Mmmm, Asian Shrimp Risotto! :tongue:
The day old rice trick does work, especially if you are not good at cooking rice. It buys you the fact that the starches are cold and well bound to each other. I do a little different, as rice is pretty important to me.
One, I use fresh cooked rice, I prefer Tex-mati, or Lundberg Jasmine rice, as these tend to be fresher and cook up better. If I can find it, I prefer the medium grain rices to the long grain. In any event, cook it until the grains are soft, but, not split. Once the grains split, they are useless for fried rice. As Titch noted, a little less water is one way to learn the texture. I like rice cooked to the proper texture.
Two, you do need a large wok, and it needs to be kept hot. A sheet metal wok heats and cools fast. So, cook smaller batches of food, remove or set to the edge, and add more as needed. If you have a 16" or larger hammered wok, it is easy to just move food to the high edge, but, smaller woks, it is best to remove the food from the wok as you go.
1. Use 2 tablespoons of oil, in a very hot wok. I use a mixture of grapeseed oil and pork fat. Very high smoke point. As with all wok cooking, everything must be prepared and ready to add. I like to fry the aromatics first, and I use whole garlic that has been cracked, fry in the oil and remove once brown, add the onions, celery and white parts of the scallion. Stir fry until just soft, remove. Add in whipped eggs, stir fry until just cooked, remove. Add in meat, stir fry, add in vegetables (I like a little cabbage, julienned carrot, bean sprouts and snow peas) toss until just soft. Add back in aromatics. Now, add in the sauce elements, then the rice and toss. At this point, add in eggs and toss. Remove from heat, because the rice went in hot and fresh, it doesn't need to be in the wok for more than a few minutes. It will come out fluffy. With fried rice, never use utensils other than a wok spatula and slide in along wok and lift up through middle. Do not cut down through the rice, that turns it to mush. If you want a little of that crunchy fond, add a little oil down the side of the wok and let it sit for a couple of minutes without moving.
2. The wok must always be hot, the entire process should take no more than 10 minutes in a properly heated wok. It is worth learning it this way, as the aromatics of the Jasmine rice will only be there shortly after the rice is cooked. Hold it over night and it becomes hard and smells like old rice.
This is the texture you should be able to get with fresh cooked rice.
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...g?t=1310755839
