People are really sleeping on Chinese Cooking Demystified. It's a legit English-speaking cooking channel for authentic Chinese cuisine. The recipes are very homecook-centric yet various and of course incredible. The hacks are mind-blowingly great. People should subscribe them more.
This is how I feel about the Kinging-It channel. Their editing/weirdness are so good that I just wonder how they don't have millions of subscribers. It isn't a cooking channel, tho. Lol. Going to subscribe to Chinese Cooking Demystified right now!
I’ll check it out. My best friend from high school is Chinese. I had some meals there, and they were nothing like what you get at a Chinese restaurant. I also went to a dinner his parents had at a Chinese restaurant. They closed the restaurant to the public and only made traditional dishes. It was so different.
She's right, though. There is no One True Fried Rice, and a quest for such a thing would be in vain. Fried rice, or _nasi goreng_ as we call it in the Malay-speaking world, is really just reheated leftovers. The rice is what's left over from yesterday, so are the other ingredients; and you can add whatever else you feel like adding. And for it to be fried _rice_, the only mandatory ingredient is of course rice. So the fried rice you get in, say, China will be different from what you get here in Malaysia, or in Thailand, or in Vietnam, or anywhere else in Asia where people eat their meals with rice. Still, I look forward to seeing what Alex comes up with as the best fried rice he can make.
Tbh as an asian, i gotta say that first fried rice seemed fine. It’s definitely not traditional in any sense, but it has the spirit of fried rice. Tbh when i want fried rice, i grab some old rice, eggs, soy sauce and a bunch of random whatevers from the fridge
Yup, that's my fried rice too. Also, the key is old rice. It has less moisture content than freshly cooked rice, and that helps it not to stick together.
I really can't cook well enough to bring out all the flavours properly, so I just throw in all the ajinomoto I have when I make fried rice. Trust me it's a lifesaver.
Sometimes when there's not enough random ingredients in the fridge, i completely ditch the plan on making the fried rice and cook instant ramen instead
Joseph An: Exactly what I do, and I'm not even Asian. I'm sure most restaurant fried rice dishes use up common leftovers in the kitchen, like old rice.
Alex:*sobs at the intrincancies of fried rice* Me, with chinese heritage:*remembering all the times my parents n grandma just threw any shit together and dosed it in soy sauce to have a filling meal* yeaaa dont overthink XDD
I always imagined "real" fried rice was just a fusion of leftovers. It always seems when rice is made, there's always plenty leftover and it's never as good the next day. But throw some oil on it and mix with some proteins and veggies, and that rice gets a second life and nothing is wasted.
@@itchykami I feel kinda annoyed that he wasn't told about the legendary ingredient, wok hei. That's it, wok hei and rice. But to get the proper wok hei flavour is almost impossibly hard to get it right
Reminds me of the one time I cooked fried rice for someone and they said "wow, this is great fried rice, it's better than any fried rice I made, what did you do? Idk, just tried to remember what mum and grandmother did and threw any shit I could find in a pan. How much did you put in? IDK, just enough. What did you do? I fried prawn shells to give some taste to the oil and used lard. Why? Because I felt like it was the right thing to do, I think my Chinese grandma did it once.
I know this is off topic, but I find it strange how many people when they use egg in their fried rice, don't put it in at the last minute, because that's what I do. I like when the egg is still liquid, it absorbs into the rice, it gives a nice taste and richness to it at least in my opinion. It's like you know, when you make French toast? Part of what makes it so good, is the fact that it's soaked in egg before being cooked. That's how I see how eggs should be used, I mean we all have our own ways, but I like the richness and tastiness egg being soaked into the rice before it's congealed is like. I just was raised with making fried rice this way, although I did change the way my mom usually makes it, she usually doused it and soy based flavorings and egg and now it's pretty much it as far as I can remember at least, and I was the one who decided to degrade other things like mushrooms, fish, herbs and vegetables and other things. I still think adding the egg at the last minute is the best thing in the world though, despite what's actually traditional
Best way to learn how to make great fried rice: U only have leftover rice, a few dollars in the bank and you have to satisfy a group of friends who all are wannabe food critics.
I learned about fried rice from a Chinese Chef named Lamba. I don't know if he had a last name, but MAN he was a freaking master. He only needed one name.
Salut Alex! This isn't related to cooking really but I just got my seal of Biliteracy for English and French! I'm saying something because hearing your French when I've been watching your videos in the past has actually helped me improve my french because I can pick up some of the nuances in your english due to your accent and it helps me understand french more when speaking and listening. So even though thats way off your intention of putting out videos, I wanted to say a huge merci!
@@Ian-nl9yd i can still be freaked out with specific dish and still eat one leftover ingridients at home in daily basis Hes not freaking out for literally everything else
That's why I love Asian cooking more than something like Italian because there's no set recipes or ingredients. Just do what you want with what you for and enjoy
@@simonextra9689 Italian is the same way with a lot of dishes. But Americans with Italian ancestry act like it’s not bc they know US Italian cooking and not their ancestral cooking.
Looking forward to the rest of the series. Fried rice is also one of my go to dishes when i'm out of ideas, and it has given me a new found love for its main ingredient, because it made me realize how versatile it is.
He is exploiting this formula too much. Next why making Nesquik chocolate milk is so changeling! Six episodes series on how to stir the milk, visiting the factory and a five star Michelin chef 👨🍳 so we learn the secrets behind it.
No joke, 11 minutes into this video I realized I hadn't eaten anything in 8 hours, so I paused the video and went to my kitchen to make dinner. I very quickly found myself pulling out the ingredients to make fried rice for only the second time in my life (the first time had very bad results). It wasn't until I was heating up some veggies on my stove that I even realized that I was totally inspired by this video to make this simple yet delicious meal. As I write this comment I'm only a few bites into the completed dish and I'm enjoying it thoroughly. Lots of room for improvement from a young chef like me, but wow, what a simple and delightful meal. Can't wait for the rest of the series. Heading off to watch pt2 now. Merci Alex!
I have to say, I actually like the clumps sometimes, they are like a little "bubble" of rice, that bursts in your mouth and sets free a nice rice flavour without it being masked by the sauce for a second. It´s a nice contrast during eating. And yes, I am as high as a kite right now :)
It's so great to see Steph in your channel, mate. Her channel is simply amazing for people who really want to learn how to make proper chinese/cantonese food. I'm always learning something different from them.
