<p>Photo by Joey de Larrazabal-Blanco</p>Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 2-3
This dish was inspired by the salted-fish fried rice you find at most Chinese restaurants. Make it more Pinoy by using the ubiquitous, but much-loved, tuyo as the salted fish. And instead of the peas that go into the Chinese fried rice, use chopped-up sitaw, which is a cheaper, fresher, and just as healthy (and delicious!) alternative. The cilantro gives it a bright, herbaceous, and distinctly Asian note, and the chopped tomatoes that you add right before serving contributes a layer of cool freshness. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil
- 6 pieces tuyo (local dried salted fish), about 60 grams total weight
- 2 cups day-old rice
- 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 white onion, sliced
- 110-130 grams sitaw (snake beans), chopped into pea-sized pieces
- 1 1/2-2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 eggs
- Salt to taste, if needed
- A small bunch of cilantro (wansoy), leaves picked and roughly chopped
- 2-3 small red tomatoes, chopped
Preparation
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet. When the oil is hot, fry the tuyo until crisp, flipping to brown both sides. Remove from the heat and, when cool enough to handle, pick the meat off the bones. Set tuyo meat aside.
- In a wok, heat a couple of swirls of oil. When the oil is hot add the garlic and onions and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent and the garlic is a bit toasted.
- Add the sitaw and sauté until it starts to soften. Add the soy sauce and toss until the sitaw is cooked through. Add the rice and tuyo and toss, frying, until everything is evenly mixed and the grains have softened and absorbed all the flavors. This can take about 10-15 minutes.
- While your rice is frying, heat another swirl of oil in a non-stick skillet. Beat the eggs until uniformly yellow. When the oil is hot, pour the eggs into the skillet. Let the eggs set, pushing around the edges so the uncooked egg runs underneath and cooks. Once the underside is set, flip and cook the other side. Remove to a plate and cut into strips.
- Once the rice is ready, add the strips of egg and chopped cilantro (save some for garnish) to the wok and toss to combine. Taste the fried rice to see if it needs salt. Usually, the tuyo and soy sauce are enough to season the rice but feel free to add salt to your taste.
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Serve hot, topped with chopped tomatoes and more cilantro.
For more recipes, visit Joey de Larrazabal-Blanco's blog at http://80breakfasts.blogspot.com.
