There’s no end to the number of fried rice variations or recipes out there; a testament to how common this dish appears in the homes, restaurants, food courts, yada yada all around the world. And with good reason - it’s simple perfection in a bowl, filled to the brim with soul-warming comfort. For the most part anyway… there have been a few food court/buffet encounters over the years that left a lot to be desired. However on the opposite end of the spectrum, one recipe variation in particular stands out as quite special and nostalgic for me. A single bite alone transports my taste buds straight back to childhood. And that’s my mum’s take on the dish.

Aside from the familiar and comforting taste, one of my favourite things about my mum’s fried rice recipe is the use of lap cheong or Chinese sausage. Crispy, fried, fatty, salted goodness… everything bad for you but oh so good for your taste buds. Ah well, so long as you’re not eating fried rice everyday, s’all good! Some people add the lap cheong as is to the fried rice but my mum’s always given it a good pan frying beforehand. It imparts a beautiful crispy bite and a gentle but distinct char that brings out more of the flavour of the lap cheong, while also getting rid of some of the fat - just leave your fried lap cheong pieces to sit on an absorbent paper towel and discard the oil from the pan before proceeding with the fried rice prep. As a child, I used to eat around the lap cheong pieces so that I could save the best for last. Crispy fried lap cheong by the spoonful, yum! But lap cheong evenly distributed throughout the fried rice, also yum and is the way I enjoy the dish nowadays!

I made this confession on my Instastories so there’s no hiding from the fact that I haven’t cooked my own rice since moving out of my parents’ place just over 3 years ago. My go to options have been:

A. order it from a restaurant along with some sort of main dish or two… because who orders just rice alone?

B. put in a request with my parents or in-laws to pack some up in a tupperware container to go.

C. packaged rice, the kind where you snip the corner, pop it in the microwave for two minutes and Bob’s your uncle.

Since coming clean, and with the point C in particular, I’ve been copping all sorts of flak. Future me will probably also shake my head. Especially considering that we’ve had one of those rice cookers tucked away in one of our cupboards this whole time. I finally took the old gal for a spin when I found myself with some uncooked rice grains in one of those grocery box deliveries. No dramas and SO EASY. So if it’s one thing I’ve accomplished during iso period, it’s cooking rice with a rice cooker. One day soon perhaps, I will learn to cook rice on a stove but let’s not get ahead of myself.

To my excitement, my batch of cooked rice yielded leftover rice. Which immediately had me thinking about fried rice. So I sought to recreate my mum’s ‘recipe’. I say recipe quite loosely as nothing was ever measured. But with the right ingredients on hand, the final product I created was definitely comparable to mum’s, and was a great fix for the fried rice craving I never knew I had.

LAP CHEONG (CHINESE SAUSAGE) FRIED RICE

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups day-old white rice

• 2-3 lap cheong sausages, cut into small cubes

• 4 eggs

• Dried shrimp (I used ~1/3 cup)

• Frozen corn and peas (~1 cup)

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 spring onions, sliced

• salt and white pepper to taste

• Optional: Asian greens and XO or crispy chilli oil sauce to serve

METHODS

1. Microwave the day-old rice in an enclosed microwave safe container for 1 to 2 minutes - the steam/condensation will help add some moisture back to the rice so that it doesn’t dry out further when cooking in the pan.

2. Heat a large non-stick frying pan/wok over medium heat. Add the lap cheong sausages and pan fry until crispy. Remove from the pan and allow to sit on a sheet of paper towel. Discard the oil from the pan.

3. Pan fry the eggs. You can whisk these beforehand if you prefer but I just crack them right into the pan. Once fried, slice the eggs into bite sized pieces.

   Alternatively, you can add the eggs straight to the rice instead alongside the other ingredients, which will cook as you fold the fried rice, but I personally enjoy the bites of egg in my fried rice.

4. Add all ingredients to the pan. Fold through the ingredients until evenly distributed and the fried rice is heated through. Season to taste with more soy sauce/salt if needed and white pepper.

5. Serve immediately, alongside some Asian greens (I stir fried some Chinese broccoli with garlic) and XO/crispy chilli oil sauce if so desired.

Enjoy!