Staple family
Rice & Fried Rice
Steamed, toasted, or turned into a one-pot supper.
Rice is the quiet centre of a meal, which is why a small error in water or heat is so noticeable. This chapter starts with a plain pot of steamed rice and works outward: cold grains meeting a hot wok, a clay pot building a crust, and a one-pot supper where the rice cooks in the same liquid as the chicken. Once the basic ratio is reliable, fried rice stops being a way to use up leftovers and becomes a dish you plan a day ahead for.
In this chapter
26 recipes
Baby Soft Rice
Short-grain rice simmered with plenty of water and a little pumpkin collapses into a spoonable, glossy mash that holds its shape on a spoon and cools quickly for a small child.
Beef and Three Vegetable Rice Bowl
Warm jasmine rice under strips of soy-glazed beef and three quick-cooked vegetables, carrot, peas and corn, with a glossy oyster sauce that streaks down into the grains.
Japanese Beef Rice Bowl Gyudon
Thin beef and soft onion simmered in a dashi, soy and mirin broth, spooned over short-grain rice and finished with a raw egg yolk and scallions.
Pearl Meatballs Sticky Rice Pork Balls
Minced pork rolled into balls, jacketed in soaked glutinous rice and steamed until the grains turn glassy pearls, served with scallion and a light soy dip.
Rice Cooker Eggplant and Pork Rice
Rinsed jasmine rice cooked in a rice cooker under soy-glazed minced pork and soft purple eggplant, with garlic, scallion and a little sesame oil folded through at the end.
Rice Cooker Pork Ribs and Rice
Blanched and soy-browned pork ribs steamed on top of jasmine rice in a rice cooker, so the meat juices streak the grains and scallions finish the pot.
Rice Cooker Potato Rice
Waxy potato cubes browned with garlic, then steamed over soy-and-sesame jasmine rice in a rice cooker until the bottom grains turn faintly crisp and the scallions stay bright.
Rice Cooker Sausage and Mushroom Rice
Jasmine rice steamed in a rice cooker with rendered Chinese sausage, shiitake and peas, the savoury fat tinting every grain a light amber before scallions are folded in.
Rice Cooker Whole Tomato Rice
A whole tomato steamed on top of soy-seasoned rice with corn and peas, then crushed through the grains with butter, herbs and black pepper for a faintly red pot.
Seaweed Rice Balls with Sausage and Corn
Steamed short-grain rice is folded with browned sausage and sweet corn, pressed into triangles and wrapped in crisp seaweed, giving a portable lunch that holds its shape at room temperature.
Sesame Oil Ginger Egg Fried Rice
Day-old rice is tossed in toasted sesame oil with threads of ginger and soft egg ribbons, so each grain stays separate while the perfume of warmed sesame and sharp ginger carries through the bowl.
Shiitake Soy Sauce Rice
Short-grain rice cooks with shiitake, soy sauce and a splash of mirin, so the grains take on a deep amber tint and the mushrooms leave a woody, savoury broth in every spoonful.
Soft Rice with Beef and Potato
Rice simmers long with thin beef slices and potato cubes until the grains swell soft and the starch thickens the broth, giving a spoonable bowl where the potato edges dissolve into the sauce.
Soft Rice with Pork Tofu and Shiitake
Pork, soft tofu and shiitake simmer with rice in a generous broth until the grains turn tender and the tofu breaks into creamy squares that thicken each spoonful.
Soft Rice with Red Date Paste
Dried red dates are steamed and blended into a dark, jammy paste, then folded through extra-soft rice so each spoonful carries a gentle caramel sweetness without any added refined sugar.
Soy Sauce Fried Rice
Cold rice is tossed in a wok with soy sauce added at the rim so it caramelises on contact, leaving the grains separate, evenly bronze and faintly smoky rather than wet.
Spinach and Pork Liver with Baby Rice Cereal
Finely minced pork liver and blanched spinach are stirred into a smooth rice cereal cooked with extra water, giving a mild, spoonable bowl with a faint iron note and a soft green colour.
Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice with Fried Shallots
Pork belly is braised with soy, sugar and five spice until the fat turns translucent, then spooned over rice with crisp fried shallots that shatter against the soft, glossy sauce.
Teriyaki Chicken Rice
Chicken thighs sear in a dry-hot pan, then glaze with soy, mirin and sugar until the skin turns lacquered. Spoon the slices and their glossy sauce over short-grain rice.
Tomato and Beef Rice Bowl
Silky beef slices and soft tomato wedges are tossed in a hot wok with a light soy gravy, then ladled over rice so the juices soak into the grains.
Perfect Steamed White Rice
Rinsed jasmine rice, a measured 1:1.2 water ratio and a ten-minute rest give separate, faintly sweet grains with a dry, fluffy top and no stuck crust.
Egg Fried Rice with Scallions
Cold leftover rice, two eggs and a hot wok turn into a fast supper with separate grains, soft egg curds and a clean scallion finish.
Yangzhou-Style Fried Rice
Day-old rice tossed with shrimp, diced pork, peas and soft egg curds, seasoned lightly so each ingredient stays distinct and the grains keep a dry, separate finish.
Clay Pot Rice with Chinese Sausage
Rice simmered in a clay pot with lap cheong and shiitake, then rested until a thin golden crust forms and the sausage fat perfumes every grain.
Tomato and Egg Rice Bowl
Soft scrambled eggs and ripe tomatoes cooked down into a loose, glossy, sweet-tart sauce spooned over hot rice, with scallions stirred in at the end.
One-Pot Chicken and Mushroom Rice
Chicken thighs, shiitakes and rice simmered together so the grains absorb the seasoned broth, then rested until the bottom turns lightly golden and the meat pulls apart.
Rice, Water and Heat: A Ratio Field Guide
Why one cup of rice does not always want one cup of water, and how to tell a cooked pot from a steamed one before you lift the lid.
Other staple families
Cooking rice at home
The recipes above share a small set of ingredients and one or two pieces of equipment, so it is worth cooking them in sequence rather than at random. Make the simplest one first — it tells you how your pan, your flour or your rice behaves — then move on to the versions that build on it. If you are working from what is already in the kitchen, the full recipe index can filter every chapter at once by ingredient, equipment and time.