Colombian Chinese Rice (Arroz Chino)
Arroz chino is Colombia's own version of Chinese fried rice: pork, chicken and shrimp all in the same wok, with peas and carrots, bean sprouts, and a dark sauce made from soy sauce, salsa negra and sugar. Darker and sweeter than takeout fried rice. Serves four.
Servings: 4
Calories: 361kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice long-grain; day-old rice fries better than fresh
- 2 cups peas and carrots, pre-cooked frozen mixed peas and carrots are fine
- 8 green onions (scallions), chopped
- 150 g bean sprouts called raíces chinas in Colombia; the same thing
- 150 g pork, thinly sliced loin or shoulder
- 150 g chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 200 g small shrimp, peeled
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup salsa negra dark soy sauce is the closest thing sold in the US
- Oil, for the wok
- Salt and pepper, to taste taste before salting: the sauces are already salty
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Cook the rice: bring it to the boil with 4 cups of water and a splash of oil. Once the water on the surface has gone, lower the heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes more. Take it off the heat and let it cool.
- Mix the soy sauce and the salsa negra with the sugar, stir until the sugar dissolves, and set aside.
- In a wok with a little oil, stir-fry the sliced chicken until golden, then lift it out and set aside.
- Fry the sliced pork until golden, then return the chicken to the wok.
- Add the pre-cooked carrots and peas and cook for 5 minutes more.
- Add the shrimp and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chopped green onions, stir, and pour in the sauce mixture, pour it in gradually rather than all at once, stirring as you go, so you can judge the colour and the saltiness.
- Stir in the rice and mix well, breaking up any clumps, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the bean sprouts last so they stay crisp, season with salt and pepper, mix once more and serve.
Notes
Fried rice works best with rice that is cold and dry, which is why leftover rice from the day before is better than rice cooked an hour ago: fresh rice steams in the wok and turns sticky. If you are making it the same day, spread the cooked rice out on a tray so it cools quickly and dries a little. The peas and carrots need to be cooked before they go in, frozen ones are already blanched and only need thawing.
Nutrition
Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 155mg | Sodium: 222mg | Potassium: 587mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 6715IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 2mg