Tim Chin is a professional cook and writer who has contributed to Serious Eats and America’s Test Kitchen. A graduate of The International Culinary Center, Tim has cooked at restaurants in New York and Boston, working at Rouge Tomate, Northern Spy, and BiSq.

Tim Chin

Yangzhou fried rice is widely considered one of China’s most iconic dishes, and its preparation separates mediocre wok cooks from the all-time greats. <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/recipes/egg-fried-rice">Egg fried rice</a> may be the purest expression of foundational wok technique, but Yangzhou fried rice is the final boss. On paper, it’s simple: rice, egg, shrimp, <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/recipes/classic-char-siu">char siu</a>, vegetables, and seasoning. But in practice, it demands mastery of nearly every <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/guides-tools/fried-rice-guide">fried rice skill</a>. The rice must stay dry and fluffy, each grain distinct; the proteins must remain tender; the vegetables must retain their texture; every ingredient must be evenly distributed throughout the dish. And despite all the other things going on, the rice itself needs to be the star, standing front and center, imbued with the <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/guides-tools/science-of-wok-hei">inimitable smoky and singed aroma of wok hei</a>.

Yangzhou Fried Rice