How to cook Hanoi fried rice with stir-fried beef and pickles

This recipe serves about 2 to 3 people, takes approximately 40 minutes to prepare, and provides around 2,330 calories in total.

Ingredients

- 200 grams of beef

- 1 bowl of leftover cooked rice

- 1 bowl of pickled mustard greens

- 1 onion (optional)

- 2-3 eggs

- Shallots, garlic, scallions, coriander

- Spices: fish sauce, salt, stock powder, pepper, oyster sauce

- Lard or cooking oil

Instructions

1. Preparation

- Thinly slice the beef across the grain.

- Marinate the beef with a teaspoon each of oyster sauce, stock powder, and crushed garlic.

- Add a dash of cooking oil to maintain succulence during stir-frying.

Recently cut beef typically has a vivid red color, indicating its freshness. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

- Rinse the pickled mustard greens to reduce acidity, then squeeze out excess water and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Pickled mustard greens commonly show a combination of light yellow and green tones. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

- Spread leftover rice evenly on a tray. Allow it to dry in the sun or refrigerate overnight to firm up.

- Gently loosen the cold, leftover rice and marinate it with two egg yolks and a pinch of salt. Ensure the eggs coat the rice well. This method helps in roasting the rice to a golden hue.

- For less sticky rice grains, add a bit of cooking oil during this step.

- Reserve the egg whites for later use.

When mixed with oil, leftover rice grains appear separated from each other. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

- Peel and wedge the onion.

- Wash and dice the scallions.

- Thinly slice the shallots and crush the garlic.

If available, fried shallots can be added to enhance the flavor of the dish. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

2. Cooking process

- Mix 2 tablespoons of egg-marinated rice with crispy flour.

- Heat cooking oil and fry the rice until crispy.

- Set aside on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

The crispy rice will be added at the end for a nice crunch. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

- Heat lard in a pan.

- Sauté shallots, then add a beaten egg and the remaining egg white.

- Once eggs are cooked, add rice and fry. Gently stir to loosen rice grains.

- When grains are firm and loose, add crispy fried rice and mix well.

- Add a teaspoon of fish sauce and increase heat.

- Optionally, add scallions, stir, then turn off the stove and transfer to a plate.

The yellow-hued fried rice results from coating rice with egg yolk and frying eggs. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

- In the same pan, sauté garlic in lard, then add beef and stir-fry quickly over high heat.

- When beef is 70% cooked, remove and set aside.

- Sauté shallots, add pickled mustard greens, and stir-fry until softened.

- Return beef to the pan, add onions, stir quickly over high heat, season to taste, then turn off the stove.

Once cooked, stir-fried beef takes on a light brown color and becomes firmer in texture. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

3. Final product

Fried rice with stir-fried beef and pickles is often served along with spicy soy sauce. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

- Mix the stir-fried beef into the fried rice or serve separately based on preference. Combining them offers softer rice soaked in beef sauce. Alternatively, serve separately for contrasting textures.

- The fried rice should be golden with loose, firm grains. Additionally, the sweet flavor of the beef should complement the slightly tangy taste of the pickled mustard greens.