All language subtitles for Ready.Jet.Cook.S03E01.Takeout.at.Home.WEB.x264-NGP-CEsubs

What is going on, guys? Jet Peely here,
and this is Ready Jet Cook, where I

break down the basics of Asian cuisine
and share some tips and tricks for

my favorite dishes.

Today, we're tackling Yang Chao fried
rice and Kung Pao chicken, two dishes

have traveled all the way from China to
find their home in American takeout

menus. And I'm going to show you just
how easy they are to make in your own

kitchen.

You probably have most of the items you
need in your pantry to make Yang Chao

fried rice, starting with the star of
the show, Jasmine Rice.

This isn't just any rice. This is known
to be the king of rice. Jasmine Rice is

unique because it's simultaneously long
grain, fragrant, and super fluffy.

So Yang Chao fried rice is fancy fried
rice, meaning it's got a lot of amazing

stuff in it, mainly shrimp and barbecue
pork.

We've got our barbecue pork back in the
kitchen, but we need to talk about

shrimp. Although you see the shrimp
fresh and glistening, it's actually been

previously frozen. And that's okay
because it's been IQF, individually

frozen, either at sea or at the
processor. Let me clarify shrimp sizing.

market or the butcher or the fishmonger,
we size them by how many in a pound. So

21, 25.

is a larger shrimp because there's 20 in
a pound.

41 .50 is a small shrimp because there's
41 .50 per pound. If you go to your

butcher or fishmonger and say, I want a
medium shrimp, they're probably going to

give you like a 21 .25, pretty common
size. These shrimp are 21 .25, 26 .30.

So they might appear big, but once you
peel them, devein them, and cook them,

they're going to shrink a little bit. So
buy a little bigger than you think you

want. 21 .25, 26 .30.

Perfect for Yang Chao fried rice. With
shrimp in hand, looks like we got

everything else. Let's go check out.

Fried rice is really deceptive because
just about any fried rice is delicious

and you want to eat it. But there are
some tips and techniques that can make

fried rice, you know, good to amazing.

And I want to show you all of those
secrets.

So let's start prepping here. I like to
take the ends off of the scallions

first. I flip them all over at the same
time, line them up, and then I take the

tip off so they're even. And now I like
to separate the white from the green.

And instead of like cutting these
perpendicular rounds, fine, right?

Why don't I just show you the nicer way
that doesn't take any more effort? So

instead of a 90 degree, why don't we go
45 degree?

And then a nice consistent 45 degree
slice.

all the way down the scallion. And this
is called a bias slice. Takes no more

effort, looks super cool.

And ready jet cook OGs know that this is
the only way I slice scallions.

Scallions look gorgeous.

Let's talk about one of my favorite
proteins on earth, char siu, southern

Chinese barbecue pork. It is a thing of
magic. It is a pork shoulder lacquered

in five spice and soy sauce and honey.
It is perfect.

So you can kind of find it hanging in
barbecue shops at your favorite

restaurants. This is the protein you
want to use for, like, the best Yang

fried rice.

Since we're cutting char siu for fried
rice, we're going to cut it small.

So I'm going to cut this in half first.

Remember, what's the Jatila rhyme, OGs?

Tile becomes a slice, slice becomes a
dice. So I'm going to cut char siu tiles

first, and then we're going to take
these slices.

We're going to cut them perpendicular.

and then cut them into dice.

One of the key things is you gotta make
the rice a day ahead or early enough so

it's cold before you make the actual
fried rice. I got two cups of rice, two

cups of water, and I'm gonna give that a
stir.

What I wanna do is I wanna saturate all
the rice grains so I don't have any

clumps that are gonna stick together. If
you're doing table rice, to eat with

other entrees, that's when you bring the
finger technique in. If you place the

index finger onto the rice, you bring
the water line to that first crease in

your index finger. Because you're making
fried rice, I want a drier rice that

absorbs all those flavors.

I'm at max heat.

The water's gonna come to a boil.

I'm gonna reduce to a simmer.

Simmer 20, turn it off.

Rest 20. It must be covered. You cannot
cook jasmine rice uncovered.

