Lamb and Asparagus Fried Rice (蘆筍羊肉炒飯, Lou4 Seon2 Joeng4 Juk6 Caau2 Faan6)

 

This recipe was updated on 12 Nov 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

Fried rice is the ultimate leftover dish, which is why I normally don’t order fried rice in a Chinese restaurant. You use whatever’s handy to make a quick stir fry dish. The basic ingredients are rice, meat, vegetables, and oyster sauce (soy sauce is used in restaurants). I posted a basic fried rice recipe some time ago: Fried Rice (炒飯, Caau² Faan⁶). While there are many brands of oyster sauce, I use Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Flavored Sauce because it’s the brand I grew up with and it does, in my opinion, have the best flavor. It’s a little more expensive than other brands, but it’s worth the price in my opinion. I once had a weak moment and bought an inexpensive brand of oyster sauce, and was disappointed in the flavor when compared to the Lee Kum Kee Premium brand. So get the good stuff!

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	375 g.	Lamb leg or shoulder meat (羊肉, joeng4  juk6), cut into thin 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
3 stalks	3 stalks	Asparagus (蘆筍, lou4 seon2), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal
2	2	Eggs (雞蛋, gai1 daan6), scrambled
1 cup	250 ml.	Leftover cooked rice (飯, faan6)
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Lee Kum Kee brand Premium Oyster Sauce (蠔油, hou4 jau4) or equivalent
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Lee Kum Kee Brand
Premium Oyster Sauce
(蠔油, hou4 jau4)

Preparation Instructions

1. Prepare the lamb leg or shoulder meat by removing any bones, excess fat, and silver skin. Cut the lamb into thin 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces. The lamb pieces will be more irregular in shape if lamb shoulder is used as opposed to meat from the leg. Wet with water and add baking soda to the lamb, allow to tenderize for 15 minutes, and then wash the baking soda from the meat. The baking soda can be omitted but results in the tender meat experienced in restaurant dishes.
2. Marinate the lamb in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the lamb overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
3. Take the leftover rice out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking and break up any clumps. Ideally you want to have each cooked rice grain separated. Add the sesame oil and white pepper to the rice. Mix the ingredients together, coating the rice with the sesame oil.
4. Take the eggs out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking. Break and scramble the eggs in a bowl.
5. Wash and cut the asparagus into ½-inch (15 cm.) pieces on the diagonal.
6. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
7. Wash and cut the green onions into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces.
8. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the Lee Kum Kee brand Premium Oyster Sauce or equivalent, ground white pepper, and sesame oil.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil. Add the eggs and scramble them while the wok is heating up. To get fluffy scrambled eggs, use this technique: As the eggs set, remove the pan or wok from the heat while continually scrambling the eggs with a spatula. Once the eggs stop setting off the heat, put the wok back onto the heat until the eggs start setting again. Continue taking the pan or wok on and off the heat as the eggs set until fully scrambled. Transfer the eggs to a bowl when complete.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil. Add the lamb to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook the lamb in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the contents of the wok to the bowl with eggs.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the asparagus. Stir fry the asparagus and then transfer them to the bowl with the eggs.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the leftover cooked rice. Stir fry the rice before adding the bowl with the ginger and garlic mixture, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic mixture becomes fragrant. Add the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the scrambled eggs back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and mix the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve immediately.