Fried Rice With Chinese Sausage, Cabbage, and Torch Hei

Fried Rice With Chinese Sausage, Cabbage, and Torch Hei

[Photographs: Vicky Wasik]

Making great fried rice doesn’t require nearly as much fuss as some people think. Unfortunately, most Western stoves don’t burn hot enough to get the savory, smoky notes of wok hei that sets truly great fried rice above the rest. This recipe calls upon the power of a kitchen blowtorch to pull off an ingenious wok hei hack that adds that special “breath of the wok” dimension to the dish—even if you don’t have a gas-powered stove or grill.

This fried rice stars sweet and salty Chinese sausage and tender leaves of Napa cabbage, set off with juicy green peas and sliced scallions. A sauce of Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil adds flavor without drowning out the “torch hei.” Because too much time under the torch can easily burn individual grains of rice, we instead elect to cook the rice and the cabbage separately, giving the cabbage a brief 30-second treatment with the blowtorch before folding it back in with the cooked rice and sausage. A final pass with the live flame just before taking it off the heat ensures that signature smoky aroma permeates the dish.

Published at Wed, 12 Feb 2020 10:26:47 +0000