Dried Scallop and Egg White Fried Rice – Recipe

There are only but a handful of actual fried rice dishes that you can find on most Chinese restaurant menus or make at home. Most fried rice dishes come out of necessity to eat up the left overs that are sitting around in the fridge; which coincidentally was the way my famous, smoked meat poutine with half sour pickles, chicken wings and blueberry pie fried rice was invented.

Making fried rice is super simple and there are just a couple of key things you need to keep in mind to make amazing fried rice.

1) Rice. or “cold rice”
Your rice should be leftover rice. Fresh rice is too soft to be manhandled and fried in a wok, it will fall apart and you will end up making a “fried-rice-lump”. If your rice is day-old and cold, it will hold together better because it’s hard. Cook from cold, there’s no need to reheat your rice before cooking it; it will “reheat” as it cooks and by the time you’re finished, the texture will return to it’s proper state without going mushy.

2) Hot wok (or pan)
I don’t expect most people to have a carbon wok with ring adapter for their home stove, but any flat bottomed pan that transfers heat is ideal. Making fried rice is quick and easy if you have your ingredients ready to go especially if your pan is heated properly – ingredients shouldn’t spend more that 90 seconds in your pan if it’s.

My favourite is the classic dried scallops with egg white fried rice. This recipe does however take a little bit of preparation – opposed to toss up whatever you have in your fridge (because I don’t know what’s in your fridge). I usually plan this a day in advance so that I can either make enough rice a day in advance to yield enough leftovers or just cook a pot of rice and have it sit around for a day.

Ingredients:

-5 cups cooled cooked rice
-1 cup dried scallop (3 dried scallops, rehydrated and shredded)
-1/4 cup choy sum or gai lan stems (sliced)
-3 sprigs of spring onion (sliced)
-4 egg whites
-3 tbsp vegetable oil
-2 tbsp chicken stock powder (separated)
-1.2 tbsp sesame oil
-3 dried scallops (reconstituted)
-1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
-1 cup water.
-1 cup crab meat (optional)

Scallops:
Combine water, shoaxing wine, one tablespoon of chicken stock powered in a bowl and place dried scallops in to reconstitute for a couple of hours or over night. Once they have hydrated, remove them from the bowl (DO NOT discard the water, you’ll be cooking with it) shred the scallops by hand and set aside.

Add oil to a wok on medium-high heat and fry the scallop shreds until they become crispy, spoon out and set aside.

With the same oil that you just used to fry the scallops, fry your egg whites. Under cook the eggs slightly and spoon out. Add cold rice and toss to coat with remaining oil, (if there isn’t any, add another 2 tbsp of vegetable oil).

Once the rice starts to soften, sprinkle one tablespoon of chicken stock powder and toss. Add shredded scallop, eggs, crab meat (optional), scallions, choy sum or gai lan stems and half of the liquid used to rehydrate the scallops and toss for 2 minutes. Drizzle with sesame oil in the last 30 seconds, toss, remove from heat and serve.

This dish is also nicknamed “big shot” fried rice – (due to the price dried scallops used to be), and only people with money would order this; other names, “generous fried rice” or “generosity fried rice”.

This is one of my favourite fried rice dishes. The profound flavour and savouriness of the scallops definitely lend a level of umami to this dish that is off the charts that completely pairs well with the subtlety sweet nuttiness of the sesame oil. The fluffy egg whites add a nice contrast of texture against the toothsome strands of scallop and bite from the stems.

Can’t find a particular ingredient? Check out my ultimate Asian grocery store round up here, and find a store near you!