Wilson Tang took over this almost century-old New York Chinatown dim sum house from his uncle. With some careful updating while keeping the charm and authenticity, he has a raging success on his hands which has spread to locations in other cites. He partnered with Chinese-American chef Jonathan Wu, whose simple shrimp fried rice takes minutes to make (once you have the cooked rice) and I thought was surprisingly delicious.
I had a big slug of leftover rice from our favorite Thai take-out rotisserie chicken dinner, and bags of shrimp and peas in the freezer. When Food and Wine Magazine featured this recipe in their Comfort Food Edition last month, dinner was solved. I tried to forget that the bag of frozen peas had been used to ice a shoulder injury; it didn’t seem to matter!
1 1/2 cups long grain rice, rinsed and drained
Kosher salt
7 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
12 raw medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped
5 medium eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 Tbs. light soy sauce
In a medium saucepan, bring 2 1/4 cups of water to a boil. Add the rice and a generous pinch of salt, and return to a boil. Stir once; cover and simmer over low heat until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and let steam for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork, and spread on a large baking sheet to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
In a very large skillet or wok, heat 2 Tbs. of the oil until shimmering. Add the shrimp, and stir-fry over moderately high heat until nearly cooked through, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.
In the same skillet, heat the remaining 5 Tbs. of the oil until shimmering. Add the eggs, and stir-fry over moderately high heat until small curds form and the eggs are nearly cooked, about 2 minutes. Add the rice, sugar, pepper, and a generous pinch of salt, and stir-fry until the rice is hot, about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp, peas and soy sauce, and stir-fry until the shrimp are cooked through and the peas are hot, two to three minutes. Season with salt and serve immediately. Serves 4-6.
Note: I added a sprinkling of green onions and cilantro, which I would do again.
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