Vegetarian Yangzhou fried rice

1. Break up the cold rice with a spoon so there are no big clumps. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt.

2. Heat a third of the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, add the eggs and stir for about 1 minute until just set, then move them to a plate.

3. Add the remaining oil, fry the tofu for 2 to 3 minutes until lightly golden, then add the carrot, peas and corn and stir-fry another 2 to 3 minutes until the carrot is just tender and the peas and corn are hot throughout.

4. Stir in the soy sauce, then add the rice, break it up with the spatula and toss over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until hot and dry, with the grains separate.

5. Return the eggs to the pan, season with salt and pepper, add the scallion, toss for about 30 seconds and turn off the heat. Serve hot.

Tips

• Spread freshly cooked rice thinly to cool quickly, ideally within 1 hour, then refrigerate. Use within 24 hours; cold, dry rice keeps its grains separate when fried.
• Go easy on the soy sauce: Yangzhou fried rice should stay light golden, with the flavour coming mainly from salt and pepper.

Substitutions

• The classic dish has ham or char siu and shrimp; the vegetarian version leaves them all out and uses fried tofu (or firm tofu as the protein).
• For a vegan version: leave out the eggs and use extra tofu.
• For a no-alliums version: omit the scallion and add a little chopped coriander just before turning off the heat.

Storage

Fry only the amount you will eat immediately. Frying chilled rice counts as reheating; do not reheat it again. Make sure the rice is steaming hot throughout before serving.

• 554 kcalEnergy
• 23.4 gProtein
• 65.5 gCarbohydrate
• 22.7 gFat
• 5.3 gFibre
• 989 mgSodium

An estimate for reference only, not medical advice.