I am not sure if you are going to get into non Chinese versions of the dish, but in Indonesia they have a great version of fried rice called Nasi Goreng and one of the "secrets" of the dish is Trassi, a fermented shrimp paste that smells really bad but somehow gives the rice an amazing flavor, you should try it!
terasi /belacan/ shrimp paste is not only found in Indonesian fried rice but Hongkong, Singapore, Macau , Malaysia too since terasi is not Indonesian origin. you know what makes Indonesian fried rice Indonesian? kecap manis (sweet Javanese palm sugar soysauce) , Kerupuk (Crackers) , cucumber and shallot pickles for condiments ... yummy
terasi /belacan/ shrimp paste is not only found in Indonesian fried rice but Hongkong, Singapore, Macau , Malaysia too since terasi is not Indonesian origin. you know what makes Indonesian fried rice Indonesian? kecap manis (sweet Javanese palm sugar soysauce) , Kerupuk (Crackers) , cucumber and shallot pickles for condiments ... yummy
@@M_Jono don't start it...Indonesian will claim everything. I've encountered Indonesian on youtube comments(in other cooking vids) saying Belacan/terasi is originated in Indonesia, so I commented back saying the same thing you just said. They just won't listen. Ego too high.
@@mikewallice2795 Me reading "a great version of fried rice called Nasi Goreng and one of the "secrets" of the dish is Trassi" : Holy shit, some great version of fried rice only in Indonesia!!!! Then "a fermented shrimp paste": Really, I thought the whole EA, SEA have it.
I'm filipino and fried rice is a staple. For filipinos garlic is essential in our fried rice (garlic fried rice) instead of scallions but fried rice is usually a way to use up scraps or leftover proteins for breakfast/lunch. You don't really need to over think it but the rice shouldn't be wet and rice should be crisp with a texture to bite into and its a great meal! I really appreciate how Alex tries to learn about a different culture and is totally ok being a nube at something and bring us on the journey. I don't really know the ins and outs of fried rice I only know it from eating it a whole lot growing up. Excited for this series! I need to improve my fried rice game! Alex how did you become interested in rice? Just listened to your podcast about it also which was so interesting! highly recommend
Anyone else find it kind of funny how basically she just told him that fried rice is simple and don’t overthink and then he went on a rant about how he will never be good enough?
when the master says "it's simple, don't overthink it" then you know the problem will be hard; the things you most need to know will be the things the master isn't even conscious of and thus can't explain easily
@@walterw2 sounds like you’re overthinking it dude. Also I’m Taiwanese and I’ve never thought nor been told by anyone, even my grandma who is an amazing cook, that fried rice is anything but simple and easy to learn. But there can be a lot of nuance to it too I guess.
I would say egg fried rice is something very simple, but the idea is more of cooking a meal everyday rather than the other series Alex does where he tries to perfect in a few weeks. Its more of cooking to satisfy you, and adjusting different nuances as you go, and in reality its less of perfecting, but adjusting to your personal tastes and idea of good egg fried rice.
You are a GREAT cook/kitchen scientist! For what it is worth, this is my technique: crank the wok to the highest temperature, use any kind of oil (though I prefer butter because I like that it burns and gives that charred flavor), add any ingredients with plenty of soy sauce (again, it needs to char!), cook only until the ingredients get brown around the edges, turn it off, then add COLD rice, stir continuously until the cold rice is heated and...you're done! The key is adding the cold rice and letting it heat up from the other ingredients. Never add the rice during cooking or it sticks to the pan and absorbs too much moisture. Texture is EVERYTHING
“Flying to China and learn how to properly make fried rice from a professional chef” Somehow the chinese blood in me is saying the chefs are not going to like it 😂
Van Gogh: Gosh, I wish in 100 years from now people in Paris will write in Japanese, East Asian art is so cool! Alex: (writes "fried rice" in Chinese and hangs it to the wall)
Absolutely. I'd say after rice it's the second most important thing in terms of flavor. It's really the difference between average and amazing fried rice.
Just as I felt I had hit a plateau on Chinese cuisine you start asking the foundational questions I’ve been struggling with, I’m from Denmark so it’s hard to get an authentic baseline and as such I’ve been going back to the roots to try and heighten my abilities! Thank you so much, this is literally miraculous timing
If your issue is authenticity, then Chinese Cooking Demystified is what you need. They really try their best to find accessible alternatives to some of the more hard-to-export ingredients.
Once this pandemic is over, fly to Malaysia. You can try all kinds of Chinese food, from fine dining to street food. And when you have enough, you can try Malay food. We also have fantastic Indian food. You will then have a baseline to work on :]
@@elliey7162 honestly I would if I had that sort of economy, I’ve wanted to visit the Malaysian fruit markets for years as well! It’s on my list of firsts for when I eventually finish my education
@@enceladus1393 Honestly, the Chinese cuisine doesn't seem that concerned about authenticity either, large part of the culture is about recreating familiar taste profiles with new ingredients. In my opinion one of the most refreshing sides of the culture, when compared to some of the more uptight ones(looking at you, Italy).
Good Luck and impatient to watch the rest of the series. I Was raised up in a Chinese restaurant in Paris, learnt about the "Western" Chinese food. Now, moved to Hong Kong, funny thing is what we call the Cantonese rice in Paris is called Wester fried rice here. :D And discovered other types of fried rice. Feeling that we are just reimporting what was exported from here in the first place. When I was a student, Fried Rice was just taking anything from the fridge and stir frying it together with leftover rice. That was it.
Calling it now. Alex got it right at thr start. He doesn't need to make THE fried rice. He just needs to make HIS fried rice using what he has around him in his life. That's already the perfect execution of the dish.
Here in Germany it is the same with fried potatoes (Bratkartoffeln). Many chefs say that this is the royal discipline even this is one of the easiest recipes in terms of the ingredients. And well Rice and stir frying sounds also not very complicated on a first glance
I'm Cantonese, but I'm pretty sure at the end of this series Alex is going to cook better fried rice than I do :D Go Alex! There are so many ways you can do fried rice, but my favourite is always the one featuring eggs, Cha Siu (Chinese barbequed pork) and prawns (it's called 扬州炒饭 Yangzhou Fried Rice but nonetheless a Cantonese invention)
Man... Cha Siu & Prawns are like base FR ingredients, I grew up eating that too, love it. Esp good CS & sweet fat prawns. Oh crispy spam too. But the joy of FR is basically putting anything!
