Recipes
American Fried Rice
By Tony Kora
When Tony Kora was a kid, he ate his way through the food stalls in Bangkok, Thailand, where he was born and raised. The “bites” he’d reach for – fried minced pork toast and American fried rice – are not common sit-down restaurant dishes, as far as he’s seen. Whenever he makes them, he time-travels back to those happy-food times.
Rice N Roll, Tony Kora’s East Side Japanese-Thai restaurant, serves four kinds of fried rice. But not this one. One difference is the inclusion of ketchup. The vegetables used in it are up to you; Kora likes peapods and carrots to contrast with the rice. The “American” in the name comes from the addition of a fried egg and a chicken drumstick. Kid- and adult-friendly flavors.
Ingredients
4-6 servings
1 cup cooked jasmine rice (made one day ahead and stored, covered, in the fridge)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
2-3 cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying
2 beef hot dogs, deep-fried
1 chicken drumstick, deep-fried
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 1⁄2 tablespoons ketchup
1⁄2 tablespoon Golden Mountain soy sauce
1 teaspoon butter
1⁄2 tablespoon raisins
1 cucumber, sliced
1 medium tomato, sliced
Instructions
Remove the rice from refrigerator. In a skillet over high heat, add the 2 tablespoons of oil. Now add the egg and cook until the edge is brown and crunchy. Set the egg aside.
Cut the ends off each hot dog in an X pattern and discard the ends. In a deep-frying pan or large stainless-steel saucepan, add vegetable oil, but fill the pan no more than halfway. Heat to 350 degrees. Carefully add the sausages and deep fry until crispy, then set them aside.
Now add the chicken drumstick to the deep-fry pan and cook six to eight minutes until golden brown.
Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a wok or skillet set on high heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook for one minute, then add the butter. Once the butter is melted, throw in the rice. Stir it well, then add the ketchup and soy sauce. Stir well and cook for another two minutes. Finish the stir fry by adding the raisins into the mix and stir for another minute.
Transfer to the rice bowl, then use a spoon to mold the rice into the bowl’s shape. Transfer the rice to a plate by turning the bowl upside down. Add the fried egg, sausages and chicken drumstick, as well as additional sliced cucumber and tomato. Serve.
Pro Tips
1
To create the smoky flavor of fried rice, use overnight jasmine rice, dried and not stuck together. And stir fry on high heat with a small amount of oil in the pan.
Bio
Born in Thailand, Supadit Koraneekit (“Tony Kora”) is the chef/partner of Rice n Roll Bistro, Kin by Rice N Roll and property development in the Milwaukee suburb of Bay View. He attended Carson Long Military Institute in Pennsylvania in 1991 and University Mahidol International College in Bangkok in 2005. He began cooking at his auntie’s restaurants in New York City and Chicago. In 2015, after 10 impactful years of polishing his culinary skills, he was ready to strike out on his own in Milwaukee.
Tony Kora
Rice N Roll and Kin by Rice N Roll
Tony Kora
Rice N Roll and Kin by Rice N Roll