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00:00What is going on, guys?
00:01Jet Tila here, and this is Ready Jet Cook,
00:04where I break down the basics of Asian cuisine
00:06and share some tips and tricks for making my favorite dishes.
00:10Today, we're tackling yang chow fried rice and kung pao chicken,
00:14two dishes that have traveled all the way from China
00:17to find their home in American takeout menus.
00:20And I'm going to show you just how easy they are
00:22to make in your own home kitchen.
00:31You probably have most of the items you need in your pantry
00:34to make yang chow fried rice,
00:35starting with the star of the show, jasmine rice.
00:38This isn't just any rice.
00:40This is known to be the king of rice.
00:43Jasmine rice is unique because it's simultaneously long-grain,
00:46fragrant, and super-fluffy.
00:50So, yang chow fried rice is fancy fried rice,
00:53meaning it's got a lot of amazing stuff in it,
00:56mainly shrimp and barbecue pork.
00:58We've got our barbecue pork back in the kitchen,
01:00but we need to talk about shrimp.
01:02Although you see the shrimp fresh and glistening,
01:04it's actually been previously frozen,
01:06and that's okay because it's been IQF,
01:08individually quick-frozen,
01:10either at sea or at the processor.
01:13Let me clarify a shrimp sizing.
01:15To the market or the butcher or the fishmonger,
01:18we size them by how many in a pound?
01:21So, 2125 is a larger shrimp because there's 20 in a pound.
01:274150 is a small shrimp because there's 4150 per pound.
01:31If you go to your butcher or fishmonger and say,
01:33I want a medium shrimp,
01:35they're probably going to give you like a 2125,
01:37pretty common size.
01:38These shrimp are 2125, 2630,
01:41so they might appear big, but once you peel them,
01:45devein them, and cook them,
01:46they're going to shrink a little bit.
01:47So, buy a little bigger than you think you want.
01:502125, 2630, perfect for yang chow fried rice.
01:53With shrimp in hand, it looks like we got everything else.
01:56Let's go check out.
02:01Fried rice is really deceptive
02:03because just about any fried rice is delicious
02:06and you want to eat it,
02:07but there are some tips and techniques
02:09that can make fried rice, you know, good to amazing,
02:13and I want to show you all of those secrets.
02:16So, let's start prepping here.
02:17I like to take the ends off of the scallions first.
02:21I flip them all over at the same time,
02:24line them up, and then I take the tip off,
02:26so they're even.
02:27And now, I like to separate the whites from the greens.
02:31And instead of like cutting these perpendicular rounds,
02:35fine, right?
02:36Why don't I just show you the nicer way
02:38that doesn't take any more effort?
02:40So, instead of a 90 degree,
02:42why don't we go 45 degree?
02:44And then a nice, consistent 45 degree slice
02:48all the way down the scallion.
02:50And this is called a bias slice.
02:52Takes no more effort, looks super cool.
02:55And ready jet cook OGs know that
02:57this is the only way I slice scallions.
03:01Scallions look gorgeous.
03:03Let's talk about one of my favorite proteins on earth.
03:05Cha Siu Southern Chinese barbecue pork.
03:08It is a thing of magic.
03:10It is a pork shoulder,
03:12lacquered in five spice and soy sauce and honey.
03:16It is perfect, so you can kind of find it hanging
03:19in barbecue shops at your favorite Cantini's restaurants.
03:23This is the protein you want to use
03:24for like the best Yang Chao fried rice.
03:26Since we're cutting Cha Siu for fried rice,
03:29we're gonna cut it small.
03:30So, I'm gonna cut this in half first.
03:32Remember, what's the Jatila rhyme OGs?
03:36Tile becomes a slice, slice becomes a dice.
03:39So, I'm gonna cut Cha Siu tiles first,
03:42and then we're gonna take these slices,
03:44we're gonna cut them perpendicular,
03:47and then cut them into dice.
03:51One of the key things is you gotta make the rice
03:54a day ahead or early enough so it's cold
03:57before you make the actual fried rice.