*Looks at your canned fried rice* “This is an improvement of western fried rice” *looks at my pineapple curry fried rice from the local Thai place* “Huh, could’ve fooled me”
ingredients: oil+rice+soy+egg: 1. do not not not add butter, the taste doesn’t match; 2. rice should be fried dry enough that each of them do not stick to one another; 3. pour the mixed egg liquid in the ‘well’ of the rice and fry it with the rice.
Thank you!! I was yelling in my mind Alex, No Butter!! And how he overcrowded the pan even with the rice, needed less rice - or better yet, a pan suited for the job - and to fry it way longer than he did. And that the eggs get too rubbery if you fry them first! It’s a symptom of westernized bad Chinese food.
The best fried rice I have is over at my grandparent's house back in China. They live in the countryside and when my uncles offered to build them a newer house (than the one half falling apart from over 100 years ago), they still wanted a detached kitchen with a wood-burning stove with a giant wok on top. That wood-burning stove is what's essential to giving that rice some amazing flavor.
Flat bottom woks are the most useful things in the world. They get Asian flavour in the western world and give you a huge pan for all dishes. I have ended up using one for curries, stir fries and so much more
Just ate home made curry with home made beer. Perfectly matched. Whilst watching your excellent Wok Harder series. Alex, you’ve got me inspired now to become a Chef. Retirement is only a couple of years away for me and I fancy cooking on the road in an electric camper van, sampling each countries cooking along the way.
When Malays cook, we used a lot of estimation in everything. Everything is "agak-agak" or in today's colloquially known in Singapore as "agaration". There's no rocket science to it and yet it still comes out delicious
My version: Neutral vegetable oil --> Left over rice --> a bit of sesame oil, fish sauce and soy sauce --> make a hole in the middle of the pan once the rice has crisped up --> add an egg and scramble it --> mix everything and add some scallions. Never fails.
3 key elements for me in cooking fried rice is 1, saute the scallion and/or garlic so the oil will have that rich taste that will cover the rice. 2, use cold cooked rice. Usually, I will use the rice that I cook the day before and stored it in the fridge. 3, flavoring. My go-to is sou sauce mix with oyster sauce. No need for salt since those 2 already have enough sauce.
I've tried cooking fried rice in cast iron before, and if you're cooking for only one person, it's good enough. Like a wok, cast iron has great heat retention. The core difference is that the wok is better at tossing, can cook larger volumes, and traditional woks only work on flame burners and not induction stoves. In fact, I'd say his fried rice is not _terrible._ I'd say the main faults are: - no aromatics, which should _always_ go in first - removing the egg from the heat instead of dumping the rice on it (or alternatively, dumping egg onto the rice) - not pre-cooking the meats (ham looks better in fried rice with a bit of char on it) - no MSG - separating the rice clumps by poking at it with the blade of the spatula instead of pressing them down with the flat - pouring the seasonings directly onto the rice instead of onto bare pan and then mixing
Very few western homes have a burner even close to suited for a wok. For most of us a cast iron is better than a wok because we just cannot heat it properly. The flat bottom woks they sell to us to use on our electric stoves are worse than useless
@@gasfiltered the apartment ill be moving into next month has a gas stove thats fairly spaced out, and I told my girlfriend "we can learn how to use a wok on that thing". And it made my day to see someone else notice this as an issue XD
Liked.Subscribed. I love your channel! Love the shot of you opening your cutlery arsenol! Your editing and music are superb! We don't make it daily, as i used to, but we make it once a week (feels special now) ! A filipino growing up in Hawaii ,Guam , and a few years lived in the Phillippines, now living in Seattle, FRIED RICE is a part of our filipino life! I make it for my 4 boys (my husband makes it his way) and make sure they learn how to do it the way my grandmother made it for me, which was cracking the egg into the rice while its cooking in the pan plus alot of minced garlic! It's our comfort food right after church on a sunday! Thank you for your amazing, entertaining videos! Introvert mom of 4 sons (2 autistic) loving the youtube community, while learning from others, trying to grow my channel, God Bless! Love Love your Channel!
As someone who tried a lot of fried rice making at home, it's probably the most unexpectedly difficult dish to get right. There's just so, so many factors that go into it to make it, which you only realize once you've dedicated some time to it. I'd probably feel more comfortable making a reverse-sear T-Bone Steak, or something along those lines, then making a really good fried rice, there's so surprisingly many steps to mess up.
That rice he used was in a tupperware container and it was clumpy as hell. There's no way it _wasn't_ day old rice. The only real improvement I can see is he needs to throw some MSG in, or at least mushroom powder or fish sauce.
I am very excited for this series. They say the best way to check the skill of a chef in Chinese cuisine is to taste their fried rice, much like what they say about omelettes in French cuisine.
One thing that I has always baffled at when I look up fry rice online is you scramble the egg first then mix all at the end. In `nam we would put egg in at the end of stiring rice so that the rice is coated with a layer of egg. The excess is harden like normal scrambled egg but you got that thicc tasty shiny coat over your rice
I love both so I make egg flakes first and put them in a bow, then fry the bacon or ham until a little bit crispy, then fry the rice and coat it with egg, after it turning golden yellow, I put all the ingredient together and finish the dish with soy sause and green scallion
I feel like his stuff it's getting a bit too good for RUclips. With all the respect for this platform, He deserve some netflix/prime show of his own...
Omg I thought I'm crazy to replace hollandaise for kewpie mayo!!! And how nice that all my RUclips faves are getting to know one another. I knew you before I knew them Alex 😭. I love your dry aged beef fridge. I hope all the Malaysians that come with mrnigelng treats your channel well 💕.
The trick is to use day-old rice. Make a pot of rice, then stick it in the fridge for a day before frying it. It’ll have that chewy texture and you’ll avoid the mushiness.
