Use CNY leftovers for crab meat fried rice

Do you have unused ingredients from the festive season taking up space in your fridge?

Fried rice is a handy dish to help you clear stuff you do not want to keep. I had to use up some crab meat that I did not get to cook for Chinese New Year.

I don't eat rice every day, but when I do, I have a weak spot for Japanese Uonuma Koshihikari rice.

Uonuma, in Japan's Niigata prefecture, is famed for its rice. The grains of Uonuma Koshihikari are addictively plump, tender with a slight chewiness.

Usually, chefs and home cooks prefer to use overnight rice for frying rice. I cheat by using less water to cook the raw rice.

You can add moisture with soy sauce or fish sauce when you fry the rice.

This applies whether you use short-grained or long-grained rice. I suggest using a ratio of one cup of raw rice to three-quarters cup of water.

When using vegetables in your fried rice, try to drain off as much water as you can after washing them to avoid excessive moisture, which can turn your rice into mush.

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 rice cups of raw Japanese short-grained rice
• 280ml water
• 4 tbsp cooking oil
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 red onion (150g), sliced
• 15g dried Sakura ebi
• 100g long beans, cut into 3cm pieces
• 150g napa cabbage, sliced
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 250g pasteurised crab meat
• 50g frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced thinly
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp salt
• Dash of pepper
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 stalks of Chinese celery, cut into 1cm pieces

METHOD

1. Use a rice cooker to cook the 2 rice cups of raw short-grained rice with 280ml of water.

2. Leave the cooked rice to cool for an hour.

3. In a wok, heat the cooking oil and add the chopped garlic. Fry on high heat for 30 seconds and add the onion. Fry for another 30 seconds.

4. Add the Sakura ebi and fry for 30 seconds. (photo above)

5. Add the long beans and fry for a minute, then add the napa cabbage. (photo above)

6. Fry for 30 seconds and add the cooked rice. (photo above)

7. Season with 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce. Stir-fry for a minute then add the crab meat.

8. Stir-fry for a minute, fry for 30 seconds and add the cooked rice.

9. Season with 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce. Stir-fry for a minute then add the crab meat.

10. Stir-fry for a minute, add the mixed vegetables and red chilli.

11. Season with fish sauce and salt.

12. Add the pepper. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.

13. In a bowl, add sesame oil to the beaten eggs.

14. Add the egg mixture to the rice by pouring it around the sides of the wok.

15. Turn the heat down to medium and allow the egg mixture to cook for a minute. Stir-fry to distribute the egg. Fry for another two minutes.

16. Add the Chinese celery and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

17. Turn off the heat and serve.

hedykhoo@sph.com.sg

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