Chahan recipe – Japanese fried rice

On New Year’s day we decided to christen our new cast iron Cast Iron Pan with a batch of Chahan. Now there are no hard and fast rules when choosing ingredients for Japanese fried rice but here are a few tricks.

Chef’s tips

• Use cold day old rice. It’s drier, less sticky and better for frying. Separate rice that has clumped together
• Fry on high heat in a tall cast iron pan
• Add some soaked dry shiitake mushrooms for extra umami
• Work quickly when you add the egg and the rice. Add the rice while the egg is still wet to coat the rice evenly

Add you favourite ingredients Eg baby corn, shiitake, prawns, chives, bacon, onion and garliic

Chahan recipe by Chef’s Armoury

Serves: 2 for lunch
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Equipment: a sharp kitchen knife and a cast iron wok
Cooking time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 rasher of bacon finely diced
• 1 large french shallot diced
• 3 cloves garlic diced
• 2 dried shiitake mushrooms – soaked then diced
• 6 baby corn sliced
• 2 eggs
• ½ bunched chives sliced thinly
• 6 cooked prawns, shells off and diced
• light cooking oil – 3 tablespoons
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 3 tablespoons Tosa Shoyu
• 2 tablespoons mirin

Method

1) Heat oil in the wok until just under smoke point.

Heat up your cast iron wok to just under smoke point

2) Add bacon, garlic and shallots and fry until lightly brown and crisp.

Combine onions and bacon

3) Add corn, shiitake and prawns and toss until warm. Add mirin, stir through and add shoyu. Remove all ingredients from wok.

4) Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl and add to the wok.

Add lightly scrambled egg

5) Before the egg fully cooks, add the rice and mix well with metal spoon so all the ingredients are well mixed.

Tip: Add the rice before the egg fully cooks to coat each grain of rice

6) Add back cooked ingredients. Season with chives and taste for seasoning. Add more shoyu if needed and white pepper or ichimi if you desire.

Combine ingredients

Time to eat…

Ready to eat