Who invented fried rice?

It is a fact that you will never find chop suey or fortune cookies in China. These are entirely foreign inventions.

Chop suey is just a mix of leftovers and the story is that it was invented to feed the hungry miners of the California gold rush who didn´t care what they ate as long as there was plenty of it and it was cheap. Americans love their fortune cookies but ask for them in a restaurant in Beijing and you will be met with blank looks. And the only rice available is usually boiled rice – not fried. America is also the only place to eat English muffins, which are unavailable in London. According to urban legend, balti dishes are unknown in India.

Never mind, we all have leftovers to use up at times and a recent misjudgment in boiling up Basmati rice saw enough cooked to feed a hungry Bombay family of a dozen. So, rice was on the menu again yesterday.

Here´s our version of Campo fried rice:

Boiled rice
One onion
Three cloves of garlic
Sunflower oil
Splash of light soya sauce
Herbs
Finely sliced vegetables
Half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Small tin of coconut milk
Two or three eggs

Fry the chopped onion and garlic in the sunflower oil in a wok until nearly soft but not mushy, then add the other ingredients, except the eggs, and stir around until well mixed and cooked. Separately, pour the beaten eggs into a frying pan and make a small omelet. Then cut into long strips and lay over the fried rice before serving.

That´s it – Campo fried rice. Obviously, you can create your own version with whatever ingredients you like so put in plenty of veg. Some people like a bit of fresh chili or chili sauce.

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©Phillip Bruce 2009