“Yeung Chow Fried Rice” (also spelled as “Yung Chow” or "Yang Chow") is a popular Chinese-style wok fried rice dish in many Chinese restaurants in China, the Americas, Australia, United Kingdom, and the Philippines. The ingredients vary, but there are staple items like:
- Cooked rice (preferably day old because freshly cooked rice is too sticky)
- Barbecued pork (char siu, 叉燒)
- Cooked shrimp
- Scallions (spring onions or green onions), chopped, including green ends
- Egg yolks
Chinese barbecued pork (char siu 叉燒) is an essential ingredient in Yeung Chow Fried Rice. It is the barbecued pork that gives it its special sweet-like flavor.
Some variations of the dish include other vegetables such as peas, carrots and corn. The peas may be a replacement for the green onions. Some western chinese restaurants also use soy sauce to flavor the rice. A variant with small pieces of chicken also added is often sold in the UK as Special fried rice.
Despite the name, this dish did not originate in Yangzhou; instead, the recipe was invented by the Qing dynasty's Yi Bingshou (1754–1815) and the dish was named Yeung Chow fried rice since Yi was once the regional magistrate of Yangzhou. Still, there have been attempts by people in Yangzhou to patent the dish.
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