At first glance, the fried rice dish looks like a simple combination of rice, eggs, shrimp and vegetables. However, in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, preparing the city's signature dish requires careful ingredient selection, precise timing and control of the wok.
For Russian student Vladyslav Shlykov, the attention to detail came as a surprise when his Chinese classmates took him to try Yangzhou fried rice on a recent trip.
Watching the chef at work, he was struck by the variety of ingredients used and the precision of each movement, from the order in which ingredients were added to the wok to the timing of each step.
The taste impressed him just as much.
"I would be very happy to recommend Yangzhou fried rice to my friends," he said.
This seemingly simple dish has a culinary tradition behind it, built on careful ingredient selection and precise cooking techniques.
"It is not simply a way to use up leftover rice. It is a carefully prepared dish in which rice and other ingredients come together as a complete meal," said Xia Chaobing, a Chinese culinary master and inheritor of the dish's traditional preparation techniques.
One defining technique is known as "silver wrapped in gold", referring to egg coating the rice. To achieve this effect, chefs must select rice grains of a consistent size and use the correct proportion of egg. Xia usually adds the egg in two stages to ensure an even coating.
The freshness of the eggs is also crucial. According to Xia, the eggs used for Yangzhou fried rice should be no more than five days old. As eggs age, their whites become less viscous, which makes it harder for the egg mixture to coat the rice grains evenly.
Rice selection also matters. Even the same variety can produce different textures from one batch to another, so chefs need to test the rice and adjust their methods accordingly. Chefs must also control the heat and work quickly to prevent the rice from sticking to the wok.
A typical version combines rice and eggs with diced bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, green peas, shrimp, shrimp roe, sea cucumber, dried scallops, diced chicken and diced Jinhua ham. Once the rice and other ingredients have been prepared in advance, Xia said that the actual cooking takes about 12 to 13 minutes.
The preparation techniques for Yangzhou fried rice were inscribed on the list of intangible cultural heritage of Jiangsu in 2009. According to Xu Yinghong, vice-president of the Jiangsu Catering Association, the dish reflects the Huaiyang culinary tradition's focus on selecting the finest ingredients, precise preparation and controlled heat.
Yangzhou's location along the Grand Canal has shaped its culinary culture over centuries of trade and exchange. The city developed a food tradition that values technical precision and harmony among ingredients.
Yangzhou fried rice has also found an international audience. Xu recalled visiting Brazil in 2019 and finding the dish on the menus of Chinese restaurants in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
He attributes its overseas popularity partly to Chinese communities introducing familiar dishes abroad and partly to its versatility. By combining rice, vegetables, eggs and meat or seafood in one dish, Yangzhou fried rice can appeal to diners from a variety of culinary backgrounds.
Xia said that the recipe had been adapted for Muslim diners by replacing the ham with beef and adding carrots.
For first-time visitors, Xia offers three suggestions: Eat the fried rice while it is hot, use a spoon to gather different ingredients in each mouthful, and chew slowly to appreciate how the individual flavors complement one another.
In Yangzhou, visitors can explore the wider cultural context of the dish beyond the dining table. They can watch chefs demonstrate their skills at time-honored establishments such as Fuchun and Yechun, visit the China Grand Canal Museum and the Huaiyang Cuisine Museum of China, or sample the city's celebrated morning tea.
