China • Regional Dish • Side Dish

Yangzhou Fried Rice

A classic Chinese fried rice with shrimp, pork, egg, peas, and scallions. Colorful, balanced, and built on separate, fluffy grains.

Servings4

Prep Time20 min

Cook Time10 min

DifficultyModerate

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Ingredients

US Metric

4 1/2 cups cooked jasmine rice, preferably chilled overnight

4 oz raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut into small pieces

3 1/2 oz cooked char siu or roast pork, finely diced

3 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp neutral oil, divided

1/2 cup peas, thawed if frozen

1/3 cup carrot, finely diced

3 scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 tsp Shaoxing wine or water

1 tsp toasted sesame oil, optional

700 g cooked jasmine rice, preferably chilled overnight

120 g raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut into small pieces

100 g cooked char siu or roast pork, finely diced

3 eggs, beaten

30 ml neutral oil, divided

60 g peas, thawed if frozen

50 g carrot, finely diced

3 scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated

15 ml light soy sauce

3 g salt, or to taste

1 g white pepper

5 ml Shaoxing wine or water

5 ml toasted sesame oil, optional

Instructions

Break up the chilled rice so the grains are loose and separate. Pat the shrimp dry.
Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add 10 ml of the oil, then add the eggs. Scramble just until softly set. Transfer to a plate.
Add another 10 ml of oil. Add the shrimp and stir-fry for about 1 minute, until just cooked. Transfer to the plate with the eggs.
Add the remaining oil. Add the carrot, peas, and the white parts of the scallions. Stir-fry for about 1 minute.
Add the rice and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, breaking up any clumps and tossing until the grains are hot and separate.
Add the diced pork, cooked shrimp, and eggs back to the wok. Add the light soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and Shaoxing wine or water. Toss quickly until evenly seasoned and heated through.
Turn off the heat. Stir in the scallion greens and sesame oil, if using.
Serve immediately.

Cultural Context

Yangzhou fried rice, often listed as Young Chow fried rice on English-language menus, is one of Yangzhou’s signature dishes and part of the broader Huaiyang tradition. It isn’t meant to be dark, heavy or buried under half the fridge. The appeal is fluffy, distinct grains with finely diced shrimp, egg, pork or ham, peas, scallions and sometimes chicken or carrot adding color and small bursts of flavor. That makes it great for home cooking: once everything is chopped, the stir-fry moves fast. Have your ingredients ready and go easy on the seasoning. Otherwise, you risk turning a refined rice dish into takeout fog.

Fun Fact

A museum display photographed in Yangzhou helped confirm for one major Chinese food site that Yangzhou fried rice is indeed regarded there as a real local signature dish, not just an American takeout invention.

Cook’s Tip

Day-old rice works best because drier grains fry cleanly and stay distinct. Yangzhou fried rice is usually lightly seasoned, so do not drown it in soy sauce. The classic idea is balance and color, with ingredients cut small so they sit naturally among the rice rather than taking over the bowl. Common versions include shrimp, pork or ham, egg, peas, scallions, and sometimes carrot or chicken.

Trivia

One classic hallmark of Yangzhou fried rice is that the mix-ins are often diced very small, sometimes close to the size of the rice grains, so the whole dish looks even and finely textured rather than chunky.

About This Recipe

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Yangzhou Fried Rice

Instructions

Cultural Context

Fun Fact

Cook’s Tip

Trivia

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