Salted Egg Chicken & Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients

• 300 g boneless chicken (cut into bite-sized pieces and pre-fried until golden brown)
• 0.25 cup fresh basil (for flash frying)
• 0.5 onion (sliced for flash frying)
• 0.5 bell pepper (sliced for flash frying)
• 2 tbsp margarine (can substitute with butter)
• 3 clove garlic (minced)
• MSG (to taste)
• white pepper (to taste)
• 3 tbsp salted egg powder
• 1 tsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (for frying rice)
• 3 cup cooked rice (preferably day-old)
• salt (to taste)
• 2 tbsp onion leeks (sliced)
• 1 tsp sesame oil (for finishing)

Steps

1. 1

   Prepare the chicken by frying bite-sized boneless pieces until they are golden brown and crispy. Set aside.

2. 2

   In the same hot oil, perform a 'flash fry' by adding the fresh basil, sliced onion, and bell pepper. Fry for only a few seconds until fragrant and slightly softened, then immediately strain and remove from the oil.

3. 3

   In a clean wok over medium heat, melt the margarine (or butter). Add the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.

4. 4

   Season the garlic mixture with a pinch of MSG and white pepper.

5. 5

   Turn off the heat (to prevent burning) and add the salted egg powder. Stir well to combine with the margarine and garlic.

6. 6

   Turn the heat back to low and add the fried chicken and flash-fried vegetables back into the wok. Toss thoroughly to coat everything in the salted egg mixture.

7. 7

   Add a splash of Shaoxing wine around the edges of the wok for aroma, toss once more, and remove the chicken from the heat.

8. 8

   To make the fried rice, heat vegetable oil in a hot wok. Add the cooked rice and stir-fry over high heat.

9. 9

   Season the rice with salt and MSG. Continue to toss over high heat until you see 'white smoke' rising from the rice, which indicates the 'breath of the wok' (wok hei) flavor is developing.

10. 10

    Add the sliced onion leeks and toss to combine.

11. 11

    Drizzle with a small amount of sesame oil for a finishing aroma, toss one last time, and serve alongside the salted egg chicken.

Notes

The chef emphasizes the 'white smoke' during the rice frying process as the key to achieving authentic wok flavor. If you don't have salted egg powder, you can mash cooked salted egg yolks into the butter/margarine mixture.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• chicken
• fried rice
• salted egg
• stir-fried
• dinner
• lunch