Upgrade: Pork Fried Rice

It's hard to believe I posted my very first recipe on this blog ten years ago today. That makes me feel pretty old. At the time, I was one semester into graduate school, living by myself, and figuring out cooking as I went along. I look at some of those early recipes and laugh about how wordy they were despite the simplicity of the dishes. I thought the best way to celebrate this anniversary would be to "upgrade" that first post. A lot has changed since then, but plenty has stayed the same: look carefully and you'll see both the original wok and spatula still in service. After all these years, fried rice remains a staple weeknight dinner and I'm still as much of a fan as I was then. 

Fundamentally, I stand by the original recipe even though I probably never made it like that again. It was quite gratifying to learn (many years ago) that my future in-laws started making fried rice after reading that post. Instead of making the pork, they would get pork from a Chinese takeout to put in it. Although it amuses me to this day, I don't exactly disagree with the approach. To tell the truth, I rarely cook meat specifically for fried rice. Usually, I use a few pieces of lap cheong sausages or char siu from the freezer. So, let's consider this one a special occasion fried rice, fit for a ten-year blog anniversary. I switched from pork loin to the ever-versatile pork shoulder and applied the same marinade from my more recent beef chow fun recipe. These days, I rarely stir fry meat without a marinade.

In recent years, I always include some kind of vegetable in fried rice. Napa is my most commonly used choice, but I happened to have some Shanghai bok choy on hand this time. Another change from the 2012 recipe is how I cook the eggs, a technique I learned from a Kenji video. You can save a little time by pushing the rice over and cooking the eggs in the other half of the pan. I continue to serve with Worcestershire sauce, but also enjoy some Lao Gan Ma chili crisp to spice things up.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lb. Shanghai bok choy
• 2 lb. cooked rice
• 3 scallions
• 4 eggs
• Salt
• White pepper
• MSG (optional)
• Vegetable oil
• Sesame oil

Pork

• 1 lb. boneless pork shoulder
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbs. light soy sauce
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 4 tsp. corn starch
• 2 Tbs. water
• 2 Tbs. vegetable oil

Instructions

Thinly slice the pork into pieces about one inch square. Combine with marinade ingredients in a plastic bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. While the meat marinates, rinse the bok choy and cut into small pieces. Separate the white and green parts of scallions. Thinly slice the white parts and slice the green parts into larger pieces on a bias.

Heat wok over high heat. Add some oil and stir fry the pork in batches until browned. Add more oil as necessary. As the pork cooks, scrape up and remove any marinade from the pan. Set aside when done.

Add more oil and stir fry the bok choy for a few minutes. Lightly season with salt. Set aside. 

Add more oil and the white parts of the scallions. Toss for a few seconds and add rice. Toss together and cook a few minutes. Break up any clumps and scrape the pan frequently. Return the pork and bok choy and toss together. 

Turn the heat down to medium and push the rice over to one side of the pan. Beat the eggs and season with a little salt and a splash of sesame oil. Pour into the pan. Scrape up the eggs as they set. When eggs are almost done, fold into the rice. Turn the heat back up and cook a few more minutes while seasoning to taste with salt, white pepper, and MSG, if you want. Add the green parts of the scallions and a little sesame oil. Toss to combine. Serve with Worcestershire sauce and chili crisp.