Recipe: Create an Oriental feast at home - the perfect Chinese fakeaway

ONE thing many people are missing since the Covid-19 lockdown is the chance to avail of a tasty Chinese takeaway.

City folks are still getting their fix, with some restaurants open daily for takeaway only. But if you live in rural Ireland, the chances are your favourite Chinese in the local town or village is not necessarily open every night. Demand in the country dictates that only weekend nights are a profitable time for takeaways.

So outside those times, if you’re craving a little oriental food in your life, it’s easy to knock up something with ordinary ingredients that will scratch that itch!

This weekend, I’ve created a tasty Egg Fried Rice dish from what I had in the cupboard and fridge,or which can be got from the local shop. Egg Fried Rice is one of the things most people order from their Chinese, to go with any of the usual mains. At home, it can make a savoury lunch as it comes, or a more substantial meal. With the addition of chicken, prawns or tofu, you can turn this simple dish into an exotic masterpiece.

My recipe is the basic deal, nothing fancy, just Basmati rice, leeks, peas and sliced pepper, with subtle spice from fresh rootginger and chilli. You can also add spring onions, carrots and mushrooms too. A little chopped salami or ham adds savouriness, but leave this out if you want a vegetarian dish. The thing that brings all these simple ingredients together is the beaten egg, stirred through in the pan to scramble softly onto the grains of rice and vegetables. I also made a dressing with soy, sesame oil and mirin (an oriental vinegar, but you can replace with a squeeze of lime).

Follow it with a delicious fruity pudding to cleanse the palate. As it’s May, I don’t think it’s too early to be thinking about summer fruit salads. The first strawberries of the Irish season will soon be appearing. Raspberries may take a little longer, but imported berries are now available to get us in the mood for warm weather eating.

CHINESE FAKEAWAY FRIED RICE

Ingredients (Serves 4)

For the dressing 

2 tbsp dark soy sauce 

2 tsp sesame oil (optional) or olive oil 

2 tsp Mirin or a good squeeze of lime juice 

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce 

For the rice:

2tbsp olive or sunflower oil 

2 leeks, trimmed, rinsed and finely sliced 

1 large fresh green, red or yellow pepper

1 fat finger fresh rootginger, grated 

1 small red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

 350g cooked basmati rice 

75g frozen peas 

4 thin slices salami, finely shredded 

2 large fresh free range eggs 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Method:

• First make the dressing. Mix soy, sesame oil, mirin or lime juice and sweet chilli sauce in a bowl.
• Reserve.
• Heat oil in a large frying pan and fry leeks, pepper, ginger and chilli over low heat till soft and beginning to brown lightly.
• Stir in the cooked rice, peas and salami. Stir fry till everything is heated through.
• Beat eggs together and pour into the rice mix. Stir through, allowing the eggs to cook softly in the rice.
• Pour over half the dressing and stir through. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt if necessary.
• Spoon onto warm plates. Drip a little sauce around each plate to serve.