Dinner Tonight: Fried Rice with Saffron, Ginger, and Tomatoes (Arroz Frito Aortuguesa)
[Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger]
Saffron in fried rice? I couldn't help but wonder whether this twenty-year-old recipe from the New York Times had fallen prey to some kind of horrible fusion abomination. But it turns out author Julie Sahni had uncovered a very traditional dish from the Macao region of China. Portuguese traders had introduced saffron and olive oil to the area hundreds of years ago. But how would they work when mixed with traditional Chinese ingredients?
What I loved about this dish was how the little pinch of saffron seems to haunt every bite. It's never the first taste you get. The ginger and onion usually hit first—then the sweetness from the peas. But the saffron sticks around in the back of your mouth, pleading with you to eat more. I must have eaten three-fourths of this recipe because I couldn't tell the voice "no."
Luckily this dish is as easy as the many other fried rice dishes I've written about (such as kimchi fried rice or crab fried rice). This one is all about high heat and cooking in batches. I added a drizzle of soy sauce at the end for a salty kick. I'm not sure that was an authentic addition, but it sure tasted good.
Fried Rice with Saffron, Ginger, and Tomatoes (Arroz Frito Aortuguesa)
- serves 3 to 4 -
Adapted from The New York Times.
Ingredients
1 egg
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, minced
1/2 cup pureed tomatoes
1/2 cup onions, chopped
3 cups cooked white rice
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup scallions, thinly sliced
Soy sauce
Small pinch of saffron
Procedure
1. Sprinkle the saffron into a small bowl and pour in 1 tablespoon of water. Stir gently and set aside.
2. Crack the egg into a bowl and whisk in 1 tablespoon of water. Pour 1 tablespoon of the oil into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When hot, dump in the egg. Tilt the pan to spread the egg out so it coats the bottom, much like an omelet. Once it has set, scrape the egg into a bowl and break it up with a spoon into little bite size pieces.
3. 3. Pour the rest of the oil into the skillet and turn the heat to high. Once hot, add the ginger. Cook for about 15 seconds, stirring often. Then dump in the saffron water and the tomatoes. Cook this mixture until most of the water evaporates, once again, stirring often. This should take about 4 minutes.
4. Add the sliced onions. Cook for one minute. Then add the rice, salt, pepper, and oyster sauce. Stir well, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the peas and the cooked egg, stir, and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
5. Serve with a sprinkling of scallions and soy sauce to taste.
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6 Comments:
When do you add the tomatoes?
mcebacal at 6:30PM on 09/14/09
@mcebacal Thanks for pointing that out. The tomatoes go in on the third step. It has been fixed.
Nick Kindelsperger at 10:48PM on 09/14/09
would fish sauce be an acceptable substitute for oyster sauce?
falnfenix at 10:06AM on 09/15/09
@falnfenix I'd suggest using soy sauce as a substitute. But a little fish sauce would never hurt.
Nick Kindelsperger at 10:12AM on 09/15/09
@Pauper Nick I used to do my eggs like you when cooking Chinese food, but then observed the cooks at our local greasy spoon, open-kitchen Chinese diner just cracking the eggs on top of the fried rice when it was almost done frying, a few quick stirs, then removing the whole finished dish from pan once egg had set up. It works great! That's how I always do my eggs in fried rice now - none of this need for a separate egg bowl or breaking it up with a spoon. The raw egg sets and cooks within about 20-30 seconds in a hot pan full of fried rice, and the end result looks just the same.
Ever tried it like that?
veggiesattva at 11:01AM on 09/15/09
@veggiesattva You're having more luck than me! When I attempt to just chuck the eggs in at the end, they tend to immediately adhere to the rice, which ultimately makes everything clump up. It's a mess. Real chinese restaurants can do this probably because they have larger woks or pans where the eggs can properly cook without being crowded.
My advice is that if if works for you, then keep doing it. You're right, it's easier and you'll have to do less dishes. But I just find cooking the eggs first works better on a smaller home skillet. As long as the end result is the same it's up to you.
Nick Kindelsperger at 12:24PM on 09/15/09