Some saucepan lids have the vent hole. I
don't love that for making rice. I like

a nice tight -fitting lid because it
actually creates pressure and limits

evaporation in the water. Just make sure
the water's at a simmer when you're

cooking your rice, and you'll have that
perfect amount of water to rice without

too much evaporation.

Okay, so my rice is cooked for 20.

rested for 20, and now I'm going to
fluff it up. Your bottom line is don't

the rice grains. That's all I'm asking
you to do when you're fluffing. So I

to take either wood or silicone and just
kind of start loosening up those bits

of rice.

Don't go right to the middle and start
smashing up the rice grains. So breaking

up larger bits and then smaller bits of
rice, and that's it.

You want to make sure each grain of rice
It's just loosened up from the larger

bits. And now you're ready to transfer
it to further cool it.

And that's perfect. And what are you
looking for in case you don't really

rice a lot?

Every rice grain is identifiable.

They're not swollen, which means there
was too much water.

And they're not opaque, which means
there wasn't enough water. But if I can

identify every rice grain, I've done my
job. And tasting -wise...

You don't want it too soft. You don't
want it too firm.

This is perfect rice.

So we want to cool this rice now. We're
making sure the grains are nice, whole,

and cold. So they'll heat up gently in
the fried rice. So by the time you're

eating that lovely plate of fried rice,
it's like this fresh cooked rice.

My favorite technique is just to use a
quarter sheet pan or a half sheet pan if

it's a lot of rice.

And you're allowing all those warm bits
of rice.

Now that they're fluffed and opened up,
just to cool down naturally and stay in

that whole grain.

If I made fried rice with hot rice, it
would basically just turn to mush.

So I've transferred the rice into a
quarter sheet pan, covered it with

We're going to put it in the fridge to
further cool it down.

So I went ahead and made some rice ahead
of time, so it's perfectly cold for

fried rice. I know cooking in a wok
looks really romantic, but all you need

something decently wide, some high
sides.

and you're good to go. So cook your food
in a skillet. All right, so I'm going

to start with some neutral oil.

Canola, peanut, vegetable, avocado. You
can get as fancy as you want or not

fancy.

So our char siu, which is already
cooked, so I'm just warming it through.

I'm using frozen peas and carrots
because it's what we're kind of used to

Chinese -American restaurant experience.

But use any vegetable that's in your
fridge.

I'm letting the pork warm up because the
shrimp cooks really, really quickly.

Next, shrimp, big or small is up to you.

Now, eggs. I'm whisking three whole eggs
here.

All right, this is going to happen fast
because I cook a style of fried rice.

called gold -covered silver, which just
means I like the egg really wet because

it coats the rice and makes it nice and
fluffy. So this is my style.

I put the rice immediately into that
egg.

So smash the rice right into the egg.

Gentle flip so the egg comes over the
top.

The egg actually envelops the rice,
coats it completely, and creates like a

nonstick surface. It's a pretty cool
tip.

And this way the egg stays nice and
golden versus cooking all the moisture

of it and it drying out.

Once we're mostly mixed together and you
get those gold flakes and those Chinese

barbecue bits, the colors coming
together, I'm going to start seasoning

Very simple seasoning. The majority of
your salt and umami is going to come

chicken powder.

And I don't like a soy saucy fried rice.
I like a light golden fried rice.

So I'm going to use oyster sauce and soy
sauce very, very lightly.

So just a little bit to add a little
more punch.

I'm actually going to show you a
technique where I deglaze with it and

right in.

So around the edges, you can hear that
sizzle.

And if you notice, I'm being really
delicate using silicone so I don't break

those grains.

That's looking phenomenal.

And this is the time I like to take my
first taste before I actually put the

scallions in because I don't want to
overcook those scallions.

Nice.

Umami. The fragrance of that soy sauce
comes through.

I'm pretty good. Add some scallions.

Imagine making this for your friends and
loved ones.

That's why I think Yang Chao fried rice
is like the king of fried rice because

everything's in there. I mean, check out
my one pan feast here. I love it so

much. So in terms of plating, my only
tip for you is leave all the delicious

bits for the top. So I'm purposely just
getting kind of the rice first and

laying it down as the base. I'm leaving
all the big shrimp in the pan for the

last final scoops.

And that way, when you take this to the
table, your guests see just like

mountains of shrimp, and they get super,
super happy.

