“A lot of families have a signature fried rice recipe, but in my house, we have two — one for each of my parents,” writes Jimmy Ly in his cookbook Madame Vo: Vietnamese Home Cooking from the New York Restaurant that he authored alongside his wife, Yen Vo.
“My mom…wanted to make her own fried rice recipe. She noticed that I loved the tomato-seasoned rice at Vietnamese restaurants, so she created a fried version that offered the same flavor — seasoned with salt, salted butter, and tomato paste.”
And, thanks to Ly’s cookbook, you won’t have to eat out to enjoy this uniquely savory flavor combination. In fact, you likely have most of the ingredients on hand. Chicken breast or thigh, shrimp, garlic, shallots, green onions, and cilantro are so widely available that you can pick them up next time you visit the market. And considering that fried rice is a weeknight-ready dish, you won’t have to spend hours at the stove just to venture outside of your comfort zone. Pro-tip: If this dish ignites a passion for homemade Vietnamese food, Ly filled us in on some tips and tricks for cooking up the cuisine.
Mama Ly’s Fried Rice Recipe (Cơm Chiên Mama Ly)
Serves: 6 to 8
Ingredients
- 1⁄3 cup (75 ml) tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1⁄2 cup (70 g) chopped boneless chicken breast or thigh
- 1⁄2 cup (65 g) peeled and chopped colossal shrimp (31 to 40)
- 1⁄4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil, for frying
- 1⁄2 cup (120 g) minced garlic
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 1⁄2 (16-ounce/455-g) bag frozen peas and carrots
- 6 cups (775 g) white jasmine rice, cooked, cooled, and refrigerated overnight
- 1⁄4 cup (50 g) sugar
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon monosodium glutamate (MSG)
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1⁄4 bunch cilantro, leaves and stems chopped
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk the tomato paste with 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) water and set aside.
- In a medium frying pan over high heat, add the salted butter and lower the heat to medium, to avoid burning the butter. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally for even cooking. Then add the shrimp and cook for an additional 3 minutes, stirring to combine, until the chicken is cooked through and the shrimp has turned slightly pink and white. Set the butter-coated chicken and shrimp aside.
- Lightly clean the frying pan by wiping with a clean paper towel or damp kitchen towel and return the pan to high heat. Add the oil and allow to heat for 30 seconds, then add the garlic and shallots. Cook until aromatic, about 45 seconds. Then add the peas and carrots and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat evenly.
- Add the tomato paste and water mixture, stirring until the rice takes on an even, light red-orange color. Add the chicken and shrimp, sugar, salt, and pepper to taste, and MSG. Stir to evenly combine and cook for about 5 minutes, until the fried rice mixture is slightly browned yet still retains some of the orange color from the tomato paste. Top with the green onions and cilantro and serve.
Reprinted from Madame Vo: Vietnamese Home Cooking from the New York Restaurant by Jimmy Ly and Yen Vo. Photographs © 2024 by Andrew Bui. Published by Abrams.
