What’s the recent fried rice that you’ve tried?

Did you know that there are different types of fried rice and each has its own characteristic that reflects its culture ?

Fried rice is definitely the Asian soul food and just because it’s easy to make and even something that we often have, we take it for granted. Even for me, it was my case too until one night, I was curious about sinangag and that led to the AHA moment that not all fried rice are the same.

This fried ice dish was recommended to me and made me search some recipes. From what was described to me, it has a strong yet pleasant garlicky flavor with a subtle sweetness to it. But I was curious where the sweetness comes from as they don't use sweet soy sauce but just simply garlic, onion and patis.

What do you normally add to your sinangag?

Unlike most fried rice that we probably know, this garlic fried rice is also made using fish sauce or in filipino called patis. There are also assorted things that should accompany it such as meat, dried fish, sausage and fried egg. The version I have is something that is similar and though I don’t have the original patis, I was using a local fish sauce to replace it as they also made with similar extract which is anchovies.

When I said, fried rice is a reflection of the culture, where I am from, each region has its way to make fried rice that suits the palate of its people. In central java, the fried rice is known to be sweet, then in east java, it tends to have bright fiery color with extreme spiciness. Even the ingredients that go into making it also differs.

I asked my mom, ‘ What makes Nasi Goreng a Nasi Goreng?” What makes it so special? At first, she just told me the basics of it until I dug deeper and found out it's candlenut.

In most fried rice recipes none of them use candlenut. For instance, in Thai fried rice, they also have distinct ingredients such as the usage of lemon that makes it has zesty and bright taste to it. Even the fish sauce also differs from the one here or even in the Philippines.

Indonesian fried rice on the contrary doesn’t use fish sauce and even soy sauce unless it was the modified version. While the species are more complex, they don’t rely much on fermented sauces. The fried rice is made purely based on a mixture of spices that not only creates a heavenly aroma but also unique flavors.

Then there’s cantonese style fried rice that feels like eating a tray of vegetables with rice as the side dish. The beans are also the characteristic of this particular fried rice. So, you see, fried rice alone has so many variants that we probably have never tried all of them.

Even for me, these different styles are interesting to find and the flavor profile behind each of the fried rice let me learn a lot more about what people like in each country and different palates that we have.

Now, for the egg noodles, recently there’s a new noodle joint next to my house. It’s owned by one of my neighbors who also owns the cafe I frequented. Somehow, these days egg noodles are popping out all over the city, offering different styles but not all of them can do it quite properly. As someone who swears by noodles, I have tried almost all of them but this one and I am not biased, it tastes just the way I like it, or my family likes it.

We like noodles just like the way it is cooked in a Chinese- owned restaurant. I don’t really like local noodles and I much prefer to find one that is actually chinese owned because they just taste different. They have this rich savory flavor to it that makes you crave more and feels like a treat.

Their broth is light yet so rich and it’s not heavy on the toppings. It’s why I love them and no matter where I go, I always try to find one that actually has noodles and mostly, in a rundown looking shop that feels like it was passed down by generation by its owner. They are not necessarily the friendliest people you know but their food is one of a kind.

This one noodle tastes just like that. At first, I didn’t have high expectations but after trying the soup, I was like, “ they make it just right”. In my opinion, to evaluate a noodle joint you have to check their broth. If it doesn’t taste good, the noodles will be mediocre. The broth is what makes and breaks a noodle shop.

Since I was with my mom, our table felt so full even if it’s just a few menus. Their dimsum costs $0,18 and their noodle is also less than $1 which makes it so affordable in comparison to many competitors in the city. Even my friend also considers the price is affordable and they would want to try it. The noodle shop is only open for a week but I always see it buzzing with customers. I mean, no wonder that it does because it’s just that good.

As much as I want to go back there, I am currently on a no flour days and it’s hard not to crave it as it is literally next door 😂. But I guess with a lot of willpower and determination, once it all ends, I can see it as a treat.