03:59I got two cups of rice, two cups of water,
04:03and I'm gonna give that a stir.
04:05What I wanna do is I wanna saturate all the rice grains
04:07so I don't have any clumps that are gonna stick together.
04:10If you're doing table rice to eat with other entrees,
04:14that's when you bring the finger technique in.
04:17If you place the index finger onto the rice,
04:20you bring the water line to that first crease
04:23in your index finger.
04:24Because you're making fried rice,
04:25I want a drier rice that absorbs all those flavors.
04:28I'm at max heat, the water's gonna come to a boil,
04:32I'm gonna reduce to a simmer, simmer 20,
04:36turn it off, rest 20, it must be covered.
04:40You cannot cook jasmine rice uncovered.
04:43Some saucepan lids have the vent hole.
04:45I don't love that for making rice.
04:47I like a nice, tight-fitting lid
04:49because it actually creates pressure
04:51and limits evaporation in the water.
04:54Just make sure the water's at a simmer
04:56when you're cooking your rice,
04:57and you'll have that perfect amount of water to rice
05:00without too much evaporation.
05:04Okay, so my rice has cooked for 20, rested for 20,
05:08and now I'm going to fluff it up.
05:11Your bottom line is don't break the rice grains.
05:14That's all I'm asking you to do when you're fluffing.
05:16So I like to take either wood or silicone
05:20and just kinda start loosening up those bits of rice.
05:23Don't go right to the middle
05:25and start smashing up the rice grains.
05:28So breaking up larger bits
05:29and then smaller bits of rice, and that's it.
05:33You want to make sure each grain of rice
05:36is just loosened up from the larger bits,
05:41and now you're ready to transfer it to further cool it.
05:45And that's perfect.
05:46And what are you looking for in case you don't really
05:48make rice a lot?
05:50If I can identify every rice grain is identifiable,
05:53they're not swollen, which means there was too much water,
05:57and they're not opaque, which means there wasn't enough water.
06:00But if I can identify every rice grain, I've done my job,
06:03and tasting-wise, you don't want it too soft,
06:07you don't want it too firm, this is perfect rice.
06:09So we want to cool this rice now.
06:12We're making sure the grains are nice, whole, and cold,
06:15so they'll heat up gently in the fried rice.
06:18So by the time you're eating that lovely plate of fried rice,
06:22it's like this fresh cooked rice.
06:23My favorite technique is just to use a quarter sheet pan,
06:26or a half sheet pan if it's a lot of rice.
06:28And you're allowing all those warm bits of rice,
06:32now that they are fluffed and opened up,
06:34just to cool down naturally and stay in that whole grain.
06:38If I made fried rice with hot rice,
06:41it would basically just turn to mush.
06:43So I've transferred the rice into a quarter sheet pan,
06:45covered it with plastic,
06:47we're gonna put it in the fridge to further cool it down.
06:50So I went ahead and made some rice ahead of time,
06:53so it's perfectly cold for fried rice.
06:55I know cooking in a wok looks really romantic,
06:57but all you need is something decently wide,
07:00some high sides, and you're good to go.
07:02So cook your food in a skillet.
07:04All right, so I'm gonna start with some neutral oil,
07:06canola, peanut, vegetable, avocado.
07:10You can get as fancy as you want, or not fancy.
07:13So our cha siu, which is already cooked,
07:15so I'm just warming it through.
07:22I'm using frozen peas and carrots
07:23because it's what we're kind of used to
07:25in the Chinese-American restaurant experience.
07:27But use any vegetable that's in your fridge.
07:29I'm letting the pork warm up
07:31because the shrimp cooks really, really quickly.
07:33Next, shrimp, big or small, it's up to you.
07:40Now, eggs.
07:42I'm whisking three whole eggs here.
07:46All right, this is gonna happen fast
07:48because I cook a style of fried rice
07:51called gold-covered silver,
07:54which just means I like the egg really wet
07:56because it coats the rice and makes it nice and fluffy.
07:59So this is my style.
08:04I put the rice immediately into that egg.
08:09So smash the rice right into the egg.
