Pao Cai Chao Fan
泡菜炒饭·(pàocài chǎofàn)
The Mother Brine: Pao Cai
For those whose childhoods smelled like the sharp, mouth-watering tang of a family pickle jar cracking open, this is the dish that drags them right back home. Far removed from the soy-drenched, over-sweetened takeout of the American suburbs, authentic Sichuan fried rice relies on the brilliant, lactic-acid brightness of the mother brine and the working-class patience to cook minced pork until every drop of water evaporates into sizzling fat. It is the ultimate utilitarian comfort food: just cold leftover rice, a handful of sour pickles, some ground pork, and a screaming hot wok.
Before you start
Break up the cold rice with wet hands.
Doing this before you start cooking ensures there are no large, dry clumps to fight with in the wok.
Squeeze the diced pickles gently to remove excess brine.
Too much moisture is the enemy of good fried rice, and keeping the pickles dry ensures beautiful, separated grains.
Ingredients
- cooked white rice3 cup
- eggs2 large
- Sichuan pickled vegetables1 cup
- ground pork5 oz
- lard or neutral cooking oil2 tbsp
- garlic2 clove
- fresh ginger1 tsp
- scallions2 med
- Sichuan peppercorns1 tsp
- dried red chilies2 small
- light soy sauce1 tbsp
- ground white pepper1/4 tsp
- sugar1/4 tsp
Method
- 01
Scramble the eggs quickly in a hot wok, then set them aside.
Heat your wok over medium-high heat with half of the oil, pour in the beaten eggs, and scramble until just set but still soft, about 30 seconds. Remove them immediately to a plate so they don't turn rubbery.
- 02
Fry the ground pork until the water evaporates and it sears in its own fat.
Add the remaining oil to the wok and drop in the pork. Do not stop when it just turns grey; keep frying until the dull bubbling changes to a sharp sizzle, signaling that the water is gone and the deep, savory fat is rendering out.
- 03
Push the pork aside and bloom the aromatics in the hot fat.
Drop the garlic, ginger, scallion whites, peppercorns, and chilies into the oil pool. Fry for 15 seconds until intensely fragrant, then mix them into the browned pork.
- 04
Stir-fry the diced pickles to release their aroma.
Add the squeezed pickles to the wok and toss everything together for a minute, waking up that vibrant, sour tang and cooking off any raw brine notes.
- 05
Crank the heat to high and toss in the cold rice.
Use the back of your spatula to press the rice into the hot metal, breaking up any clumps so the seasoned fat coats every single grain.
- 06
Season the rice, return the eggs, and toss with the scallion greens before serving.
Pour the soy sauce down the hot side of the wok so it sizzles, then add the white pepper, sugar, and cooked eggs, breaking the eggs up with your spatula. Toss in the scallion greens off the heat and serve immediately.
Notes
Do not substitute Korean kimchi for Sichuan pickles.
Kimchi is fantastic, but its heavy garlic, gochugaru, and seafood paste will completely alter the dish. Look for vacuum-sealed packets of pickled yardlong beans or mustard greens at your local Asian market for that clean, lactic-acid brightness.
You can achieve great wok hei on a standard home stove with a little patience.
If your burner is not a jet engine, let the rice sit undisturbed for 10 to 15 seconds at a time to toast against the hot metal before tossing.
From Cook Sichuan in America.