The way I like to finish fried rice is
very simply.

The greens of the scallions on top,
because I think they're a little lighter

taste than the whites.

Don't forget a little bit of white
pepper. It's going to add just that

spicy touch to make it perfect. All
that's left to do is taste this amazing

dish.

That's it right there. Sorry making you
jealous, but I'm just doing my job

That rice is light and fluffy the pork
and

shrimp are juicy and tender and I'm
getting every bit of that savory egg

goodness This is truly one of those kind
of rock star dishes, and it all fits in

one plate.

Yang chow fried rice is fantastic on its
own, but I'm going to round out this

takeout feast by making some Kung Pao
chicken to go along with it. Don't go

anywhere. Kung Pao chicken was my
grandma's go -to dish anytime she didn't

a meal planned, but we never complained
because it was so delicious.

It's also a dish I made for Ali really
early on.

when we were dating, so it holds a
special place in my heart. Kung Pao

from the Sichuan area of China, which is
known for two things, chilies and

vinegar. And speaking of vinegar, Kung
Pao uses black vinegar, which is very

unique because it's made from rice.

It's fermented in clay pots from
anywhere from six months to many, many

So it has that cool, funky, unique
flavor, and it's great for dipping

So I've got my vinegar. We really need
to talk about chili garlic sauce.

So, Chinese chili garlic sauce is pretty
unique.

I know sambal and sriracha have been
pretty popular over the years, but in my

opinion, chili garlic sauce from China
is its own thing because it's got a ton

of flavor, it's got a good amount of
heat and garlic, and it's not overly

vinegar like those other sauces can be.
I've got a ton more ingredients I need

to get. I will catch you back in the
kitchen for the cook.

So let's do a quick Kung Pao crash
course. It's a stir -fried dish, so it

basically comes down to a combination of
protein, vegetables, aromatics, all

cooked together really quickly in a wok.
It's simple, it's quick, but yields

incredible flavor.

I'm using...

boneless chicken thighs. So these are
skin and boned already, but there are

times there's a little bit of fat on
here. It's up to you whether to leave

I trim out like the bigger pieces of
fat, but if you have smaller pieces, I

leave them on there. I think they're
extra flavor. So once you have the

thigh trimmed out like this, I cut it in
half first to leave two long lengths.

And then I put them together and cut
kind of one inch blocks out of them.

Because it's a thigh, you're not going
to get perfect one -inch cubes. Like,

don't stress.

As long as they're reasonably the same
size, you're going to be fine.

So this is Kung Pao chicken, but you
pick the protein.

If you like pork, use pork. If you like
fish, use fish. If you want tofu,

delicious. I'm going to teach you how to
velvet this chicken, which is the

secret to getting that ultra -tender,
juicy nugget. So the two powders here,

baking soda.

This is cornstarch. Just a little bit of
water.

A little bit of oil. The oil actually
kind of pre -lubricates the chicken for

the pan so it doesn't stick.

I'm going to put a little bit of soy
sauce in here.

This is going to help flavor the
chicken. It's going to help tenderize

chicken. I'm going to let this marinate
for about 10 to 15 minutes. It's time to

get saucy. So it's time to build the
Kung Pao sauce. Let's start with a

oyster sauce.

And this is black vinegar. I'm using
Chinese chili garlic sauce to get deep

umami flavors. You guys know my secret.
Chicken power.

It's very important that you use a
Chinese chicken powder, not a...

American or Latin bullion because these
are formulated very specifically to have

that Chinese taste to it. And in the
world of Chinese cuisine, there's a

types of soy sauces.

This is dark soy, which means it's
brewed and reduced more.

It's gonna have a deep kind of color and
a rich flavor that is slightly sweet.

The star of Sichuan cuisine is this
right here.

Sichuan peppercorn. It is...

Truly unique in the food world, it is
simultaneously sour like citric acid,

spicy, and very floral.

And the effect of this on the palate,
it's actually quite numbing. Buy it

and you have to ground it yourself, or
you can actually just buy the powder.

Either one is fine, but use it sparingly
because it actually will numb people's

tongues.

Kind of great for a prank as well, but
you didn't hear it from me. Although

sauce is pretty thick, I need to dilute
this and still kind of make a glaze.