08:13Gentle flip so the egg comes over the top.
08:16The egg actually envelops the rice,
08:19coats it completely, and creates like a non-stick surface.
08:22It's a pretty cool tip.
08:24And this way, the egg stays nice and golden
08:27versus cooking all the moisture out of it and it drying out.
08:31Once we're mostly mixed together
08:33and you get those gold flakes
08:35and those Chinese barbecue bits, the colors coming together,
08:38I'm gonna start seasoning now.
08:41Very simple seasoning.
08:42The majority of your salt and umami
08:44is gonna come from chicken powder.
08:46And I don't like a soy saucy fried rice.
08:49I like a light golden fried rice.
08:51So I'm gonna use oyster sauce and soy sauce very, very lightly.
08:55So just a little bit to add a little more punch.
09:01I'm actually gonna show you a technique where I deglaze with it
09:04and not go right in.
09:06So around the edges, you can hear that sizzle.
09:09And if you notice, I'm being really delicate using silicone
09:13so I don't break up those grains.
09:16That's looking phenomenal.
09:17And this is the time I like to take my first taste
09:20before I actually put the scallions in
09:21because I don't want to overcook those scallions.
09:26Nice.
09:28Umami, the fragrance of that soy sauce comes through.
09:32I'm pretty good.
09:33Add some scallions.
09:35Imagine making this for your friends and loved ones.
09:39That's why I think yang chow fried rice is like the king of fried rice
09:44because everything's in there.
09:45I mean, check out my one pan feast here.
09:48I love it so much.
09:50So in terms of plating, my only tip for you is leave all the delicious bits for the top.
09:56So I'm purposely just getting kind of the rice first
09:59and laying it down as the base.
10:01I'm leaving all this big shrimp in the pan for the last final scoops.
10:07And that way, when you take this to the table,
10:10your guest sees just like mountains of shrimp
10:14and they get super, super happy.
10:17The way I like to finish fried rice is very simply.
10:19The greens of the scallions on top,
10:23because I think they're a little lighter in taste than the whites.
10:26Don't forget a little bit of white pepper.
10:28It's going to add just that floral spicy touch to make it perfect.
10:32All that's left to do is taste this amazing dish.
10:36That's it right there.
10:38Sorry, making you jealous, but I'm just doing my job.
10:45That rice is light and fluffy.
10:47The pork and shrimp are juicy and tender.
10:50And I'm getting every bit of that savory egg goodness.
10:53This is truly one of those kind of rock star dishes.
10:56And it all fits in one plate.
10:59Yang chow fried rice is fantastic on its own,
11:01but I'm going to round out this takeout feast
11:04by making some Kung Pao chicken to go along with it.
11:07Don't go anywhere.
11:08Kung Pao chicken was my grandma's go-to dish
11:11anytime she didn't have a meal plan,
11:13but we never complained because it was so delicious.
11:15It's also a dish I made for Ali really early on when we were dating,
11:20so it holds a special place in my heart.
11:22Kung Pao comes from the Sichuan area of China,
11:25which is known for two things, chilies and vinegar.
11:28And speaking of vinegar, Kung Pao uses black vinegar,
11:32which is very unique because it's made from rice.
11:35It's fermented in clay pots from anywhere from six months
11:38to many, many years.
11:39So it has that cool, funky, unique flavor,
11:42and it's great for dipping dumplings.
11:44So I've got my vinegar.
11:45We really need to talk about chili garlic sauce.
11:48So Chinese chili garlic sauce is pretty unique.
11:52I know sambal and sriracha have been pretty popular over the years,
11:56but in my opinion, chili garlic sauce from China
11:59is its own thing because it's got a ton of flavor.
12:04It's got a good amount of heat and garlic,
12:06and it's not overly vinegar like those other sauces can be.
12:10I've got a ton more ingredients I need to get.
12:12I will catch you back in the kitchen for the cook.
12:20So let's do a quick Kung Pao crash course.
12:22It's a stir-fry dish, so it basically comes down
12:24to a combination of protein, vegetables, aromatics,
12:28all cooked together really quickly in a wok.
