Scallop Fried Rice

Inspiration

Last night I was stuck wondering what to cook so I decided on the classic fried rice. However I made Thai fried rice the previous night and I hate making the same dish two days in a row or even within the same week. Sadden by the lack of creativity I started prepping for dinner when my roommate came into the kitchen with a pack of dried shiitake mushrooms his mom sent. While storing the mushroom with all my other Chinese dried goods I found inspiration. Staring at all the dried scallops I had reminded me of a special type of fried rice using only egg whites I had before.

Notes on fried Rice

Though I still have not mastered the art of making fried rice am getting a lot closer to restaurant quality. So what make the fried rice you get at restaurants better than the ones we make at home? Well besides the fact that the restaurant probably cheated with some MSG. I think the main difference lies within the stove used. When cooking fried rice you want to use very high heat to keep the rice dried and obtain what Chinese people call “essence of the wok”. Clearly restaurants have the advantage with their 25000 BTU burners. To compensate for the lack of fire power people often suggest using day old rice(more firm/dried). But this technique is not always practical when you want your fried rice right away. I find that cooking the rice with less water works just as well. The amount of water to use will varied depending on your rice so experiment. Rule of thumb to cooking rice is 1:1 water and rice. You want to use just enough water to barely cook the rice, it is ok a small portion on top looks half cooked.

Measurements
Makes enough for 2 people plus some leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

1 cup of steamed jasmine rice (I used lines in my rice cooker pot to measure the cup and filled water to a 1/16 inch above the 2 cup mark)
5 Dried scallops
½ cup of tender Gai lan (aka chinese kale) stem diced
Salt
A pinch Pepper (white might work better)
4 egg whites(important that there is no yolk. I forgot why but I think it drastically changes the flavor of the dish)
2 tbs of oil

1. Soak the scallop in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes to hydrate them.
2. Drain the them and place into a small bowl and steam for 15 minutes or until soft enough to break apart when poke with a spoon.
3. While the scallops are steaming start another pot of boiling water with some salt to blanch the gai lan. When the water is at a rolling boil add the stems and cook for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Strain and set aside
4. Remove the steamed scallops and break it up as much as possible and set aside.
5. In a large pan heat up the oil and had the scallop. Cook for a few minutes to crisp up the scallops and release some flavor in to the oil. Add the gai lan and push everything to a side of the pan. There should enough oil and space to cook the egg whites, add some more oil if needed. Add the egg whites and wait till it sets and break it up. Now add the rice and break it up as much as possible, if you cooked your rice right the grains should not stick. Add salt to taste.