Arroz chaufa
Peruvian chifa fried rice with egg, spring onion, ginger and soy
Arroz chaufa is the fried rice of Lima's chifas, the Chinese-Peruvian restaurants found on almost every street corner in Peru. It is close to Cantonese fried rice but has its own accent: plenty of spring onion and ginger, a dark soy colour, a thin omelette cut into strips and a whisper of sesame oil, all tossed in a smoking wok. This egg and vegetable version is a quick dinner on its own, or the side for a saltado. Chef's tip: use rice cooked the day before and broken up with your fingers; fresh rice is too wet and goes mushy and sticky in the wok.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Break up the cold 1 ⅓ lb cooked jasmine rice with your fingers so there are no clumps. This is what lets every grain fry separately.
Step 2: Heat a wok over a medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Pour in 3 eggs and swirl to make a thin omelette. Cook for 1 minute until set, flip for 10 seconds, then slide onto a board, roll up and cut into thin strips.
2 minStep 3: Heat the rest of 2 tbsp vegetable oil in the wok over the highest heat until it smokes. Add the white parts of 3 spring onions, 2 cloves garlic and ½ oz fresh ginger and stir-fry for 20 seconds until fragrant.
Step 4: Add ½ red pepper and 2 ⅞ oz frozen peas and toss for 1 minute until the peas are bright green.
1 minStep 5: Add the rice and spread it over the wok. Leave it for 30 seconds to catch and toast, then toss. Repeat for 3–4 minutes, until the rice is hot through and some grains are lightly crisp and jumping in the pan.
4 minStep 6: Pour 3 tbsp soy sauce around the hot sides of the wok rather than onto the rice, so it sizzles and turns smoky, then toss until the rice is evenly coloured light brown. Season with ¼ tsp salt if needed.
Step 7: Add the omelette strips, the green parts of 3 spring onions and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, toss once more and serve straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arroz chaufa take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of cooked jasmine rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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