Recipe 1: Egg + Rice
The earliest historical record of egg fried rice can be found on the bamboo slips unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha, Hunan in 1972. Research has shown that this may be the ancestor of egg fried rice.
Yangzhou fried rice originated from the Cai Genxiang Restaurant on Guoqing Road in the city. It has a history of more than 100 years. Li Kuinian and Li Shaoqing are the founders of "Cai Genxiang". From the description of his descendant Li Xiulin, we understand that egg fried rice is actually a delicacy for the working people. In the past, when the rural areas were poor, they could only have porridge for three meals on weekdays, and only dry rice when the farming season was busy. Making dry rice at that time was different from what it is now: take a few spoonfuls of "Jiangtou rice" from the boiled porridge and put it in a casserole, and then simmer it into rice in the remaining fire of the pot. The rice made in this way is called "Scoop rice." When guests come to the house, due to financial constraints, the owner, who is budget-conscious and does not want to be rude, sets his sights on eggs. Beat out the "scooped rice", blow off the water vapor, fry a few eggs and rice, and then make a fairy soup, paired with side dishes made of home-made dried radish and pickles, it is a good treat.
When "Cai Genxiang" was first opened, its customers were working people such as rickshaw pullers and canal boatmen. The restaurant was positioned as a convenient fast food restaurant and operated at a low profit to facilitate the dining needs of low-income residents. According to Li Xiulin's recollection, during times of difficulty, the store often went to vegetable shops and butcher shops in the morning to borrow vegetables and meat, and then returned the money after selling them. Because of its good reputation and the support of vegetable and butcher shop owners, Caigenxiang has been supported and developed step by step.
Recipe 2: Egg + rice + shrimp, shredded pork, barbecued pork
How Yangzhou fried rice spread from Yangzhou to the outside world, I have to mention one person, he is Yi Bingshou, the prefect of Yangzhou .
Yi Bingshou, a native of Tingzhou, Fujian, was appointed the prefect of Yangzhou in the 54th year of Qianlong's reign. This person has a good political reputation. He is not only proficient in poetry and calligraphy, but also a gourmet. It is widely rumored that the "Yifu Noodles" and "Yangzhou Fried Rice" that are now popular in Guangdong and Hong Kong were invented by him; the instant noodles we eat today were developed on the basis of Yifu Noodles. Yi Bingshou is also known as one of the founders of convenience food.
Mr. Ling Yunchuo, a famous Hong Kong calligrapher, said in his book "Three Thousand Years of Chinese Calligraphy": "Jiangsu-style fried rice and scallion oil fried rice are the same, but the different Yifu chefs added icing on the cake. Add some shrimps and stir-fry with barbecued pork, so it is extremely delicious. People in South China call this "Yangzhou Fried Rice"." After Yi Bingshou resigned from office and returned to his hometown, he also brought this method back to his hometown of Fujian, and specifically mentioned it in his book "Yangzhou Fried Rice". The "Liuchun Thatched Cottage Collection" introduces the preparation method of Yangzhou fried rice. At this time, "Yangzhou fried rice" was not only Yangzhou style, but also a delicacy in Cantonese recipes. It is Yi Bingshou's innovation and dissemination that gives "Yangzhou Fried Rice" the colorful face it has today.
The chefs of Cai Genxiang Restaurant learned from the folk method of frying egg fried rice, added various ingredients to the rice, and gave it different names, and gradually came up with the single-fried "Crystal Fried Rice" , "Shrimp Fried Rice" with shrimps, "Shredded Pork Fried Rice" with shredded pork, etc. But at this time, there is often only one ingredient for fried rice.
Recipe three: eggs + rice + 8 ingredients
In the process of forming the Yangzhou fried rice recipe, we cannot forget these names: Dai Lizhi, Wang Lixi, Xie Lanfu, Ding Wanguo, etc. They are all famous Huaiyang cuisine chefs who came from Cai Genxiang. The formation of Yangzhou fried rice recipe is directly related to them. At the Jiuru branch in an alley next to National Day Road, Wang Lixi, the person in charge of the store, told reporters such a piece of history.
Around 1947, Cai Genxiang’s business was at its most prosperous, and there were more varieties of egg fried rice. Not only is it important to pour the rice or the eggs first, but it is also divided into gold-coated silver and silver-coated gold; assorted fried rice also appeared. A medium bowl of rice, topped with two or three eggs, and served with chicken soup. The price was relatively moderate, and it was an economical lunch at the time. Egg fried rice is only 30 cents, shredded pork fried rice is 50 cents, and assorted fried rice is 70 or 80 cents. The recipe for assorted fried rice at this time was basically similar to today.
According to Wang Lixi, the Yangzhou fried rice recipe was basically formed before liberation. The chef picked it up from the chopping board, added it to the rice and stir-fried it, and inadvertently created the delicacy of Yangzhou fried rice. The ingredients of the vegetable root-flavored assorted fried rice back then had its own particular points - one of the green beans used to be Shanghai Meilin green beans.
Recipe 4: Assorted Fried Rice Recipe + Qionghua
This time, the quick-frozen Yangzhou fried rice was rolled out in Shanghai. What impressed many Yangzhou people was the addition of "Qionghua petals" .
Qionghua is the city flower of Yangzhou. Adding "Qionghua petals" not only plays a seasoning role, but also adds a bit of flavor to Yangzhou fried rice.
Yangzhou cuisine is known for its exquisiteness, but Yangzhou fried rice truly belongs to the public. Yangzhou fried rice belongs to the folk, comes from the dining tables of ordinary people in Yangzhou, and comes from Yangzhou citizens’ exquisiteness and awareness of food. Its sophistication is as exquisite as the public can achieve, and it will inevitably become something that can be passed down for a long time.