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Ping Coombes’s recipe for quick nyonya fried rice



Fried rice has been my go-to fast food at home since my childhood. My mum makes fried rice when she has limited time and she makes this recipe a lot. It is quick, nutritious and utterly satisfying. You can eat it hot off the wok, but I think it tastes better at room temperature; making it a perfect dish to cook in advance. Once you have mastered the art of frying rice, you can put pretty much any ingredients in it. This recipe uses prawns and add the dried shrimps, if you can find them, for extra umami.

Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

200g Jasmine rice, cooked
1 tbsp dried shrimps (optional)
2 tsp oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
100g raw prawns, shelled
6 chestnut mushrooms, diced
½ tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
½ tsp dark soy sauce
Pinch of white pepper
Crispy shallots, to serve
1 spring onion, sliced
1 red chilli, sliced
Chilli oil (optional)

Rehydrate the dried shrimps in boiling water for 5 minutes, if using. Drain and diced finely, then set aside.

In a wok, heat 1 tsp oil, pour in the egg and swirl the pan to make a thin omelette. Once it starts to cook through, roll the egg up and set aside. Once cool enough to handle, cut into slices.

Using the same wok, heat up 1 tsp oil and fry the onion and garlic on medium heat until fragrant. Add the shrimps and continue to fry until aromatic and popping.

Add the prawns and mushrooms to the pan and stir-fry until the prawns begin to turn pink. Add rice and incorporate well, making sure there are no clumps. Add the oyster, fish and dark soy sauces, as well as the pinch of white pepper, and mix well. Add the strips of egg and turn off the heat. Serve with crispy shallots, spring onions, a sliced red chilli and a big dollop of chilli oil.

Ping Coombes is executive chef at Chi Kitchen, and the author of Malaysia: Recipes from a Family Kitchen (Orion). To buy Malaysia for £20.50 (RRP £25) go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. P&P charges may apply.

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