For my gluten free special fried brown rice, I am using minced chicken as my main ingredient. Plus grilled gluten free leg ham (Plumrose), peas and spring onions. There are two ways of cooking the eggs. One method is to fry the lightly beaten eggs into omelette. Then thinly cut it into strips and serve as a topping like garnishes. Another method is to scramble the beaten eggs. Then add and mix in with the rice during the last stage of cooking. I am using the first method of cooking the eggs. Just so that it is easier for anyone with egg allergy to exclude eggs from the dish. This special fried brown rice recipe is not only gluten free. But also dairy free, nut free and soy free.
You may also like my other gluten free fried rice recipes:
- Chicken Nasi Goreng Kampung (Village Fried Rice);
- Seafood Fried Rice; and
- Prawns and Eggs Fried Brown Rice.
About Chinese Special Fried Rice (Yangchow Fried Rice)
During the Sui dynasty, they created Yangzhou fried rice’s original recipe as far back as 589 – 618 A.D.. It has its origins in the city of Yangzhou, eastern Jiangsu province in China. Specifically, Qing China’s Yi Bingshou created this Chinese special fried rice recipe in 1754 – 1815. And he named the dish Yangzhou fried rice because Yi was formally the provincial magistrate of Yangzhou.
Special fried rice, every so often named Yangchow fried rice, is virtually a feast in itself. Many chefs cook this highly popular Chinese-style wok fried rice dish in many Chinese restaurants all over the world. Likewise, Yangchow fried rice is one of the most important and most widespread Chinese cuisine. Normally, they use either long grain white rice or fragrant rice this dish. Ingredients vary according to the chef’s preferences. But most chefs use typical staple ingredients like cooked rice, prawns, barbecue pork (char siu) or Chinese sausage (Lap Cheong). Besides, they also use vegetables like spring onions (scallions), peas, carrots, corns plus eggs. For my gluten free version of this special fried brown rice. I am using brown rice which has a distinctive nutty flavour and very nourishing as well.
Nutritional Values and Health Benefits of Brown Rice
Brown rice is not only low Glycemic Index (GI), it also has many nutritional benefits. The side hulls and brans are rich in proteins, manganese, thiamine, potassium, calcium, magnesium and fiber. It is also rich in selenium, reducing risks of cancer, heart disease and arthritis. Brown rice is also excellent for weight management due to its high fiber content. Making you feel fully by consuming smaller amount of rice. The most astonishing fact is that brown rice is very rich in antioxidant. Furthermore, they consider brown rice highly nutritious with the same ranking as many superfoods. Like strawberries, berries, kale and other types of fruits and vegetables.
Compared to white rice, brown rice requires shorter cooking times and is more digestible. Most people think that white rice looks better than brown rice. Because the manufacturers go through a heavily refined process, removing all the essential nutrients of white rice. Even though the manufacturers enrich white rice with artificial enrichments in the form of artificial vitamins and iron. It still does not adequately provide for the smallest nutritional standards required for each serving of food.
Special Fried Brown Rice (Yangchow Fried Rice)
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 kg minced chicken
- 500 g frozen baby peas
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 5 spring onions thinly sliced lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons medium dry sherry
- 4 cups brown rice
- 340 g canned gluten free leg ham or shoulder ham, thinly sliced (Plumrose)
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon medium dry sherry
- 1 ½ teaspoons corn starch or potato starch
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
For the Omelette:
- extra virgin olive oil for pan frying
- 8 extra large eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
Instructions
- Wash the brown rice and cook in an electric rice cooker by adding number of cups of water specified by the electric cooker. Rice should be just cooked and not wet. Keep warm in the rice cooker.
- Pre-heat fan force oven to 160C or 320F. Line a non-stick large baking pan with baking or parchment paper. Grill the leg ham or shoulder ham pieces in the oven for around 20 minutes or until brown and crispy on both sides. Cut into 2 cm (0.8 inch) pieces with a kitchen scissor.
- Combine chicken with marinade in a large bowl and mix well.
For the omelette:
- Crack all the eggs into a medium bowl, add the salt and ground white pepper. Beat all the eggs well with a fork.
- Heat up a medium non-stick frying pan with some extra virgin olive oil on medium to high heat. Add half of the beaten eggs mixture into the frying pan, turn the heat to medium. Move the frying pan around to distribute the egg evenly, pan-fry for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the bottom of the omelette turn slight brown.
- Turn the omelette around and pan-fry for roughly the same time. Remove omelette onto a plate. Covering the plate to keep warm. Repeat with remaining egg mixture by adding a bit more extra virgin olive oil. Cut into thin strips.
For the Fried Brown Rice:
- Heat up a large non-stick wok with 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, stir-fry and separate the minced chicken on medium to high heat until no longer pink. Remove from wok and set aside. Clean wok with kitchen paper towel.
- Heat up another 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and stir-fry the garlic on low heat until lightly golden. Then add the peas, spring onions and pale or medium dry sherry and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the wok.
- Add the steamed brown rice in step 1 and the shoulder or leg ham pieces into the wok, toss and combine well until the rice is heated through.
- Add the omelette to the top of the fried brown rice and serve.
