Chinese · Authentic-ish Chinese
Yangzhou Fried Rice
375 kcal a serving, against 568 for the traditional version. That is 193 kcal off, or 34%, with 32.4g of protein. Serves 4. 20 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A huge mountain of day-old white rice tossed in a smoking wok with a very heavy pour of vegetable oil. It's studded with rich, fatty roast pork, a few small prawns, scrambled egg and peas. It's pure, comforting starch and fat designed to fill you up cheaply.
What changed, and what each change costs
80g of vegetable oil down to 15g of sunflower oil
The traditional slick of hot oil is exactly what makes takeaway rice so heavy and rich. Dropping it down to a bare minimum removes a massive amount of fat immediately.
What it costs you. The rice won't have that glossy, slippery mouthfeel. It clumps together a bit more in the pan and eats slightly drier without that oily coating.
250g of dry rice down to 150g, while doubling the prawns and ham
Cutting the starch makes room for a massive pile of lean seafood and meat. This completely changes what fills you up, relying on heavy savoury ingredients rather than cheap bulk.
What it costs you. So: essentially a large plate of meat and prawns with some rice scattered through it. A comforting bowl of carbs anymore was never on the table once the fat came out. The balance is entirely gone.
150g of fatty roast pork for 200g of lean cooked ham
Traditional char siu brings a lot of sweet, heavy fat to the wok. Lean ham delivers the salty, cured pork flavour you need without adding a thick layer of grease to the dish.
What it costs you. Ham is one-dimensional. You miss out on those beautiful, dark, caramelised edges that proper Chinese barbecue pork gives you.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 568 | 375 |
| Protein | 20.3g | 32.4g |
| Fat | 29.8g | 10.8g |
| Saturated fat | 5.9g | 2.6g |
| Carbohydrate | 52.6g | 35.6g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 3.6g | 8.6g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Chinese prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, crustaceans, eggs, soybeans.
The method is in the book
I'll be honest, a proper wok chef would laugh at the ratios in this pan. There's far too much meat and seafood, and nowhere near enough oil to lubricate the starch properly. The clumps of rice will stick together a bit, and you do firmly notice the missing fat. But the sheer volume of savoury ham, sweet prawns and scrambled egg makes it a brilliant dinner. You get a huge bowl of food that hits all the right salty notes, leaving you full but not sluggish.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Chinese, along with 55 more. Buy the paperback