Fried Rice

Cooked rice, gently fried - whether the recipe is Chinese, Provençal or just plain home-inspired - can turn left-overs (cooked chicken, pork, shrimp or prawns, even vegetables) into a gourmet-style dish. Fried rice is not just one dish, it is a whole series of mouth-watering additions to your culinary repertoire, consisting first, of course, of rice, but with such delightful additions that the possibilities of variation are infinite. You must have perfectly boiled rice to start with; each grain dry, fluffy and distinct before you start. Then it is necessary only to pour a thin layer of corn or olive oil into your frying pan, add the rice, and stir over a high heat until it is golden. The possible additives are limitless; I know of one Chinese recipe which combines diced duck, chicken, Chinese sausage, fried egg, soy sauce, ham, shrimp and lobster. The recipes are not quite so complicated.