I absolutely love fried rice. Love it. It's right up there as one of my all-time favorites. And fried rice with Chinese sausage? It packs a punch of flavor and will always leave you wanting more. This recipe is my attempt at making an old co-worker's mother's fried rice. Food memories are such an important part of our food history. Think of your favorite foods. Experiment in your kitchen. Share your food stories. Here's mine about this fried rice.
Lynn's Mother's Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage: I think I cracked the code!
Let's go on a food memory journey together. Many years ago, I had a co-worker whose mother would visit from China and stay for several months. She made big batches of fried rice with Chinese sausage and my co-worker would bring it in for everyone to try. Unfortunately, I kept missing the day the rice was brought in and shared. I heard stories about it after-the-fact, but never had the pleasure of sampling it.
Some time passed and the fried rice became an urban legend to me. How could it be that I was out of the office every time the rice was brought in? My co-workers went on and on about that incredible rice, thanking Lynn and sending thank you's to her mother. Each time, my brain was in knots: I missed it again? Is this fried rice real? Was it ever real? Is this some elaborate prank that everyone is in on?
Finally, all my prayers were answered. Yes, I prayed for this fried rice. Lynn brought in a platter of her mother's fried rice! She said, casually, "Oh, Stacey do you want to try this?" I jumped out of my skin, "YES!!!!!! I've been dying to try this!!!" I might have done cartwheels across the room to arrive at the platter - it's all a bit blurry now. This is when I found myself in a place of culinary bliss that does not happen too often in life. I was in the presence of greatness. Lynn's mother's fried rice was everything I wanted it to be and more.
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Chinese Sausage: It is Sweet and Somehow Savory Too
This sausage is very special. It has a unique flavor which is sweet and savory at the same time. The very first bite I took of Lynn's mother's fried rice, I fell in love with it. I remember the rice being relatively simple looking too. Just carrots, onion, egg and sausage.
The incredible flavor of that rice has stayed with me for years. Surprisingly, I didn't attempt to make the recipe until years later. I don't know how to get in touch with Lynn to verify this, but rest assured, I tried many brands as I tested my recipe. Kam Yen Jan has the exact flavor as the rice Lynn's mom made.
I encourage all home chefs to get to know your kitchens as much as possible. This is a place where recipes are born, tried-and-true family favorites are shared and memories are made. Now go forth and cook!
If you like this recipe, you may enjoy some of my other international delights, like my Thai Lettuce Wraps with Rotisserie Chicken, Ralph's German Meatball Soup, or my tasty General Tso's Chicken with Trader Joe's Hack
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Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 portions 1x
Description
My former co-worker's mother used to visit from China and make huge batches of fried rice with Chinese sausage to bring to the office. This is my homage to Lynn’s mother!
Ingredients
- 2 14-ounce packages of Kam Yen Jan Chinese sausage (see note#1)
- 3 cups diced carrots (about 6 medium carrots)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 eggs, divided and beaten
- 1 bunch of scallions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger (about 2-3 inches)
- Olive oil, as needed
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
For the rice:
- 3 cups Nishiki sushi rice (or other medium grain white rice - see note#2)
- 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon of salt
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Instructions
- Be sure to watch my video with all the step-by-step instructions.
- Before you start prepping, get the rice going however you choose to cook it. I use a rice cooker. Always wash the rice very well – this is important. Make sure to add salt and butter (or olive oil) when you cook the rice. By the time you finish all the prep the rice will be done.
- Peel the carrots, then cut into carrot sticks and then into cubes. One low-to-medium heat, add a little olive oil (a teaspoon or so) to the pan and season with salt (½ teaspoon) and pepper (¼ teaspoon). Toss ingredients to coat. Put the cover on the pan and let the carrots cook, COVERED, for five minutes. Turn burner off and let them sit for five minutes still covered to finish cooking.
- Chop the Chinese sausage into uniform pieces and add to a pan – about ½” slices. Cook on low-to-medium heat for about 5-8 minutes. Stirring continuously. Do not add oil to the pan. A lot of fat will render off of the sausage. Also, be careful about the heat. If it’s too high the sausage will burn quickly. Once cooked, set aside in a bowl. Reserve a couple of teaspoons of the fat from the sausage.
- Finely dice the garlic.
- Grate the ginger on a microplane. If you don’t have a microplane or grater, finely dice it with a knife.
- Put two eggs in two separate bowls, add a pinch of salt to each and beat until combined. Scramble two of the eggs in a pan with a little olive oil. Make sure the egg is chopped up into tiny bits. Set the other raw eggs to the side.
- Chop the scallions.
- Dice the onion.
- Add diced onions to the carrot pan and cook on medium. If you need a splash of olive oil here add it. I don’t usually add any, but if you think it’s too dry go ahead. Stir to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- In another pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil using a deep pan or Wok (preferably). You can add a teaspoon of the sausage fat/oil to the pan as well. Then add HALF the steamed rice to the pan, de-clump it with a spatula, spread across bottom of pan and let it sit and heat for a couple of minutes. You can let it heat longer to get a crisp on the rice if you want – I don’t usually do that, but it’s up to you.
- In the carrot pan, make a well in the middle and add the garlic, ginger plus a splash of olive oil. Let the garlic and ginger cook for a minute to get fragrant then mix everything together.
- Add a handful of scallions to the carrot pan and mix.
- Add all the Chinese sausage to the carrot pan and mix until combined. Don’t dump the whole bowl of sausage into the pan. There is a lot of FAT at the bottom of the bowl. Use a slotted spoon or just be careful with all that fat as you transfer the sausage. It’s ok to use a little of it (a teaspoon or so) but don’t let it all in the pan.
- Add half the sausage mixture on top of the rice in the other pan and mix until well combined.
- Add the scrambled egg and mix together. At this point, you should taste it for seasoning. If you think it needs a touch more salt – add it here. Start with ½ teaspoon.
- Add the rest of the rice and de-clump it with spatula again. Then add the rest of the sausage mixture on top of that. Take your time and mix together until everything is well combined. This will take a few minutes. It’s a huge batch of fried rice!
- Now pour the raw, beaten egg all across the rice and mix until well combined. The rice is scorching hot at this point and will cook the egg almost immediately. Mix well and you’re ready to serve! Serve extra scallions on the side for garnish.
Notes
- Kam Yen Jan is the only brand I use for Chinese sausage. I’ve tried a LOT of Chinese sausage. This is the best one. Even if you see “Chinese sausage” at your local grocery store – just don’t. Do not use it – it’s probably total crap. You need to get your Chinese sausage at an Asian market. Most I’ve been to carry the Kam Yen Jan brand. Also, one package is not enough, but two is too many. You can use one and a half packages and freeze the other half package for the next batch. OR you can use it all. I use it all because it is so tasty it brings a lot of happiness into the lives of the people I give the rice too!
- I prefer using sushi rice for fried rice because it’s a strong rice that can withstand the tossing around the wok/pan. Medium grain white rice works well too, but sushi rice is the best in my opinion. I use a brand called Nishiki which you can find in the rice or international aisle of your local grocery store. I would not recommend basmati rice for this – it doesn’t hold up well and completely changes the flavor profile.
- If you have a wok – you should use it to cook this recipe. I HAD a wok, but it was kind of dying and got rusted somehow so I used a deep pan for this video. If you don’t have a wok – a deep pan in necessary.
- If you think this is too much fried rice to make simply cut the recipe in half. If you are a family of four or more this will be a great feast with yummy leftovers.
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