This guy is like the Casey Neistat of cooking. His videography is amazing!
was thinking of tagging you uncle, and after 10 secs ur here
FUIYOOOOOH
That was before Casey went missing
Fuiyoooh, now i cannot wait for the new video on sunday
He’s so dramatic about it, fried rice so simmpple
People are really sleeping on Chinese Cooking Demystified. It's a legit English-speaking cooking channel for authentic Chinese cuisine. The recipes are very homecook-centric yet various and of course incredible. The hacks are mind-blowingly great. People should subscribe them more.
It's a great channel. I just started following a few months back. Definitely recommend.
This is how I feel about the Kinging-It channel. Their editing/weirdness are so good that I just wonder how they don't have millions of subscribers. It isn't a cooking channel, tho. Lol. Going to subscribe to Chinese Cooking Demystified right now!
I strongly agree. Does anyone know a similar channel for indian or japanese cuisine?
I’ll check it out. My best friend from high school is Chinese. I had some meals there, and they were nothing like what you get at a Chinese restaurant. I also went to a dinner his parents had at a Chinese restaurant. They closed the restaurant to the public and only made traditional dishes. It was so different.
@@AStarInSolitude not sure if you know of Cooking with Dog? There is also runnyrunny999. For (south-)east asian cooking I can recommend Adam Liaw
"The thing about fried rice is that you don't need to overthink it"
*Alex.exe has stopped working*
Starts overthinking not overthinking
She's right, though. There is no One True Fried Rice, and a quest for such a thing would be in vain. Fried rice, or _nasi goreng_ as we call it in the Malay-speaking world, is really just reheated leftovers. The rice is what's left over from yesterday, so are the other ingredients; and you can add whatever else you feel like adding. And for it to be fried _rice_, the only mandatory ingredient is of course rice. So the fried rice you get in, say, China will be different from what you get here in Malaysia, or in Thailand, or in Vietnam, or anywhere else in Asia where people eat their meals with rice.
Still, I look forward to seeing what Alex comes up with as the best fried rice he can make.
Preach this! Just use leftover and don't overcrowd your pan.
@@amirkhalid5449 0!0
@@kaizerkoala 5:47
Tbh as an asian, i gotta say that first fried rice seemed fine. It’s definitely not traditional in any sense, but it has the spirit of fried rice. Tbh when i want fried rice, i grab some old rice, eggs, soy sauce and a bunch of random whatevers from the fridge
Yup, that's my fried rice too. Also, the key is old rice. It has less moisture content than freshly cooked rice, and that helps it not to stick together.
I really can't cook well enough to bring out all the flavours properly, so I just throw in all the ajinomoto I have when I make fried rice. Trust me it's a lifesaver.
Sometimes when there's not enough random ingredients in the fridge, i completely ditch the plan on making the fried rice and cook instant ramen instead
Joseph An: Exactly what I do, and I'm not even Asian. I'm sure most restaurant fried rice dishes use up common leftovers in the kitchen, like old rice.
@@robinlillian9471 well restaurants actually have to have a set recipe, but im sure they still do use leftovers
"Don't stress about it too much"
*PROCEEDS TO MAKE AN ENTIRE RUclips SERIES*
I T S T O O L A T E
imalreadyoverwhelmed
French guy literally make an anime series about fried rice GONE WILD
Alex:*sobs at the intrincancies of fried rice*
Me, with chinese heritage:*remembering all the times my parents n grandma just threw any shit together and dosed it in soy sauce to have a filling meal* yeaaa dont overthink XDD
Can you make good fried rice like your ma and grandma made?
Hah. This is Alex though.
I always imagined "real" fried rice was just a fusion of leftovers. It always seems when rice is made, there's always plenty leftover and it's never as good the next day. But throw some oil on it and mix with some proteins and veggies, and that rice gets a second life and nothing is wasted.
@@itchykami I feel kinda annoyed that he wasn't told about the legendary ingredient, wok hei. That's it, wok hei and rice. But to get the proper wok hei flavour is almost impossibly hard to get it right
Reminds me of the one time I cooked fried rice for someone and they said "wow, this is great fried rice, it's better than any fried rice I made, what did you do? Idk, just tried to remember what mum and grandmother did and threw any shit I could find in a pan.
How much did you put in? IDK, just enough. What did you do? I fried prawn shells to give some taste to the oil and used lard. Why? Because I felt like it was the right thing to do, I think my Chinese grandma did it once.
If anyone other than Alex didn't post for 2 months, then came back and said "I was busy trying to make fried rice" I wouldn't believe them.
Agreed. I love everything he makes though.
This comment definitely wins the internet for the week, ha ha.
Steph: "You don't need to overthink tried rice"
Alex: «Have you MET ME?!»
I like that you used guillemets for Alex's quote
But why he didn't show the recipe ?
Alex does breakdown each ingredients in his videos. It’s food science.
What separates “great” fried rice, from “good” fried rice:
🎵 emm-ESS-gee 🎵
Only two times to swear, Shitload of garlic, FUCKTON of MSG!
@Lesevesel that's interesting. Do you also have issues with parmesan, tomatoes, and cured meats, all things that are rich in natural msg?
@Lesevesel I'd do more research into that, a lot of food ingredients are rich in msg naturally
@@bellenesatan not to mention seaweed, which was where msg was originally extracted from
I know this is off topic, but I find it strange how many people when they use egg in their fried rice, don't put it in at the last minute, because that's what I do. I like when the egg is still liquid, it absorbs into the rice, it gives a nice taste and richness to it at least in my opinion. It's like you know, when you make French toast? Part of what makes it so good, is the fact that it's soaked in egg before being cooked. That's how I see how eggs should be used, I mean we all have our own ways, but I like the richness and tastiness egg being soaked into the rice before it's congealed is like. I just was raised with making fried rice this way, although I did change the way my mom usually makes it, she usually doused it and soy based flavorings and egg and now it's pretty much it as far as I can remember at least, and I was the one who decided to degrade other things like mushrooms, fish, herbs and vegetables and other things. I still think adding the egg at the last minute is the best thing in the world though, despite what's actually traditional
Alex sobbing and sniffling for a few seconds then stopping with "Alright, that's enough" is such a mood
Best way to learn how to make great fried rice: U only have leftover rice, a few dollars in the bank and you have to satisfy a group of friends who all are wannabe food critics.
😂😂
When you have parents visiting to see what you've done with your life...
