A twist on a noodle dish of the same name, Singapore Fried Rice is a fast food classic often featured on Chinese takeaway menus in Britain. Spicy and full of fresh ingredients, it may have little to do with Singapore, but it makes tempting comfort food.
Almost certainly the most popular Chinese dish consumed in the country’s diaspora, chow mein (chāu-mèing) is, very simply, stir fried noodles. Of all the many varieties of chow mein, chicken chow mein is the most ubiquitous – at least in Britain. In my family if we have Chinese takeaway chicken chow mein is always lurking.
Let me show you how to make egg fried rice the easy way. Usually, when making this classic dish the uncooked egg is added to the wok with the rice. I don’t know about you, but that method is so hit-and-miss that you’re somewhat likely to end up with an unpleasant rice/egg mush. It’s better to sidestep the issue completely, go fool-proof and prepare your egg separately. The result is perhaps even more delicious; it’s certainly easier to appreciate and savour the egg. I may be a fool, but I’m a clever one.
Calls for “a Chinese”, in the western Hemisphere at least, are more often than not accompanied by the demand for spring rolls. In Britain the most frequently heard exclamation on the arrival of a chow mein (other dishes are available) is “we simply must have spring rolls, darling”, or something to that general effect. Indeed, upon seeing these wraps in the background of my previous recipe,noodle broth, a general clamour for the recipe ensued – well, folks, here it is.
Oriental cuisine is often renowned for being flavoursome, but a little complex. Of course, in many cases – dim sum, for instance – both claims are true. Despite this, an even greater number of dishes, which find their roots firmly planted in the soil of the East, defy the latter assumption with their simplicity and accessibility. Granted, traditional ingredients can often be tricky to come by and often require time-consuming trips to out of town Asian supermarkets, but even specialist ingredients aren’t necessary across the board. Besides, a dish needn’t be explicitly authentic for it to be considered to be from a certain region.