A comforting one-cahari-wonder Guyanese fried rice made with a few choice ingredients.
In my teens, fried rice was a late-night treat — made with leftover rice, bora and a couple of eggs, some aromatics, soy sauce, cassareep or any browning agent I could find. But no matter what was in the pan, it always tasted like a joyful occasion.
This was especially for those times when I couldn’t afford to buy the real deal from the Chinese shop, so I made a better and healthier version at home.
Eventually I grew up and learnt the tricks and flavours of creating the real deal at home so here goes. This version is for the busy home cook who craves Guyanese flavour with none of the grease and none of the fuss.
Easy, no stress, Guyanese fried rice for those healthy grown ups craving the tastes of childhood.
For the sauce: For the Fried Rice: 1. Heat oil in a large wok or Cahari over medium-high heat.
Ingredients
3 tbsp. dark soy sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, grated
2 heads green onions, finely chopped
Instructions: In a small bowl, mix all of the above together and set aside.
• 3 tbsp oil (a quality high smoke point oil)
• 3 cups cooked cold rice (preferably day-old, any type)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped green beans
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken or beef
• 1 small lap cheong sausage, thinly sliced (peel the course paper off)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Black pepper to tasteInstructions
2. Add the rice and stir fry quickly. Push to the sides of the pot.
3. And the onions and lap cheong, let it sizzle for 15 second or so.
4. Add vegetables and stir-fry for a minute until bright and slightly tender.
5. Add the cooked meat. Stir well.
6. Push everything to the sides with the rice, add a bit more oil if needed, and scramble eggs in the empty centre. Mix together once cooked.
7. Push everything aside again, and pour the sauce into the centre of the pot, bring it to a quick simmer (45 seconds)
8. Stir-fry everything together for 3–4 minutes until hot and fragrant and brown and delicious. Season with a few good twists of black pepper.