Legit though, all my favorite fried rice were those made with stuff I happened to have in the fridge
I learned about fried rice from a Chinese Chef named Lamba. I don't know if he had a last name, but MAN he was a freaking master. He only needed one name.
His other name was Sensei?
I thought you learned it watching Animes !!!
The reply guy of cooking channels strikes again! I will never watch your content!!!!!!!!!
@@robotjohn8784 I wonder you feel special typing that out hhh
@@robotjohn8784 it's okay man, I like to support other cooking channels.
Alex: Having a mental breakdown over rice
Me: confused over the tea
Same I wonder what it is?
@@sneakysquirrel1990 "blooming tea" or "flowering tea"
@@sneakysquirrel1990 I assumed it was hibiscus.
@@johncrombie2771 I thought maybe chrysanthemum.
Looks like Blossoming Jewels he got from Mei Leaf. That's what I guess since he did a collab with Don Mei about tea once.
"But im a normal human"
Me who have watch this channel for 1+ year: "Not a sane one, but yes a human indeed."
Salut Alex! This isn't related to cooking really but I just got my seal of Biliteracy for English and French! I'm saying something because hearing your French when I've been watching your videos in the past has actually helped me improve my french because I can pick up some of the nuances in your english due to your accent and it helps me understand french more when speaking and listening. So even though thats way off your intention of putting out videos, I wanted to say a huge merci!
Just gotta say it, Alex has the best sound engineering in his videos.
His engineering is also sound.
@@RealAndySkibba nice
As an audio engineer
No, but he's not far from it
Very high production value all around tbh
The attention to detail, some echoing just for the sound of the spoon against the dish...
being asian, i just say fried rice is everything you have left over from last night in a pan mixed with rice
yeah but this is the same guy who freaked out over the mother sauces
@@Ian-nl9yd i can still be freaked out with specific dish and still eat one leftover ingridients at home in daily basis
Hes not freaking out for literally everything else
That's why I love Asian cooking more than something like Italian because there's no set recipes or ingredients. Just do what you want with what you for and enjoy
*in a wok **a wok *wok
@@simonextra9689 Italian is the same way with a lot of dishes. But Americans with Italian ancestry act like it’s not bc they know US Italian cooking and not their ancestral cooking.
Alex is back. I can finally sleep peacefully
It just begun
No, you can't. Now you won't be able to sleep, cuz you will be waiting for next episode XD
@@Tharoffnik. you can't be more right about it my friend... you can't be more right... xD
Same.
Or be up all night cooking lol
I loved how Stephanie let all of us know that you can't make fried rice without rice lol. Can't wait for the rest of the series; thank you!
Looking forward to the rest of the series. Fried rice is also one of my go to dishes when i'm out of ideas, and it has given me a new found love for its main ingredient, because it made me realize how versatile it is.
Man, I kinda forgot how good Alex is at storytelling. The combination of the camera work, editing and filming/dramatisation makes episodes so good.
Every 5 year old east Asian kid: yeah, can make fried rice for myself after school
Alex: treating fried rice as if it would be rocket science
It's his engineering background talking again lol
He is exploiting this formula too much. Next why making Nesquik chocolate milk is so changeling! Six episodes series on how to stir the milk, visiting the factory and a five star Michelin chef 👨🍳 so we learn the secrets behind it.
@@GeorgeVenturi I would watch that
Fried rice is super easy to do though, although I have a few hacks like cooking the seasonings at the same time as the rice (works super well).
@@GeorgeVenturi i unsubbed because of this. everything is a fucking series with this guy. 90% filler montages and head grabbing.
Uncle Roger be like: HAIYAA!!! This guy cooking fried rice without wok and msg.... at least he doesn't use chilli jem like Jamie Oliver
And butter instead of peanut oil.
Bro, good quality fried rice do not need msg
@@lokyeung6755 Yeah you're right... but when you put msg in your fried rice it became like FUIYOHH!!!!
@@lokyeung6755 relax bro is a uncle roger joke MSG!
At least he's way better than Mr chilly jem
No joke, 11 minutes into this video I realized I hadn't eaten anything in 8 hours, so I paused the video and went to my kitchen to make dinner. I very quickly found myself pulling out the ingredients to make fried rice for only the second time in my life (the first time had very bad results). It wasn't until I was heating up some veggies on my stove that I even realized that I was totally inspired by this video to make this simple yet delicious meal. As I write this comment I'm only a few bites into the completed dish and I'm enjoying it thoroughly. Lots of room for improvement from a young chef like me, but wow, what a simple and delightful meal. Can't wait for the rest of the series. Heading off to watch pt2 now. Merci Alex!
“you shouldn’t see clumps in your fried rice”. flashing back to all my fried rice dishes
I have to say, I actually like the clumps sometimes, they are like a little "bubble" of rice, that bursts in your mouth and sets free a nice rice flavour without it being masked by the sauce for a second. It´s a nice contrast during eating. And yes, I am as high as a kite right now :)
Seeing a french guy say 炒饭 is the funniest thing ever
we peruvians made it into a completely different word lmao
its like no one ever even told him that it's a tonal language
I thought he is italian until i read your comment
@@kevingustav123 I can see that XD, especially if you aren't familiar with french vs italian
@@xFlRSTx as French, I feel we have a lot of difficulties to understand tones in languages in general
It's so great to see Steph in your channel, mate. Her channel is simply amazing for people who really want to learn how to make proper chinese/cantonese food. I'm always learning something different from them.
I am not sure if you are going to get into non Chinese versions of the dish, but in Indonesia they have a great version of fried rice called Nasi Goreng and one of the "secrets" of the dish is Trassi, a fermented shrimp paste that smells really bad but somehow gives the rice an amazing flavor, you should try it!
terasi /belacan/ shrimp paste is not only found in Indonesian fried rice but Hongkong, Singapore, Macau , Malaysia too since terasi is not Indonesian origin.
you know what makes Indonesian fried rice Indonesian?
kecap manis (sweet Javanese palm sugar soysauce) , Kerupuk (Crackers) , cucumber and shallot pickles for condiments ...
yummy
terasi /belacan/ shrimp paste is not only found in Indonesian fried rice but Hongkong, Singapore, Macau , Malaysia too since terasi is not Indonesian origin.
you know what makes Indonesian fried rice Indonesian?
kecap manis (sweet Javanese palm sugar soysauce) , Kerupuk (Crackers) , cucumber and shallot pickles for condiments ...
yummy
@@M_Jono don't start it...Indonesian will claim everything. I've encountered Indonesian on youtube comments(in other cooking vids) saying Belacan/terasi is originated in Indonesia, so I commented back saying the same thing you just said. They just won't listen. Ego too high.
