimp and stir-fry rapidly until they turn fully pink and curl — a matter of moments. Remove and set aside. Add the char siu and toss briefly until heated through and fragrant. Remove and set aside. Add the peas and toss until bright green and just tender. Remove and set aside.
From the canon — The carbon-steel wok is the fundamental tool of Chinese cooking — not merely a frying pan but a cooking instrument whose specific properties (extreme thermal… The Wok: Seasoning, Maintenance, and Heat Management →
3
Return the wok to high heat. Add the remaining spring onion oil. Pour in the egg whites and scramble quickly, breaking them into small, irregular white curds — these are the 'silver'. Remove immediately before they colour; they should be just set, soft, and glossy.
4
This is where the dish lives or dies. The wok must be smoking before the rice goes in. Tip the yolk-coated rice into the wok in a single motion and press it against the surface with a spatula. Leave it undisturbed for ten to fifteen seconds — long enough for the underside to catch and crackle — then toss and press again repeatedly. The rice must fry, not steam: each grain should feel dry, separate, and lightly toasted, and a sharp, smoky wok-breath character should be unmistakeable in the rising steam.
5
Return the shrimp, char siu, peas, and egg white curds to the wok. Season with salt and white pepper. Toss everything together over high heat until fully combined and uniformly hot throughout — the rice should remain fully dry and grain-distinct with no clumping.
From the canon — Char siu — the glowing red, lacquered, honey-sweet barbecue pork that hangs in the windows of Cantonese roast meat shops — is one of the most distinctive pre… Char Siu (Cantonese Barbecue Pork) →
6
Remove from the heat. Scatter the sliced spring onions over and toss once. Taste and adjust salt. The finished rice should carry a clean savouriness with no single element dominant; each grain should remain separate when pressed lightly between thumb and forefinger.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Banquet-grade Yangzhou fried rice: day-old jasmine rice coated in freshest farm egg yolks, live-catch shrimp, house-made char siu, and — per the traditional banquet version — rehydrated sea cucumber and dried scallops alongside. Cooked in a seasoned iron wok over a professional gas ring at full commercial pressure.
02
Estate — Day-old jasmine rice from a reputable long-grain variety, shrimp bought fresh the same day, good-quality char siu from a Cantonese roast-meat shop, and spring onion oil rendered from scratch. A well-seasoned home wok preheated as long as patience allows.
03
Market — Sound supermarket jasmine rice, frozen shrimp fully thawed and patted dry, commercial char siu or honey-roast pork, frozen peas blanched before use. Any neutral oil in place of spring onion oil. A large heavy-based frying pan at maximum domestic heat — an acceptable result, though wok-breath will be modest.
04
House — The noted simple home version: day-old jasmine rice with egg, shrimp, and spring onion only, still following the yolk-coating technique. Simpler in composition, equally valid, and the most commonly eaten form of the dish.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. Every rice grain is coated uniformly in egg yolk before entering the wok — no white grains visible, no pooled yolk at the bowl's base.
◇Sound. A sustained, rapid crackling as the rice presses against the wok surface — silence or a soft hiss indicates insufficient heat.
◇Smell. A sharp, smoky, slightly charred fragrance — wok hei — rises from the pan during the rice-frying stage.
◇Touch. Individual rice grains feel dry and distinct when pressed; no grains stick together or feel damp.
◇Where it lives or dies. The wok must be smoking and the yolk-coated rice must fry — not steam — against the hottest possible surface; without this the grains clump, the egg stews, and the defining wok-breath character is lost entirely.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
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