Fujian Fried Rice

Instructions

1. Soak dried ingredients: Soak dried shiitake mushrooms and dried scallops in 1.5 cups of hot boiled water for at least one hour until reconstituted.
2. Prepare chicken marinade: Cut chicken thigh into half inch chunks. Marinate with 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp white pepper, 1/8 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cornstarch, 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp Shaoxing wine, and 1 teaspoon oil. Mix well and set aside.
3. Prepare shrimp: Peel and cut shrimp meat into half inch chunks. Rinse under running water until clean, about 30 seconds. Squeeze dry and marinate with 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp white pepper.
4. Prepare gailan stems: Remove leaves and flowers from gailan. Discard the bottom 1 cm of hard stem. Slice 100 g of stems at an angle into half centimeter thick pieces.
5. Pre-cook chicken and shrimp: Heat wok until piping hot, then shut off heat and add 1/2 cup oil. Heat oil to about 150°C on medium-high flame. Fry chicken until color changes, about 1 minute, then drain. Repeat with shrimp.
6. Blanch gailan stems: Discard frying oil. Add 1.5 cups water to wok, bring to rapid boil. Add gailan stems and blanch until color deepens and a bit of white core remains, about 1 minute. Remove and drain.
7. Prepare dried mushrooms and scallops: Squeeze soaked shiitake mushrooms, remove stems, and slice into half centimeter pieces. Press dried scallops with knife to break into floss. Add scallop back into soaking liquid.
8. Make Fujian sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in wok over medium flame. Fry mushrooms for 1.5 minutes until fragrant. Add 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine and mix. Add scallops and soaking liquid. Season with salt, sugar, soy sauce, and other Cantonese 'qian' seasonings (watch video for exact amounts). Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low.
9. Add chicken, shrimp, and gailan stems to sauce: Add pre-cooked chicken and shrimp to sauce. Cook together for about 1 minute. Add gailan stems and mix.
10. Thicken sauce: Make slurry with 2.5 tablespoons starch and 2.5 tablespoons water. Add slurry bit by bit to sauce until spoon-coating consistency. Sprinkle 1/8 tsp white pepper and optionally 1/2 tablespoon frying oil. Remove from heat.
11. Prepare rice by steaming method: Rinse 230 g Jasmine rice. Parboil rice in boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain in fine mesh strainer. Rinse pot, add 2 inches water and bring to boil. Spread rice evenly in pot, poke holes with chopstick. Cover edges with damp towel or foil. Steam for 15 minutes. Spread rice on plate to cool slightly.
12. Fry rice with egg: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in wok until hot. Pour in beaten egg, scramble and push cooked bits to sides. Add steamed rice, fold from bottom and layer on top. Cook for 1-2 minutes until egg is evenly mixed in. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp MSG, and 1/4 tsp sugar. Remove rice to plate.
13. Serve: Smother fried rice with Fujian sauce and serve immediately. Optionally stir-fry gailan leaves as a vegetable side.