Chinese Fried Rice

[sbk]

I used to live in Taiwan and absolutely loved the fried rice there. I recently ate at the Chinese restaurant on Soi Ngam Duphli and lo and behold, much to my delight, they had the same delicious fried rice.

What makes the unique flavor in the fried rice, does anyone know? No, its not MSG because I always order without and would know if it had it as it makes me ill.

Do they use a special oil to fry the rice maybe?

[phomsanuk]

The taste of the rice is only as good as the stock it's cooked in.

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

It could be sesame oil, the peanut oil, or rice wine (Shao Hsing).

[CNF55]

Funny you say that. We also lived in Taiwan some 25 years ago and still today my wife always compares the Thai fried rice to the Chinese one - she can't stand the Thai version.

[angiud]

Sorry, where is Soi Ngam Duphli???

[Benjie]

It's so got MSG in it...

[Nio]

Use sesame oil that is the ticket.

[Pattayatony]

Use sesame oil that is the ticket.

Oyster Sauce is the Secret

[angiud]

Maybe a concontion of the above three

[sbk]

No msg. I have a severe reaction to it and always know when I have had it. But cheers for not bothering to read my post.

Soi Ngam Duphli is off Rama IV near the Lumpini underground station.

Its a little hole in the wall place someone posted about a while back. they make steamed dumplings too. Its just before the Pinnacle Lumpinee Hotel.

Could be sesame oil. I'd ask next time I go but I suspect I might not understand the answer.

[Ulysses G.]

I prefer Chinese food to Thai food most of the time.

[angiud]

Grrrr, today I must agree with Ulysses on food.

IMO (and taste) the Chinese food is way better of the THai

[sbk]

Believe it or not, angiud, every once in a while, we ALL end up agreeing with UG on something! haha

Anyway, its really tasty fried rice, with egg, vegetable and prawns. And this unique flavor that I only ever had in Taiwan. I haven't tried anything other than the fried rice and the dumplings but both were good. I don't know if they speak any English at all, but the menu is in English, Thai and Chinese and has pictures.

[tutsiwarrior]

Do they eat thai jasmine rice in Taiwan? I find thai rice to be unique in texture and flavor, much different than anywhere else I've been...

[sbk]

They might but Chinese usually eat a shorter grain rice than Jasmine which is a fairly long grain rice and therefore not really suitable for chopsticks like the shorter grain rices are.

(sbk's head is filled with all sorts of useful information )

[tutsiwarrior]

ah ha!...an' that explains the spoon and fork eating arrangement phenomenon in parts of SE Asia (Thailand, Indo, Malaysia) rather than chop sticks (usually fer noodle dishes only)...

in Jakarta we only useta buy Cianjur rice on the recommendation of our cook/maid, Sumi...never seen anyone eat that stuff wid chop sticks...tastes completely different than thai rice, however...can take soy sauce better; they got both sweet (manis) and savory (asem) sauce in Indo...never seen any soy sauce in traditional Thai cooking...

plenty of goddam fish sauce, though...

(soy sauce is kecap in malay...pronounced ketchup... a significant ethnographic discovery by tutsiwarrior, PhD, Nobel laureate and defender of all that is sacred...)

Edited March 21, 2010 by tutsiwarrior

[Jingthing]

Grrrr, today I must agree with Ulysses on food.

IMO (and taste) the Chinese food is way better of the THai

I agree and for me one of the downsides of Thailand is that I miss the much better Chinese food in the US. It is much harder to find really great Chinese food in Thailand than many US cities. I agree that place on Soi Ngam Duphee is a gem.

[tutsiwarrior]

gotta work that one into a script...

(two hoodlums in a car on their way to a hit)

"an, yew know what they put on their rice in Indonesia?...'

'no...what?'

'kecap...I seen them drown it in that shit...'

'so what? my momma puts ketchup on her rice...'

'no, man...kecap, it's the bahasa word for soy sauce...'

[bubblegum]

@ tutsiwarrior: Ohhhhhhh stop about Indo food, makes my mouth water !!!! Used to eat it all the time in Holland

[tomwct]

When a Thai cooks Fried Rice they use Fish Sauce, so whenever I order fried rice I make sure they use Chinese or japanese Soy Sauce. Thay is why your getting a different flavor!!! Bon Appetite

[tutsiwarrior]

@ tutsiwarrior: Ohhhhhhh stop about Indo food, makes my mouth water !!!! Used to eat it all the time in Holland

yahs, yahs...give me a beef rendang, a soto ayam an' sum udang bakar an' I'm together...

(later, wid de gurl fren': 'you okay wid de food, sweetheart?'...'I don't want no rendang, I just wanna have sex...')

[sceadugenga]

Yours too?

What's wrong with women these days?

[tutsiwarrior]

Yours too?

What's wrong with women these days?

ah ha! an excuse to go into tutsi's saga...

I was in Abu Dhabi tryin' to mind me own business when the site manager said 'yew better take yer hols, tuts...they ain't gonna give ye any cash compensation...'

I looked to book a flight to Indo to look up the second love of my life but there were travel advisories sayin' no good to do to Indo 'cause of possible violence during the 1999 election...

I pondered then sumone said 'go to Thailand instead; if yew wanna get laid there's plenty ob wimmim...'

the rest, as they say, is history...

[tutsiwarrior]

just returned to the keyboard after a rumpus in the upstairs bedroom featuring nieces, 12 and 7, 16 y.o. step daughter, 11 month old grandson and my sexy 65 y.o. MiL (fully clothed and chaste, of course )...what have I done to deserve such happiness?

recruiter: 'we got sumpin' fer ye tuts...loadsa dough and a good location...'

tutsi: 'I don't wanna...'

recruiter: 'but you haveta consider yer position as a candidate of advanced age...'

tutsi: 'get fcuked...I don't wanna... '

[sbk]

Gotta watch your health tutsi, when considering a job. Don't want to see you have a heart attack over some job, life is not worth it.

Anyway, will be in Bkk for a girls night out next month so will pop into my now favorite restaurant in Bkk for some more fried rice and a quiz as to the secret ingredient. Given the hole in the wallness of this restaurant I am not entirely sure I want to peer into the kitchen but after 20 years in Thailand, I expect I won't freak.

[tutsiwarrior]

oh, darlin'...mebbe I should come down to yer place an' chill fer awhile before I die of happiness...

the wife is down the village playin' cards wid THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THAILAND who is one of her childhood friends, a 52 y.o. siren...she attempted to insinuate herself into my bed once when the wife wasn't looking but I heroically resisted her advances...bein' drunk she didn't care about the consequences...

oh...de pain ob lebben...

Edited March 22, 2010 by tutsiwarrior