@@mikewallice2795 Me reading "a great version of fried rice called Nasi Goreng and one of the "secrets" of the dish is Trassi" : Holy shit, some great version of fried rice only in Indonesia!!!!
Then "a fermented shrimp paste": Really, I thought the whole EA, SEA have it.
Whenever my dad adds trassi to the wok I gag but the flavor is ok
That knife closet tho. That is everything i ever wanted in life. My gawd. That is a thing of beauty.
I'm filipino and fried rice is a staple. For filipinos garlic is essential in our fried rice (garlic fried rice) instead of scallions but fried rice is usually a way to use up scraps or leftover proteins for breakfast/lunch. You don't really need to over think it but the rice shouldn't be wet and rice should be crisp with a texture to bite into and its a great meal! I really appreciate how Alex tries to learn about a different culture and is totally ok being a nube at something and bring us on the journey. I don't really know the ins and outs of fried rice I only know it from eating it a whole lot growing up. Excited for this series! I need to improve my fried rice game! Alex how did you become interested in rice? Just listened to your podcast about it also which was so interesting! highly recommend
my mans getting that collab, absolutely love Chinese Cooking Demystified - the two of them have inspired my cooking so much, it's insane
When the world needed him most he returned
Not really, he uploaded once 3 days ago...
You said that last video. You must be proud of this sequence of words.
@@Joe-ss9cr I am
@@cdtheminerdude ...3 Days before the world needed him most, he returned.
@@ChristopherCricketWallace Ah yes
Anyone else find it kind of funny how basically she just told him that fried rice is simple and don’t overthink and then he went on a rant about how he will never be good enough?
when the master says "it's simple, don't overthink it" then you know the problem will be hard; the things you most need to know will be the things the master isn't even conscious of and thus can't explain easily
@@walterw2 sounds like you’re overthinking it dude. Also I’m Taiwanese and I’ve never thought nor been told by anyone, even my grandma who is an amazing cook, that fried rice is anything but simple and easy to learn. But there can be a lot of nuance to it too I guess.
@@stephenpaul668 as a random white guy with no clue how to cook that stuff i think you're making my point for me :)
@@walterw2 lol
I would say egg fried rice is something very simple, but the idea is more of cooking a meal everyday rather than the other series Alex does where he tries to perfect in a few weeks. Its more of cooking to satisfy you, and adjusting different nuances as you go, and in reality its less of perfecting, but adjusting to your personal tastes and idea of good egg fried rice.
You are a GREAT cook/kitchen scientist! For what it is worth, this is my technique: crank the wok to the highest temperature, use any kind of oil (though I prefer butter because I like that it burns and gives that charred flavor), add any ingredients with plenty of soy sauce (again, it needs to char!), cook only until the ingredients get brown around the edges, turn it off, then add COLD rice, stir continuously until the cold rice is heated and...you're done! The key is adding the cold rice and letting it heat up from the other ingredients. Never add the rice during cooking or it sticks to the pan and absorbs too much moisture. Texture is EVERYTHING
“Flying to China and learn how to properly make fried rice from a professional chef”
Somehow the chinese blood in me is saying the chefs are not going to like it 😂
when he began to sing "qu'est ce que tu fous sur internet ça va pas bien dans ta tête" and you recognise it , you're officially french, congrats.
Omg, I immediately recognized it but could not name the song. Guess 9 years of French class does make me French.
@@TemetNosce65 Elle me dit - Mika
@@BeauxKevin lol, yeah I found it after searching the lyrics. Thanks though, not being able to remember where a tune comes from is the worst.
C'est bon!
almost jumped outta bed when he sang it hehehhe what a throwback
Love you singing "Elle me dit!". Was the first song I learned in french class haha.
Uncle Roger running towards fried rice video much faster than Auntie Helen running away from him...
FUIYOOOOH
When he watches this? HAIYAAAH
Van Gogh: Gosh, I wish in 100 years from now people in Paris will write in Japanese, East Asian art is so cool!
Alex: (writes "fried rice" in Chinese and hangs it to the wall)
that wok hay... is a key characteristic of good fried rice
Absolutely. I'd say after rice it's the second most important thing in terms of flavor. It's really the difference between average and amazing fried rice.
Just as I felt I had hit a plateau on Chinese cuisine you start asking the foundational questions I’ve been struggling with, I’m from Denmark so it’s hard to get an authentic baseline and as such I’ve been going back to the roots to try and heighten my abilities! Thank you so much, this is literally miraculous timing
Haha my first wok just came in and now this comes out? Pretty damn perfect timing!
If your issue is authenticity, then Chinese Cooking Demystified is what you need. They really try their best to find accessible alternatives to some of the more hard-to-export ingredients.
Once this pandemic is over, fly to Malaysia. You can try all kinds of Chinese food, from fine dining to street food. And when you have enough, you can try Malay food. We also have fantastic Indian food. You will then have a baseline to work on :]
@@elliey7162 honestly I would if I had that sort of economy, I’ve wanted to visit the Malaysian fruit markets for years as well! It’s on my list of firsts for when I eventually finish my education
@@enceladus1393 Honestly, the Chinese cuisine doesn't seem that concerned about authenticity either, large part of the culture is about recreating familiar taste profiles with new ingredients. In my opinion one of the most refreshing sides of the culture, when compared to some of the more uptight ones(looking at you, Italy).
"The one thing about fried rice is that you don't need to overthink it".
Now THAT is a challenge for Alex !
Good Luck and impatient to watch the rest of the series.
I Was raised up in a Chinese restaurant in Paris, learnt about the "Western" Chinese food. Now, moved to Hong Kong, funny thing is what we call the Cantonese rice in Paris is called Wester fried rice here. :D And discovered other types of fried rice. Feeling that we are just reimporting what was exported from here in the first place.
