Arroz chaufa… welcoming the Chinese New Year

They say that in Lima, we have thousands of Chinese restaurants or Chifas, as we call them. There seems to be one in every corner. They are big or small, humble or up-scale, but one thing they all have in common is that they’re always bursting with people eager to have the best dishes of their menus. We love Chinese food and appreciate its convenient prices, huge portions, and delicious taste. However, it was not always like that.

When the first Chinese immigrants opened small stores in downtown Lima, Peruvians were very suspicious of them. They didn´t know their food and thought very poorly of the quality and cleanliness of their kitchens. As time went by, Chifas became more popular among limeños, and some big households started hiring them as cooks because they loved their interesting flavors.

Cooking this food is not easy for everyone, but there is a dish you can find in every house in our country: arroz chaufa, or fried rice. It is usually made with chicken, pork, or seafood. Some cooks add sausages, or just use plain vegetables, as we did to celebrate the Chinese New Year. You can add whatever protein you have in hand to this vegetarian version of arroz chaufa. To do so, stir-fry cubed chicken, sliced cooked pork or shrimps, and then proceed with the recipe. Instead of peas or peppers, you can add broccoli, and for a little crunch, sliced water chestnuts.

Welcome, Dragon!

Vegetable stir-fried rice
Author: 
Recipe type: Entree
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • • 2 cups cold cooked white rice, without salt
  • • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • • 2 teaspoons ginger, grated or finely chopped+
  • • ½ cup bell pepper (any color) sliced
  • • ½ cup snow peas, sliced
  • • ½ cup cooked green peas
  • • ½ cup soy sprouts
  • • 2 eggs
  • • ½ cup scallions, sliced
  • • 2 – 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
  • • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
  1. *Heat a wok or pan over high heat, and when it´s very hot, add oil.
  2. *Add bell pepper, stirring all the time, add snow peas and incorporate the rice, and stir quickly. Make a well in the center and add garlic and ginger. Stir for a couple of minutes, and combine with the rice and vegetables.
  3. *Add eggs in the center of the pan, scramble and combine with the rest of the ingredients. Add green peas and soy sprouts.
  4. *Season with soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Turn off the heat and sprinkle with sesame seeds and the chopped scallions. Serve immediately.

 


Comentarios

  1. I love your photos – I laugh at the HUGE bottle of Kikkoman soy sauce. Mine is tiny!

  2. I love rice! and this recipe with all those colorful vegetables looks amazing!!

  3. I love friend rice. Thank you sharing this delicious recipe.

  4. This recipe looks so good. I love fried rice and definitely I will try this one.

  5. I have an obsession with rice, so hopefully I can try this recipe in the future. Se ve rico!!!

  6. I love this, I now have to go to a Peruvian restaurant in the US for my fried rice. But none is better than in Peru…

  7. I make this all the time for my Peruvian husband, usually with any leftover meats from the night before. Our 4 year old even loves it!

Deja un comentario

*