Google: “Fried rice is a dish of cooked rice that has been stir-fried in a wok or a frying pan and is usually mixed with other ingredients such as eggs, vegetables, seafood, or meat. It is often eaten by itself or as an accompaniment to another dish. Chinese fried rice- light soy sauce and dark soy sauce are used. A blazing hot wok (a wok is ideal, but a large pan) will do”.

The first thing you need to know about wok cooking is that oil is very important. To bring flavour around your dish, flavour the oil first. If you want to learn good wok technique, this simple fried rice is a good choice. Fried rice is affordable, quick and easy to make. Although it’s “plain” in its ingredient list and technique, it’s a fantastic dish to learn some very valuable and basic Chinese cooking skills.

“Pumpkin is a winter squash, a nutritious and versatile vegetable rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It provides various health benefits, including supporting eye and immune health, promoting digestion, and potentially reducing the risk of chronic diseases.”

I enjoyed multi-staking skills as a way to exercise; moving around and developed my mind to be conscious on what needed done first and what is last. The best thing is the joy I get from multi-staking. My meal that is comforting, satisfying, West meets East flavoured, colourful and delicious. Let’s cook!!!

Ingredients

Roasted pumpkin

500 g pumpkin cubes (bought ready cubes)
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tsp Italian Seasoning
1/8 Tsp sumac powder (OPT)
1/4 Tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 Tsp nutmeg powder
salt
black pepper
cayenne powder (OPT)

Oyster sauce pork

250 g pork, cut to bite size
1 Tsp corn flour
2-3 Tbs oil
1 Tbs minced garlic
2 Tbs oyster sauce
1 Tbs light soy sauce
1 Tsp sesame oil
4 Tbs water
1 Tsp corn flour
1 Tbs Shao Xing Chinese wine
1 Tsp sugar
salt
pepper

Mixed vegetables

2 large carrots, blanched and cut into matchsticks
1 medium cauliflower, blanched stems and florets
12 green beans, remove stems and cut into bite size and blanched
200 g cocktail prawns
1/4 c vegetables stock
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 Tbs Shao Xing Chinese cooking wine
2 Tbs oyster sauce
2 Tbs soy sauce
oil
salt
pepper

Fried rice

3 Chinese sausages, thinly sliced
4 c cooked rice, 2-3 days old
150 g frozen vegetables (carrots, corns, and peas)
3 eggs, beaten
4 Tsp minced garlic
1 Tbs Shoa Xing (Chinese cooking wine)
oil
salt
pepper

Sauce for fried rice

1 Tbs Teriyaki sauce
1 Tbs Shoa Xing (Chinese cooking wine)
1 Tbs oyster sauce
2 Tsp sesame oil
1/4 Tsp sugar
1/8 Tsp ajinomoto (OPT)

Method

Preheat oven 200 degrees C. Rinse the cubes pumpkin and drain dry on paper towel. You don’t have to rinse. I rinsed it for hygiene purpose. I don’t know who cut the pumpkin into cubes as I bought them ready in cubes.

Place them in a wide spreadable deep baking dish, add garlic powder, Italian Seasoning, sumac powder (if using), cinnamon powder, cayenne powder (if using), nutmeg powder, salt, black pepper and olive oil. Then rub on all sides of cubes pumpkin. 

Spread out on dish. Roast for 20 minutes; depending on thickness of pumpkin slices (check at 15 minutes). While pumpkin roasting, coat pork with the cornflour for 10 minutes. Combine all the sauce ingredients, except the oil and mix well. Set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Fill a metal basin with ice water, and put a colander or strainer in it.

Get back to pumpkin: use a food clipper and turn pumpkin cubes, then roast a further 7 to 10 minutes until nicely coloured but holding it’s shape, rather than being a mushy mess. Now, back to pork, in a wok, heat up oil on high heat, cook garlic until fragrant about 25 seconds. Add in pork and continue to cook for about 3-5minutes, or until pork is cooked. Add in the sauces and mix well a couple of times or until the sauce thickens. By now pumpkin is roasted. Switch off the oven, leave the the pumpkin in and cover with foil. Next spoon cooked pork onto plate, to keep warm, cover with tented foil and put into warm oven.

Next add the vegetables to the boiling water and cook, uncovered, until crisp tender, or the desired degree of doneness. Scoop the vegetables from the water and immediately put them in the ice water, to stop the cooking and set their colour. Cool and drain, and set aside. Bring water with salt to a rapid boil. Add the prawns to the boiling water and cover the pot. Let water be rapid boil then stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Prawns are cooked when they turn pink and opaque. Remove the prawns immediately and transfer them ice water to stop the cooking process. 

Moving on to fried rice: Heat up a wok with 2 Tbs of oil and sauté 1 Tsp garlic until aromatic. Add in Chinese sausage; cook for about 4 minutes until soft and remove to a plate, set aside. Now add in 1 Tbs oil and cook 2 Tsp garlic until aromatic. Add 2 c rice and sauce for rice ingredients and stir fry sauce until well combined and rice has some slightly dark colour. Add frozen vegetables and cooked until soft and cooked about 3 minutes.

Make a “well” in the middle of the wok and pour the beaten eggs in the well. Wait for 30 seconds and then cover the “egg well” with the remaining 2 c rice. Leave it for 30 seconds and continue to stir fry fried rice so the eggs form small pieces and mix well with the fried rice. Now add back the cooked Chinese sausages, and gives a couples of tossing to mix well with rice and vegetables.

Lastly cook vegetables: Heat 2 Tbs oil in a big saucepan over medium heat, and add in garlic, cook for 25 seconds. Add in carrots, cook for about 2 minutes, then add in vegetables stock, green beans and cauliflower stems, cook for about 2-3 minutes. Next add in cauliflower florets, for about 2 minutes.

Pour Shao Xing Chinese cooking wine, oyster and soy sauce. Stir to mix well for 1-2 minutes. Check the doneness of vegetables. Once done to your desired cooking add seasoning and the cocktail prawns; stir to mixed well. Enhance the vegetables at the end of cooking with 1 Tbs oil (OPT). Spoon onto a serving dish.

To assemble: spoon fried rice onto bowl, followed by mixed vegetables, next pork with sauce, again some vegetables and lastly some roasted pumpkin. Enjoy with a glass of white wine!!!

Note: When blanching a mix of vegetables, don’t cook them together since they may not all cook at the same time. Start with the lightest coloured or mildest flavoured vegetable, and blanch and refresh each vegetable, one after the other, until cooked as desired.

https://helenscchin.com/2020/05/18/fried-rice-mixed-vegetables-pork-and-roasted-pumpkin/

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