Fried rice is a strange kind of dish really. Here in the UK people love getting it at the takeaway; either plain egg fried rice to go with a main meal, or a proper portion with meat and veg. Either way, it's definately a dish that is classically associated with Chinese food.
For me, fried rice is something that we make when there is a enough left over rice to make a serving. I never cook some rice with the sole intention of making it all into fried rice, the most that I'd do is to make some extra rice so that there is left over to make fried rice the next day! If I see leftover rice in the fridge, then it's most likely to be turned into fried rice. Secondly, for me, fried rice is usually only made for lunch. I don't make fried rice and eat it at dinner time along with other dishes. No no no! Dinner time is for plain rice! We make fried rice and put lots of stuff in it (usually whatever you find in the fridge) so that if you eat a bowl of it, it can be enough for a light lunch time meal. As a result, I rarely eat fried rice, as I'm not ususally at home for lunch and we don't always have leftover rice. So, I associate fried rice with weekends or chilled out days when I'm not working. And if I make it, then it always contains some strange concoction of ingredients as I will literally pull out every random thing that I find in the fridge!
When we eat fried rice; referring to most Hong Kongers, we love to either eat it as it is, or we add some spicy chilli oil or extra soya sauce if it isn't salty enough (Maggi is good). Thats it. Personally, I like to add random sauces such as ketchup or hoisin sauce....yum yum! It's best eaten out of a large bowl, using chopsticks!
Everyone has a different opinion as to how fried rice should be made. The ingredients can differ to make different types and tastes, but the method is the key. People will argue whether the egg should be cooked first, whether it should be added at the end or whether it should cooked and re-added at the end. To be honest, I have absolutely no idea how it should be made at all. At one point, I always put the egg, after the rice was completely heated through. Now, I cook it first and then add the rice.
However much I love fried rice made by other people, or at the restaurant, I still prefer the way that I make it. I don't usually say that, but it's true! I reckon it's because I put a load of ginger and onion and egg in it! BUT, it only tastes good when I am in the mood for cooking it carefully, otherwise I just chuck everything in and it becomes a gigantic mush of leftover food. This happens pretty often. When I make fried rice, I fry chopped onion and ginger until it's soft. I add some salt and a teeny bit of sugar. Next, the egg goes in. When the egg has set, then the rice can be added and cooked until it's heated through completely. The rest of the ingredients can go in and it's finished. Add some salt and it's ready to eat. I sometimes don't even add soy sauce cuz I'm lazy!
Recently, my mother watched a DVD that was produced in Hong Kong, I think. Some professional chefs made a programme to teach people how to make a few Chinese dishes and used the time to show the cooking process, as well as sharing a bit about God. So, this is where this recipe has come from. She wanted to try a new method to make this rice. The reason why it's called 'Disciple Fried Rice' is because the rice is made up of lots of different ingredients; us disciples of God all come together from different backgrounds and with different skills and learn and grow together as Christians.
So, here is the recipe, as taught by the masterchef guy from the DVD.
STEP 1: As with most Chinese cooking, the preparation is the key. Cooking is fast, but the chopping takes the longest! Make sure that all of the ingredients are ready (whatever you like), and chopped into bite-sized pieces.