12:31It's simple, it's quick, but yields incredible flavor.
12:35I'm using boneless chicken thighs.
12:37So these are skin and boned already,
12:39but there are times there's a little bit of fat on here.
12:43It's up to you whether to leave them.
12:45I trim out like the bigger pieces of fat,
12:47but if you have smaller pieces, I just leave them on there.
12:50I think they're extra flavor.
12:51So once you have the chicken thigh trimmed out like this,
12:54I cut it in half first to leave two long lengths,
12:59and then I put them together
13:01and cut kind of one-inch blocks out of them.
13:05Because it's a thigh,
13:06you're not gonna get perfect one-inch cubes.
13:08Like, don't stress.
13:09As long as they're reasonably the same size,
13:12you're gonna be fine.
13:13So this is Kung Pao chicken,
13:15but you pick the protein.
13:17If you like pork, use pork.
13:18If you like fish, use fish.
13:20If you want tofu, delicious.
13:22I'm gonna teach you how to velvet this chicken,
13:24which is the secret to getting
13:25that ultra tender, juicy nugget.
13:28So the two powders here, baking soda,
13:31this is cornstarch, just a little bit of water,
13:34a little bit of oil.
13:36The oil actually kind of pre-lubricates the chicken
13:39for the pan so it doesn't stick.
13:41I'm gonna put a little bit of soy sauce in here.
13:44This is going to help flavor the chicken.
13:48It's gonna help tenderize that chicken.
13:50I'm gonna let this marinade for about 10 to 15 minutes,
13:53and it's time to get saucy.
13:54So it's time to build the Kung Pao sauce.
13:58Let's start with a little oyster sauce,
14:00and this is black vinegar.
14:01I'm using Chinese chili garlic sauce
14:04to get deep umami flavors.
14:06You guys know my secret, chicken power.
14:09It's very important that you use
14:10a Chinese chicken powder,
14:12not a American or Latin bullion,
14:15because these are formulated very specifically
14:18to have that Chinese taste to it.
14:20And in the world of Chinese cuisine,
14:21there's a billion types of soy sauces.
14:24This is dark soy,
14:25which means it's brewed and reduced more.
14:28It's gonna have a deep kind of color
14:30and a rich flavor that is slightly sweet.
14:33The star of Szechuan cuisine is this right here.
14:36Szechuan peppercorn.
14:38It is truly unique in the food world.
14:41It is simultaneously sour like citric acid,
14:45spicy, and very floral.
14:48And the effect of this on the palate,
14:49it's actually quite numbing.
14:51Buy it whole, and you have to ground it yourself,
14:53or you can actually just buy the powder.
14:55Either one is fine, but use it sparingly
14:58because it actually will numb people's tongues.
15:01Kinda great for a prank as well,
15:03but you didn't hear it from me.
15:04Although this sauce is pretty thick,
15:06I need to dilute this and still kind of make a glaze.
15:08So the way to do it is to make a slurry.
15:10I have cornstarch in here, and I'm adding water.
15:15I'm gonna stir this up to make a slurry.
15:18Don't dump the cornstarch right into the sauce
15:21because it'll just clump up.
15:22The best way to work it in is to dilute it with water,
15:24then put it in, just like this.
15:26And you've just made Kung Pao sauce.
15:29If you find yourself falling in love with a recipe
15:32and making it a ton, make this recipe times four, times five.
15:37Put it in the squeeze bottle, put it in the fridge,
15:40and you've got Kung Pao sauce at your disposal.
15:42It's almost time to rock the walk, so don't go anywhere.
15:46All right, team, I've got my chicken marinating,
15:48and my sauce is ready.
15:49It's time to move on to the vegetable prep.
15:51So for ginger, I peel it.
15:56Ginger and garlic are foundational aromatics
15:59when it comes to Chinese food.
16:01It goes into everything.
16:02It pairs really, really well with that kind of wok hei,
16:05or breath of the wok.
16:08Garlic, don't overthink it.
16:09Just smash it and mince it.
