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Shanghai cai fan
Shànghǎi cài fàn (上海菜饭): Shanghai rice cooked with bok choy and salted pork in one pot
Cai fan, "vegetable rice", is what Shanghai grandmothers cook on cold winter days and what office workers buy steaming from the canteen: rice cooked in one pot with Shanghai bok choy and diced salted pork, enriched with a spoon of lard so every grain glistens. It goes into an insulated lunch tin piping hot. The common mistake is adding the greens with the raw rice, which turns them khaki and mushy; fry the stems first and stir the leaves in at the end. For a vegetarian version, use oil instead of lard, leave out the pork and add diced shiitake. Chef's tip: let the pot sit undisturbed on the lowest heat for the last 5 minutes to form a thin golden crust, guoba, at the bottom.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz short-grain or jasmine ricerinsed until the water runs clear
- 5 ½ oz salted pork belly or pancettadiced 1 cm
- 1 tbsp lard or sunflower oil
- 14 oz Shanghai bok choystems diced, leaves shredded
- 1 tsp fresh gingergrated
- ½ tsp saltless if the pork is very salty
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 pinch white pepper
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp lard or sunflower oil in a heavy pan with a tight lid over a medium heat. Add 5 ½ oz salted pork belly or pancetta and fry for 4–5 minutes until the fat runs and the edges turn golden.
5 minStep 2: Add 1 tsp fresh ginger and the diced bok choy stems from 14 oz Shanghai bok choy and stir-fry for 2 minutes until they turn bright.
2 minStep 3: Add the drained 10 ½ oz short-grain or jasmine rice and stir for 1 minute until coated in fat. Pour in 1 ¾ cups water, add ½ tsp salt and bring to the boil.
3 minStep 4: Cover, turn the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid, until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender.
15 minStep 5: Scatter the shredded leaves on top, cover again and leave on the lowest heat for 5 minutes, until wilted and the bottom is lightly crisp.
5 minStep 6: Stir in 1 pinch white pepper, folding the greens through. Pack piping hot in an insulated food jar, or cool within an hour, refrigerate and reheat until steaming throughout. Eat within a day.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 68 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shanghai cai fan take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of short-grain or jasmine rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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