Fujian/Fuzhou Fried Rice with Shrimp & Scallop Gravy (Fujian Chao Fan)

Fried rice with seafood gravy? NO!!! I MEAN, YES!!!! OMG!!!!! The first time I tried this dish was at Happy Harbor Restaurant in Rowland Heights at our company's Chinese New Year celebration earlier this year (thanks boss man, Paul!). Some call it "Fuzhou" fried rice, others "Fujian" fried rice. I wanted so badly to replicate this dish at home, but since recipes were hard to come by, here's my version: a light Jasmine fried rice with scrambled eggs, scallions, garlic, salt & pepper, topped with an oyster sauce based gravy with shrimp, scallops, crimini mushrooms, and diced asparagus. Doesn't get better than that. The addition of dried scallops would make this dish even mo umami betta (will try that next time).
  

INGREDIENTS:

SEAFOOD: 1 lb. medium shrimp, shelled, deveined, each cut into 2 or 3 pieces
16 oz. sea scallops, each cut into 2 or 3 pieces
4 tsp. baking soda
Cold water
4 cups ice

MARINADE:
1 tbsp. rice wine
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. sesame oil

FRIED RICE:
Jasmine rice (cook 4 cups raw rice with 6 cups water in rice cooker - remove and let cool to room temperature or refrigerate overnight)
3 eggs, beaten
5-6 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

VEGGIES:
1 scallion, minced
16 oz. small crimini or shiitake mushrooms & stemmed, each halved or quartered
1 bunch thin asparagus, bottom 2" trimmed off

GRAVY:
4 cups chicken stock (4 cups water + 2 tbsp. chicken base)
4 tbsp. oyster sauce
2 tbsp. rice wine
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. white pepper
2 tbsp. light soy sauce

Cornstarch slurry: 4 tbsp. cornstarch + 8 tbsp. water

*******************************************************************************

DIRECTIONS:

COOK THE JASMINE RICE: cook 4 cups of raw rice with 6 cups of water in a rice cooker. When cooked, remove the rice to a large plate or baking sheet, spread out and let cool to room temperature (can be refrigerated and used the next day for this recipe). NEVER use hot steamed rice to make fried rice or you'll have a mushy mess on your hands. 

*******************************************************************************

MAKE THE SCALLOPS & SHRIMP "BOUNCY" OR CRISP-TENDER, THEN MARINATE:
Cut the shrimp & scallops into 2-3 pieces each (depending on their size). 

Place in a bowl and add 4 tsp. baking soda. Massage the shrimp gently with the baking soda until mixed through.

Pour enough cold water over the shrimp to just cover; add 4 cups of ice. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

 Drain and rinse the shrimp, removing all ice. Pat dry with paper towels.

Add the marinade ingredients; stir well to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes or up to an hour.

***********************************************************************************

MAKE THE FRIED RICE:

Add 2 tsp. oil to a large saute pan or wok. Add the beaten eggs and scramble until just done. Immediately remove to a plate and set aside.

In the same pan over medium-high heat, add 5-6 tbsp. oil. Add the minced garlic & scallions. Saute briefly, 15-20 seconds until fragrant. 

Add the cooled/cold rice and stir quickly, but gently (preferably with a wooden spoon or wooden spatula) until heated through. Add the scrambled eggs, stir, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

*****************************************************************************

COOK THE VEGGIES & SEAFOOD:

Add 1 tbsp. vegetable oil to a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the scallions for a few seconds, then add the mushrooms; cook until the mushrooms start to soften, about 3-4 minutes. 

Stir in the diced asparagus, season lightly with salt, and toss 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and pour the veggie mixture into a bowl to stop the cooking (don't want the asparagus to get too soft); set aside. 

Add 1 tbsp. vegetable oil to the same pan over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and scallops and saute until the shrimp just turn pink. Remove from heat and pour the seafood (including any juices) into the veggie mixture; set aside.

*****************************************************************************

MAKE THE GRAVY:

Combine all gravy ingredients together in a bowl or large measuring cup. 

Add to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour in all accumulated juices from the reserved seafood-veggie mixture. Stir and bring to a boil for 30 seconds to 1 minutes.

Stir in the cornstarch slurry, bring to a boil and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the sauce is nicely thickened. Turn off heat.

 Add the seafood mixture to the gravy.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from heat immediately so the shrimp and scallops don't overcook.

***********************************************************************************

 ASSEMBLE THE DISH*:
1. Plate the fried rice onto a serving platter.

2. Pour the seafood gravy mixture over the rice and serve immediately.

*If you want to serve only half or a smaller portion of the fried rice, place the remaining fried rice, gravy and seafood mix into separate containers and reheat just before serving again.