Is there a Chinese dish as well known as fried rice? I doubt it. The technique of stir-frying cooked rice with a combination of meat, fish, or vegetables appears in all of China’s regional cuisines, north to south, east to west—a testament to rice’s importance as a staple food.

米is at the core of virtually every Chinese meal. To be invited as a guest to dine is to be asked toSik粉丝, or “eat rice.” If a family is well provided for, its rice bowl is said to be full; if needy, its rice bowl is empty. In my girlhood home outside of Canton, we had a large lacquered container filled with raw rice, and written on the outside were the characters seung moon, or “always filled.”

The Chinese have devised dozens of ways to prepare rice: It’s steamed, dryroasted, and cooked in clay pots; it’s made into cakes, noodles, dumplings, pastries, stuffings, and porridge-like congees. Mostly, however, it’s stir-fried in a wok.

The most classic version of this most classic Chinese dish is Yangzhou fried rice, which includes shrimp, barbecued pork, scallions, scrambled eggs, ginger, and garlic (the食谱here is for this dish, but I’ve left out the pork). But this dish has countless variations. You can use Chinese sausage, dried scallops, beef, and even untraditional ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes. There are no limits to invention, as long as you cook it properly. The keys to perfect fried rice are simple:

• Leftover cooked rice works best因为它倾向于吸收更少的油。它也可以更好地分成单个谷物。
• A very hot pan prevents sticking.A well-seasoned carbon-steel wok is the ideal choice, but if you don’t have one, use a large stainless-steel skillet.
• Don’t overcook the eggs。它们应该软化，但仍然有些湿润。当他们被米饭扔时，他们会继续做饭。

Essentials for the Chinese kitchen

Sesame oil
芝麻油是一种由压榨（通常是烤）芝麻制成的芳香油。它的坚果香气和烤面包的味道为许多菜肴增添了异国情调，是调味料和调味料的一个很好的补充。亚洲芝麻油往往比中东的芝麻油更厚，更黑。我更喜欢前者的风味。通常位于超市的亚洲食品区。不过，我不建议将较深的类型用作食用油，因为它倾向于容易燃烧，并且像优质的特级橄榄油一样，其细微差别随热量而蒸发。取而代之的是，我将深色芝麻油作为整理调味品，将其添加到最后一分钟的炒菜中，或将其淋上蒸的鱼或炎热的酸汤中。油可以迅速变腐蚀，但是如果远离热量和光线，打开的瓶子应持续至少四个月。

Oyster sauce
这种浓稠的桃花心木色的酱汁由煮沸和干燥的地面牡蛎制成。牡蛎酱是中国厨房中必不可少的，不仅是因为其独特的味道，而且对于菜肴赋予了浓郁的深色。我几乎每次烹饪中国餐几乎都可以抓住它，无论是鱼腌料，猪肉烧烤还是酱汁。超市牡蛎酱通常过于甜（其中包含很多玉米糖浆），为了补偿，您可能需要用更多的盐调味成品米饭。打开后，酱汁无限期保存在冰箱中。

酱油
酱油has been a staple of the Chinese kitchen for 3,000 years. It’s made from soybeans that have been fermented with wheat, and it comes in several styles, from thick and dark to thin and light. All have their uses: Meats benefit from a dark soy sauce; fish are enhanced by lighter, sweeter soys. I prefer Chinese soy sauces, which tend to have a higher ratio of soybeans to wheat and tend to be less salty.

米
米in China can be short, medium, long, or extra-long grain. It can be glutinous (or “sticky”), white, black, or red. For authentic fried rice, choose extra-long-grain rice. If you can’t find the extra-long, regular long-grain white rice also works. Just avoid short- and medium-grain rices, which get sticky and clumpy once cooked. That’s fine for some applications, but for making perfect fried rice, you want to start out with cooked rice in which all the grains are separate.

For ingredients like Chinese rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and extra-long-grain rice, visitEthnicgrocer.com。