16:16Half cup of each bell pepper.
16:19Tile becomes a slice.
16:21A slice becomes a dice.
16:28I like using red and green for the color variants,
16:32but they do taste quite different.
16:34The green is going to be a little more grassy.
16:36The red's going to be a little more sweet.
16:37So it's really up to you.
16:39I'm keeping them in the large dice this time
16:41to match with the chicken.
16:43All right, onion.
16:45Tip, root, discard, half, peel.
16:54Dice everything today.
16:57Next, I'm going to cut my scallions.
16:59I want the whites to be diced, matching with those vegetables.
17:05And I'm going to take the greens now
17:07and bias slice them for garnish.
17:11And just like that, it's time to head to the wok.
17:14I'm preheating the wok at least two minutes on a home stove
17:18to get it screaming hot.
17:20Neutral, high temperature oil going in
17:23until you see white smoke, which is right now ginger garlic.
17:28And it's all about order of operation.
17:31Whatever takes longer to cook is going to go in sooner.
17:33And in this case, it's going to be the chicken.
17:41We'll start moving the items around.
17:44Make sure to scrape as you go.
17:46Anything that starts to stick, the sooner you get it,
17:49the sooner you convert it into deliciousness.
17:51Because if you don't get it, you're going to convert it
17:53into burn.
17:54Chilis are going in.
17:57Warn everyone in the house that chili vapors
18:01are going to happen soon.
18:02Because of the shape of the wok,
18:04anything you toss comes right to the middle.
18:07I'm going to put peanuts now.
18:10And every time I add something, I want to toss.
18:14Because I want all these ingredients to come into contact
18:17with that hot wok.
18:19Yeah, Martin Yan used to joke, it's stir fry, not stair fry.
18:23Meaning like, just stop standing there, move things around,
18:27and scrape them down.
18:28So it's veggie time.
18:31And remember, we cut all these vegetables about the same size.
18:34So they're going to cook at the same rate.
18:36That's why they can go in together.
18:39And I'm always listening for the sear.
18:42As long as the wok is screaming,
18:44that means you're at a good heat.
18:45If it starts to kind of quiet down,
18:47don't put anything in there.
18:48Let it come back up to temp, and then keep moving.
18:54And people are like, yo, how do you toss food in the wok?
18:57It's pretty easy once you kind of understand it.
19:01Let me kind of give you the mechanics.
19:02Trying to get the food to the far side,
19:04flip, and bring it back.
19:06And what's going to help you is using this shovel, right?
19:09So we're going to kind of center all the food.
19:10I'm going to position the shovel to push it forward.
19:14And then Simon says you flip and pull back towards me.
19:16And that's how you get a nice wok toss,
19:19by using the shovel.
19:21So remember, there is cornstarch in here.
19:24So give this sauce a stir before you add it to the pan.
19:29Cornstarch starts to thicken, or quote, unquote, activate.
19:34Work the sauce in, let it start to come to a boil.
19:37And as it comes to a boil, it's going to thicken up nicely.
19:40I'd love to give you the visual cues before plating.
19:43So has the sauce thickened into a glaze, check.
19:47Chicken cooked through, veggies cooked through, check.
19:50It's time to garnish and turn off the heat.
19:52All right, those tops.
19:53And these are those bias sliced green tops.
19:57And this is ready to go to the plate.
20:15I mean, this dish packs a punch.
20:18You get that numbing spice from the Szechuan peppercorn,
20:21the notes of sweet and sour from the chicken and the sauce,
20:25and the crunch of the vegetables.
20:27This really is an irresistible classic.
20:30Kung Pao fried rice.
20:36The punch of this Kung Pao chicken pairs perfectly with the more mellow
20:41and almost sweet notes of the fried rice and shrimp.
20:44This is an irresistible pair.
20:46This dish has been a staple in my house, and hopefully,
20:49it will become one in yours.
20:51So there you have it, two titans of Chinese takeout.
20:55Now it's your turn to cook this dish in your kitchen.
20:58And I'll see you next time on Ready, Jet, Cook.
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