When I was a student, Fried Rice was just taking anything from the fridge and stir frying it together with leftover rice. That was it.
Calling it now. Alex got it right at thr start. He doesn't need to make THE fried rice. He just needs to make HIS fried rice using what he has around him in his life. That's already the perfect execution of the dish.
I will be very sad if Andong doesn't come up in a cameo.
Commenting to bring this comment higher
Why
@@jasonfanclub4267 why not
YES! These are already two of my favorite RUclips channels, I’m all about getting Andong in this epic anime crossover
Yeah why? I don't understand the appeal of Andong
Great now "Elle me dit" is going to be in my head all day
yeah me too, gotta love mika tho
Did you finish the cacao series? I think is uncompleted is not It? You left the two steps from the beginning! Looove ur Channel btw
I’m sure that you are the most French person on RUclips. Both in looks, accent and humor
Here in Germany it is the same with fried potatoes (Bratkartoffeln). Many chefs say that this is the royal discipline even this is one of the easiest recipes in terms of the ingredients. And well Rice and stir frying sounds also not very complicated on a first glance
You might appear in Uncle Roger's radar with this new series.
Let's see Uncle Roger's reaction, will it be haiyaa or fuiyoh in the end?
Knowing Alex it should be fuiyoh
Uncle Alex!
Hmmm no wok hae
@@gwyllymsuter4551 It's Alex, he will have a wok by the end of this lol.
Is anyone else waiting to see what Uncle Rodger has to say about this? LOL
who gives a damn what he thinks? he prioritizes censorship over anything else.
💯
@Hal douglas why so bitter? They both make video for money and fun, not nobel-worth research
Yes, let the drama commence...
YES!!!!! Maybe my dear Uncle Roger should see this and have a go at this!!!!
I'm Cantonese, but I'm pretty sure at the end of this series Alex is going to cook better fried rice than I do :D Go Alex!
There are so many ways you can do fried rice, but my favourite is always the one featuring eggs, Cha Siu (Chinese barbequed pork) and prawns (it's called 扬州炒饭 Yangzhou Fried Rice but nonetheless a Cantonese invention)
Alex taking this dish too serious than most chinese 😅
Man... Cha Siu & Prawns are like base FR ingredients, I grew up eating that too, love it. Esp good CS & sweet fat prawns. Oh crispy spam too.
But the joy of FR is basically putting anything!
@@Karg537 well, that's why we're all watching him, aren't we 😂 love it! Hahaha
Also cantonese, But I like the one with eggs and lap chung (the sausage). Cha Siu sounds good though.
Yangzhou fried rice is not from Yangzou, Hainam chicken is not from Hainam. funny how things work
*Looks at your canned fried rice*
“This is an improvement of western fried rice”
*looks at my pineapple curry fried rice from the local Thai place*
“Huh, could’ve fooled me”
Best collab by two amazing people and channels!!
This is the best birthday gift, glad your back Alex!
happy bday dude
Alex X Chinese Cooking Demystified. The crossover I never knew I needed.
I heard “my name is andong” mentioned the channel.
ingredients: oil+rice+soy+egg: 1. do not not not add butter, the taste doesn’t match; 2. rice should be fried dry enough that each of them do not stick to one another; 3. pour the mixed egg liquid in the ‘well’ of the rice and fry it with the rice.
Thank you!! I was yelling in my mind Alex, No Butter!! And how he overcrowded the pan even with the rice, needed less rice - or better yet, a pan suited for the job - and to fry it way longer than he did. And that the eggs get too rubbery if you fry them first! It’s a symptom of westernized bad Chinese food.
The best fried rice I have is over at my grandparent's house back in China. They live in the countryside and when my uncles offered to build them a newer house (than the one half falling apart from over 100 years ago), they still wanted a detached kitchen with a wood-burning stove with a giant wok on top. That wood-burning stove is what's essential to giving that rice some amazing flavor.
Welcome back ALEX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I missed your channel soo much. I hope you had a good rest and everything is good with your life. ♥
Flat bottom woks are the most useful things in the world. They get Asian flavour in the western world and give you a huge pan for all dishes. I have ended up using one for curries, stir fries and so much more
Also great if you are cooking something liquid that you have to stir. No worries about sloshing.
@@recoil53 works great for deep frying too; use less oil.
Uncle Roger be like: You hear sizzling??? I hear my ancestor crying....
Haha for real. I ve seen that video a hundred times. Uncle roger would cringe on his rice.
I feel like the whole cooking portion was just to upset Uncle Rodger
Uncle Roger will put his leg down.
Uncle Roger has trolled Westerners
Haiyaaaaa
Love you ALEX! So happy when I see your new video show up in my feed 🙃🙃
Just ate home made curry with home made beer. Perfectly matched. Whilst watching your excellent Wok Harder series. Alex, you’ve got me inspired now to become a Chef. Retirement is only a couple of years away for me and I fancy cooking on the road in an electric camper van, sampling each countries cooking along the way.
When Malays cook, we used a lot of estimation in everything. Everything is "agak-agak" or in today's colloquially known in Singapore as "agaration". There's no rocket science to it and yet it still comes out delicious
This is how I cook, too. It drives my exacting husband nuts when he has to follow my recipes!
Yup my Malaysian mom does this too
So excited for this series! Also that Chinese writing of fried rice (炒饭) was pretty good!
My version: Neutral vegetable oil --> Left over rice --> a bit of sesame oil, fish sauce and soy sauce --> make a hole in the middle of the pan once the rice has crisped up --> add an egg and scramble it --> mix everything and add some scallions. Never fails.
Agree, it has to be day old rice for the texture
3 key elements for me in cooking fried rice is 1, saute the scallion and/or garlic so the oil will have that rich taste that will cover the rice. 2, use cold cooked rice. Usually, I will use the rice that I cook the day before and stored it in the fridge. 3, flavoring. My go-to is sou sauce mix with oyster sauce. No need for salt since those 2 already have enough sauce.
The best content here on youtube! Thank you Alex
Great story teller. You have a $500 sauce pan and not a wok? Uncle Roger is gonna put his foot down, hiyaaaa
I've tried cooking fried rice in cast iron before, and if you're cooking for only one person, it's good enough. Like a wok, cast iron has great heat retention. The core difference is that the wok is better at tossing, can cook larger volumes, and traditional woks only work on flame burners and not induction stoves.
