Fried Rice With Chinese Sausage, Cabbage, and Torch Hei Recipe (2024)

Chinese
Stir-Fry
Stovetop
White Rice
Sausages

Make good fried rice great with a simple wok hei hack.

Tim Chin

Tim Chin is a professional cook and writer who started contributing to Serious Eats in early 2020. He holds a degree in Classic Pastry Arts at The International Culinary Center.

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Updated March 11, 2020

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Why It Works

The high-output flame of a kitchen blowtorch imparts the distinctive smoky aroma and flavor of classic wok hei that is otherwise very difficult to achieve on a Western stovetop.
Torching the cabbage separately ensures the grains of rice don't burn.
Cooking the rice in two batches guarantees it won't clump up as you stir-fry it.
A light hand with seasoning light allows the flavors of the rice, aromatics, sausage, and wok hei to shine through.

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.

Torch Hei Is the Best Way to Get Wok Hei at Home

Recipe Details

Fried Rice With Chinese Sausage, Cabbage, and Torch Hei Recipe

Active10 mins

Total15 mins

Serves2to 3 servings

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

2 tablespoons (30ml) chicken broth
1 tablespoon (15ml) Shaoxing wine (see note)
1 teaspoon (5ml) soy sauce
1 teaspoon (5ml) toastedsesame oil
1 teaspoon (5g)sugar
1 large garlic clove (5g), finely grated
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

For the Rice:

3 tablespoons (45ml) vegetable oil, divided
2 cups cooked white or jasmine rice (12 ounces; 350g)
Kosher salt
8 ounces (225g) Napa cabbage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 ounces (112g) Chinese sausage, boiled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (see note)
3 ounces (85g)frozen peas
2 scallions (30g), thinly sliced

Directions

For the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk chicken broth, wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, garlic, and white pepper together until well-combined. Set aside.
For the rice: If using day-old rice (see note), transfer to a medium bowl and break the rice up with your hands into individual grains before proceeding. In a wok, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons (7ml) oil over high heat until smoking. Add half of the rice, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring and tossing, until rice is pale brown and toasted, and has a slightly chewy texture, about 3 minutes. Transfer rice to a medium bowl. Repeat cooking process with another 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and remaining rice. Set rice aside.
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons (30ml) oil in now-empty wok over high heat until smoking. Add cabbage, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring and tossing, until just tender, about 1 minute. Using blowtorch, hold flame 2 to 3 inches above skillet while stirring and tossing constantly, until oil combusts and imparts smoky aroma, about 30 seconds. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
Stir in sausage and cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in sauce mixture and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add rice and toss to combine. Add frozen peas and scallions and continue to toss and stir until peas are thawed and every grain of rice is separate. Using blowtorch, hold flame 2 to 3 inches above skillet while stirring and tossing constantly, until oil combusts and imparts smoky aroma, about 30 seconds. Serve.

Special equipment

Carbon steel wok or carbon steel skillet, high-output kitchen torch

Notes

Dry sherry can be substituted for Shaoxing wine.

For best results, use Chinese-style medium-grain rice, jasmine rice, or sushi rice. Rice should either be cooked fresh, spread on a tray, and allowed to cool for five minutes, or, alternatively, cooked in advance and refrigerated in a covered container for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days.

For a more pleasant texture, it’s often helpful to boil or steam Chinese sausage before throwing it into a dish. Boil the sausages for 6 to 8 minutes in water to soften and cook them through before cutting.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Fried rice is best enjoyed immediately, but the cooked rice used in this recipe can be (and is best) made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container.

This Recipe Appears In

Hei Now, You’re a Wok Star: A Fiery Hack for Stir-Frying at Home

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
454	Calories
26g	Fat
42g	Carbs
10g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2to 3
Amount per serving
Calories	454
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 26g	34%
Saturated Fat 5g	24%
Cholesterol 23mg	8%
Sodium 583mg	25%
Total Carbohydrate 42g	15%
Dietary Fiber 2g	8%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 8mg	38%
Calcium 56mg	4%
Iron 3mg	16%
Potassium 363mg	8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Fried Rice With Chinese Sausage, Cabbage, and Torch Hei Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret of Chinese fried rice? ›

The secret is all in the prep: use precooked rice for the best results, and leftover char siu pork is the perfect flavour burst. Make the fried rice stir-fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, shaoxing wine and sugar. Prepare, measure and chop all ingredients before cooking.

Know More ›

What gives Chinese fried rice its color? ›

Dark mushroom soy sauce is what gives this fried rice its rich brown/caramel colour. This soy sauce doesn't add much to the saltiness but is used to give dishes that nice caramel brown colour. Dark mushroom soy sauce also adds a hint of umami to a dish, but not much saltiness.

Explore More ›

What is the difference between fried rice and Chinese fried rice? ›

The usage of rice

But in Chinese rice, it is suggested to use leftover cooked rice to avoid the rice from being sticky. In Fried Rice, most quick-service restaurants (QSRs) use long-grain white rice like Basmati, whereas Jasmine Rice is used in Chinese Rice.

Find Out More ›

Do Chinese restaurants use butter in fried rice? ›

That's one of the major differences between how Chinese and Japanese restaurants prepare fried rice. Whereas the former only uses oil, the latter cooks leftover grains with butter (plus soy sauce).

Keep Reading ›

Do Chinese people put soy sauce in fried rice? ›

The basic elements of Chinese fried rice include rice, meat and vegetables, soy sauce and garlic.

Get More Info Here ›

What are some secrets for perfect fried rice? ›

4 Secrets for Making Perfect Fried Rice

Start with a Seasoned Wok. Seasoned woks are naturally nonstick, which allows you to cook with less oil. ...
Use Cold Brown Rice. You'll need 2 cups of cooked rice for 4 servings of fried rice. ...
Prep Ahead. ...
Cook over High Heat.

Jul 21, 2023

See Details ›

Which soy sauce is best for fried rice? ›

Dark Soy Sauce

When cooking fried rice, you'll want to use a darker soy sauce for sweeter caramel notes and to add that beautiful bronzed colour to your dish. A simple Chinese dark soy sauce will suffice.

Get More Info Here ›

What are the black dots in fried rice? ›

The most common cause of black spots in rice is the presence of insects, particularly weevils or beetles, which can lay eggs in rice grains. These eggs can hatch and develop into larvae that feed on the rice grains, leaving behind tiny black dots or specks.

Find Out More ›

Which spices is good for fried rice? ›

The Perfect Nigerian Fried Rice

2 bay leaves.
2 sprigs fresh rosemary (optional)
2 Tasty Cubes.
1 teaspoon salt.
1 teaspoon white pepper (substitute other ground pepper)
2 teaspoon curry powder (divided)
1 teaspoon thyme.

Get More Info Here ›

Why does Chinese fried rice taste different? ›

The answer: high heat, expert tosses, and something known as 'wok hei. ' As J. Kenji López-Alt writes for Serious Eats, expert cooking with a wok (and the gas range it requires) is one of the main reasons that fried rice from a Chinese restaurant tastes so much better than what you can make at home.

Discover More ›

Is Chinese fried rice junk food? ›

Fried rice is not a nutritionally balanced meal on its own, and you should enjoy it in moderation as part of a varied and balanced diet. Adding a variety of vegetables, lean protein sources, and whole grains can help to improve the nutritional value of fried rice.

What is Yang Chow fried rice vs fried rice? ›

The difference between Yangzhou fried rice and ordinary fried rice is that Yangzhou style invariably includes a combination of proteins. Rather than using a single protein like shrimp or pork or chicken as the dominant ingredient in fried rice, Yangzhou uses a variety.