The thing about cooking fried rice is that you need to wait overnight for the rice to dry out before stir frying. Otherwise, the grains will just stick together.
But when cooking adlay (Job’s Tears) a la Chinese-style fried rice, no waiting is required. Spread the newly cooked rice on a tray, just wait for it to cool to room temperature then throw it into a wok and stir fry.
Adlay / adlai (Job’s tears)
Adlay or adlai (Job’s tears) is a grain that looks like cracked rice. It is cooked like rice (by water absorption) but the cooked texture and mouthfeel resembles pasta cooked al dente.
But how is that possible? Isn’t adlai creamier than most rice varieties? It is creamier than long grain rice, yes. But, for some reason, adlai grains don’t behave the way rice grains do. They have characteristics like pasta—even while hot, it is easy to separate the grains.
To make this fried adlai a la yang chow fried rice, I cooked the adlai, spread it on a baking sheet and, while it cooled, I prepped the vegetables and the rest of the ingredients. By the time I was done, the adlai had cooled and I just threw it into the wok with the veggies and meats.
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 cups adlay / adlai (Job's tears) cooked per package directions (measure after cooking)
- 1 small carrot
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 shallot or small onion
- 100 to 150 grams pork belly thinly sliced
- 1 to 2 Chinese sausages
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- salt
- pepper
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 to 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 to 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 eggs beaten
- generous drizzle sesame seed oil
Instructions
- Spread the hot adlai on a tray or baking sheet to cool.
- Peel and chop the carrot.
- Remove the seeds and white pith of the bell pepper, then chop.
- Peel and chop the shallot or onion.
- Cut the pork belly slices into strips about half an inch wide.
- Thinly slice the Chinese sausages.
- Heat the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan.
- Throw the pork belly strips into the hot oil. Season with salt and pepper. Stir fry for about five minutes or until cooked through and lightly browned.
- Add the chopped carrot, bell pepper and shallot (or onion) to the pork. Season with more salt and pepper. Stir fry for a minute or two.
- Add the sliced Chinese sausages to the pork and vegetables in the wok. Stir fry for half a minute.
- Take the cooled adlai and dump into the wok. Pour in the soy sauce, oyster sauce and hoisin sauce. Stir fry until the adlai is heated through. Taste and add more salt and pepper, as needed.
- Make a well in the center of the wok and pour in the beaten eggs. When the eggs start to set along the edges, stir them into the adlai using a slow circular motion so that you gather more adlai with every circle you make.
- Off the heat, drizzle in the sesame seed oil and stir to blend.
- Serve your stir fried adlay (Job's tears) a la yang chow immediately.
