Fried rice is one of those dishes that allows you to incorporate a variety of ingredients that you adapt to the region or country where you are to obtain a more enriched one, with a mixture of native and foreign flavors, as a sign of how rich the fusion of cultures is. Today we bring you Cuban style Chinese fried rice, a dish in great demand, not only by Cubans, but also by tourists visiting the island.
What is Cuban style Chinese fried rice like?
Like many countries, the largest of the Antilles also succumbed to the flavors of oriental cuisine and added an extra touch to get its recipe for Cuban-style Chinese fried rice, as a way of making the dish their own, without leaving aside the Asian origin.
For Cubans, cooking rice the day before and taking it to the refrigerator is nothing more than a myth. It is enough to cook it a few hours before, let it cool and put it in the fridge for only one hour before sautéing it in the wok. The secret is to use cold rice when mixing everything so that it does not clump together. The fried rice should be very loose, so there is no excuse to eat rice prepared the same day!
Cuban Chinese fried rice does not lack pork and ham. That is the typical hallmark of the dish. Besides, it has practically no vegetables. It is a simple rice, but with a lot of flavor thanks to the pork, scallions and soy or oyster sauce that is added.
Although we have not given you the complete recipe, you already have an idea that this is an easy and quick dish to prepare, in which you should not strictly stick to the list of ingredients. You can add whatever you have left over from dinner and have stored in the fridge; in other words, you are free to create your own dish and enjoy it as if you were in the best restaurant in Havana’s Chinatown.
What makes Cuban Chinese fried rice special?
When talking about Cuban menus that include rice, it is almost always associated with arroz congrí, but rarely with Cuban rice and fried rice.
Arroz congrí is rice mixed with beans and pork. It is the most referenced typical Cuban dish. Meanwhile, Cuban rice is a much more elaborate dish that mixes sweet and savory flavors, as the recipe includes paprika, coconut, raisins, many vegetables and meats.
Although Cubans are experts in preparing these dishes, each family has its own recipe for Cuban Chinese fried rice. Cuba was home to the largest Chinatown in all of Latin America in Havana, which persists today, although it does not have the same population, but it does have its traditions. One of them is to serve the best Chinese fried rice in the Cuban style.
In just 30 minutes you can prepare a good portion for 4 people. Let’s see how!
Cuban Chinese fried rice: Ingredients
- 2 cups of previously cooked rice.
- 2 cups of roasted pork chopped in cubes.
- 125 grs. of cooked ham.
- 3 eggs.
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
- 1 cup diced white onion.
- ½ cup chopped green onion.
- 2 garlic cloves chopped.
- ½ cup chicken broth.
- A small piece of ginger.
- Salt to taste.
Preparation step by step
- Heat the wok and add a little oil.
- In a bowl, add the three eggs, a touch of soy sauce and chicken broth. Whisk a little and pour into the wok to cook the omelet. Remove and chop into small pieces.
- Sauté the white onion with the garlic and ginger. Do this very quickly so they don’t burn.
- Pour in the two cups of previously cooked rice, a little of the chicken broth and continue to stir-fry.
- Add the soy sauce, the two cups of pork and the ham.
- Finally, add the tortilla and scallions. Ready to serve!
This is how Chinese fried rice is eaten in Cuba! Sit down and enjoy this delicious dish.
A secret
If you like to eat fried rice 2 or 3 times a week, you can go ahead and save time. Prepare several portions of white rice and keep it in the fridge in well-sealed containers so that it does not get damaged. This way, every time you go to prepare your dish, you have already done a good part of the work ahead of time. Preparing the rice is the most time-consuming part of the recipe (and it really isn’t that much), compared to the rest of the ingredients.
Would you dare to discover other versions of latin fried rice?
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One of the most complete fusions in the culinary art is the chifa gastronomy (Peruvian-Chinese), flag of the richest versions, by color and flavor, of a wide variety of dishes, including fried rice, or chaufa rice as it is known in Peru.
In chifa cuisine, the presentation of chaufa rice is almost infinite. Each region has incorporated native ingredients that have allowed the creation of extensive versions, but all of them are based on fried rice.
A dish very similar to Cuban Chinese fried rice is chaufa de chancho, and at Chifa Du Kang we have it ready to serve at any time you visit us. But if you want to explore flavors, our menu includes chicken chaufa rice, vegetables, shrimp, meat and specials.
Where can you find Chifa Du Kang restaurant? In Miami
We are located on Kendall Dr and Bird Road. Visit us and discover the best kept secret that we Peruvians had and that we have recently decided to expand so that more and more people have had the pleasure of enjoying the Chifa gastronomy.
Come and enjoy our food, we are sure you will want to come back, we have a table waiting for you!