In fact, I'd say his fried rice is not _terrible._ I'd say the main faults are:
- no aromatics, which should _always_ go in first
- removing the egg from the heat instead of dumping the rice on it (or alternatively, dumping egg onto the rice)
- not pre-cooking the meats (ham looks better in fried rice with a bit of char on it)
- no MSG
- separating the rice clumps by poking at it with the blade of the spatula instead of pressing them down with the flat
- pouring the seasonings directly onto the rice instead of onto bare pan and then mixing
Very few western homes have a burner even close to suited for a wok. For most of us a cast iron is better than a wok because we just cannot heat it properly. The flat bottom woks they sell to us to use on our electric stoves are worse than useless
@@gasfiltered the apartment ill be moving into next month has a gas stove thats fairly spaced out, and I told my girlfriend "we can learn how to use a wok on that thing". And it made my day to see someone else notice this as an issue XD
You know shits gun be gud when Alex goes all "I'm a terrible cook" in the first episode.
'You don't need to overthink it too much." Have you seen this guy's cooking channel??? 🤪😂🤣
Cool series! I was completely bummed out when I saw there isn't an entire series already made to follow. Looking forward to more.
I love your photography and editing skills, keep up the great work!
my fav fried rice is Kampung Fried Rice, anchovies and belacan truly alleviate the flavour.
If you go into the nuances between not only Chinese fried but Thai, Korean, Japanese, etc....that rabbit hole is deep my friend.
*Uncle Roger* ... Nephew Alex NEEDS you.
The cinematography level is amazing, very smooth and clean. Good use of the sound too. It would lose something without headphones.
So nice to see you back Alex!
alex: "how do i make fried rice"
CCD: "make rice, you fry it, and it is now, fried rice"
But is it sautéd,deep fried or basted?
"If you remove something and it wouldn't be fried rice any more it would be... rice."
Literally exactly the same response I had. :D
Alex's video basics: 60%ranting 30%overthinking 10%cooking
20% Skillshare advertisement
7:39 wholesome picture of Alex and his son in the back
Liked.Subscribed. I love your channel! Love the shot of you opening your cutlery arsenol! Your editing and music are superb! We don't make it daily, as i used to, but we make it once a week (feels special now) ! A filipino growing up in Hawaii ,Guam , and a few years lived in the Phillippines, now living in Seattle, FRIED RICE is a part of our filipino life! I make it for my 4 boys (my husband makes it his way) and make sure they learn how to do it the way my grandmother made it for me, which was cracking the egg into the rice while its cooking in the pan plus alot of minced garlic! It's our comfort food right after church on a sunday! Thank you for your amazing, entertaining videos! Introvert mom of 4 sons (2 autistic) loving the youtube community, while learning from others, trying to grow my channel, God Bless! Love Love your Channel!
As someone who tried a lot of fried rice making at home, it's probably the most unexpectedly difficult dish to get right.
There's just so, so many factors that go into it to make it, which you only realize once you've dedicated some time to it.
I'd probably feel more comfortable making a reverse-sear T-Bone Steak, or something along those lines, then making a really good fried rice, there's so surprisingly many steps to mess up.
I’m no expert on anything but I can tell you for sure if you start with day-old rice and frozen peas you’ll improve your current recipe 10x
No peas....
@@michellehiemstra3041 At least not frozen...
That rice he used was in a tupperware container and it was clumpy as hell. There's no way it _wasn't_ day old rice. The only real improvement I can see is he needs to throw some MSG in, or at least mushroom powder or fish sauce.
@@michellehiemstra3041
Peas are awesome in fried rice
And carrot
Sweet balance
@@zincfive
Fresh peas get mushy super fast
Frozen peas at the end will retain texture and give sweetness
I am very excited for this series. They say the best way to check the skill of a chef in Chinese cuisine is to taste their fried rice, much like what they say about omelettes in French cuisine.
Welcome to: Alex is making things that seemed simple the most in-depth research paper!
I love the professional but still personal style of these videos!!
This is your version of fried rice. Totally fine for a Thursday night. I’m glad you attempted this dish and shared it with us.
One thing that I has always baffled at when I look up fry rice online is you scramble the egg first then mix all at the end. In `nam we would put egg in at the end of stiring rice so that the rice is coated with a layer of egg. The excess is harden like normal scrambled egg but you got that thicc tasty shiny coat over your rice
Done this way in Taiwan too.
@@doomguy606 this is the way
I love both so I make egg flakes first and put them in a bow, then fry the bacon or ham until a little bit crispy, then fry the rice and coat it with egg, after it turning golden yellow, I put all the ingredient together and finish the dish with soy sause and green scallion
Seeing Alex so focus on perfecting a dish is like watching cooking anime protagonist perfecting his dish
For me Alex live in a Shonen, he just fights against recipe instead of fighting against some giant, mecha, or demon :)
I feel like his stuff it's getting a bit too good for RUclips. With all the respect for this platform, He deserve some netflix/prime show of his own...
True
Yes, Alex is a great videographer, very funny too. Great episode Alex and thank you .
Omg I thought I'm crazy to replace hollandaise for kewpie mayo!!! And how nice that all my RUclips faves are getting to know one another. I knew you before I knew them Alex 😭. I love your dry aged beef fridge. I hope all the Malaysians that come with mrnigelng treats your channel well 💕.
Alex you are so cuuuuuuuuute, amazing Chinese tone pronunciation btw! and the 烧饭 is written perfectly right and beautiful!
Alex saying goodbye to a fan after making this series: ciao fan
Alex saying goodbye to his relatives after eating fried rice with them: ciao fam
The trick is to use day-old rice. Make a pot of rice, then stick it in the fridge for a day before frying it. It’ll have that chewy texture and you’ll avoid the mushiness.
This could be a good tip!
@@jamesellsworth9673 Today's leftover rice is always tomorrow's fried rice.
Cooling the rice also does something chemicaly to the starches in the rice that ive heard makes it "healthier"
I haven’t watched for awhile. Nice to see that you are back on point. ❤️
It is always a pleasure to watch you do your thing. :)
"Dont overthink"
Me: But thats the reason this Channel exists and is so fascinating to watch :D