So the way to do it is to make a slurry.
I have cornstarch in here, and I'm

adding water.

I'm going to stir this up to make a
slurry.

Don't dump the cornstarch right into the
sauce because it'll just clump up. The

best way to work it in is to dilute it
with water, then put it in, just like

this. And you've just made...

Kung Pao sauce.

If you find yourself falling in love
with a recipe and making it a ton, make

this recipe times four, times five, put
it in a squeeze bottle, put it in the

fridge, and you've got Kung Pao sauce at
your disposal.

It's almost time to rock the wok, so
don't go anywhere.

All right, team, I've got my chicken
marinating and my sauce is ready. It's

to move on to the vegetable prep. So for
ginger, I peel it.

Ginger and garlic are foundational
aromatics when it comes to Chinese food.

goes into everything.

It pairs really, really well with that
kind of guac hay or breath of the guac.

Garlic, don't overthink it. Just smash
it and mince it.

Half cup of each bell pepper. Tile
becomes a slice. A slice becomes a dice.

I like using red and green for the color
variants, but they do taste quite

different. The green is going to be a
little more grassy. The red's going to

a little more sweet.

So it's really up to you. I'm keeping
them in the large dice this time to

with the chicken.

All right, onion.

Tip, root, discard, half, peel.

Dice everything today.

Next, I'm going to cut my scallions. I
want the white to be diced, matching

those vegetables.

I'm going to take the greens now and
bias slice them for garnish.

And just like that, it's time to head to
the wok. I'm preheating the wok at

least two minutes on a home stove to get
it screaming hot.

Neutral high temperature oil going in
until you see white smoke, which is

now.

Ginger, garlic.

And it's all about order of operation.

Whatever takes longer to cook is going
to go in sooner. And in this case, it's

going to be the chicken.

We'll start moving the items around.

Make sure to scrape as you go. Anything
that starts to stick, the sooner you get

it, the sooner you convert it into
deliciousness. Because if you don't get

you're going to convert it into burn.

Chilies are going in.

Warn everyone in the house that chili
vapors are going to happen soon. Because

of the shape of the wok, anything you
toss comes right to the middle.

I'm going to put peanuts now.

And every time I add something, I want
to toss.

Because I want all these ingredients to
come into contact with that hot wok.

Yeah, Martin Yan used to joke, it's stir
fry, not...

Stare fry, meaning like just stop
standing there, move things around and

them down.

So it's veggie time.

And remember, we cut all these
vegetables about the same size, so

to cook at the same rate. That's why
they can go in together.

And I'm always listening for the sear.
As long as the wok is streaming, that

means you're at a good heat. If it
starts to kind of quiet down, don't put

anything in there. Let it come back up
to temp and then keep moving.

And people are like, yo, how do you toss
food in the wok? It's pretty easy once

you kind of understand it. Let me kind
of give you the mechanics.

Trying to get the food to the far side,
flip and bring it back. And what's going

to help you is using this shovel, right?
So we're going to kind of center all

the food.

I'm going to position the shovel to push
it forward.

And then Simon says you flip and pull
back towards me. And that's how you get

nice wok toss by using the shovel.

So remember, there is cornstarch in
here. So give this sauce a stir before

add it to the pan.

Cornstarch starts to thicken or quote
-unquote activate.

Work the sauce in. Let it start to come
to a boil.

And as it comes to a boil, it's going to
thicken up nicely.

I love to give you the visual cues
before plating. So has the sauce

into a glaze?

Check. Chicken cooked through? Veggies
cooked through? Check.

it's time to garnish and turn off the
heat all right the tops and these are

those via sliced green tops and this is
ready to go to the plate

i

mean this dish packs a punch You get
that numbing spice from the Szechuan

peppercorn, the notes of sweet and sour
from the chicken and the sauce, and the

crunch of the vegetables. This really is
an irresistible classic.

Kung Pao fried rice.

The punch of this Kung Pao chicken pairs
perfectly with the more mellow and

almost sweet notes of the fried rice and
shrimp.

this is an irresistible pair this dish
has been a staple in my house and

hopefully it will become one in yours so
there you have it two titans of chinese

takeout now it's your turn to cook this
dish in your kitchen and i'll see you

next time on ready jet cook