December 17, 2022

This Arroz Chaufa Will be a Pleasure to Make At Home

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We are very excited to present here this classic and delicious Chinese-Peruvian dish called arroz chaufa. It is a simple but flavorful dish that combines traditional Chinese flavors with Peruvian ingredients. The dish does not require too many ingredients, only white rice, some vegetables and eggs. And, of course, a handful of typical Peruvian spices.

This rice-based dish is actually quite straightforward to prepare, so you don’t need to be an experienced chef to make it at home. You can even invite your kids to help you in the process, and it’s sure to be fun for them.

This arroz chaufa will be a pleasure to make and an even bigger pleasure to eat. The combination of flavors from the Chinese and Peruvian ingredients will make this dish truly unique and delicious, and you can enjoy it as a main course or as a side dish with fish or beef.

What is arroz chaufa

Arroz chaufa is a popular Chinese-Peruvian dish made of white rice, vegetables, eggs, and various spices. Its name was taken from the Chinese term Cháau Faahn, literally “fried rice” in Cantonese.

This dish is a classic fusion of flavors that form part of the chifa gastronomy. Chifa involves all the gastronomy legacy the Chinese immigrants took to that South American country by the end of the 18th Century and was adopted by Peruvians. In fact, the locals have been able to give their particular flavor to the original Chinese recipes over the years, so that today it can be said that chaufa rice is a genuinely Peruvian dish with Chinese ancestors.

As you may already have guessed, arroz chaufa is not much more complicated to prepare than any Chinese-style stir-fried rice. So, it’s time to try this classic Chinese-Peruvian dish and enjoy its unique flavors -a good first step into Latin American cuisine!

An authentic Peruvian Arroz chaufa recipe

The first step to making this dish is to cook the rice. This can be done the usual way in a pot on the stove or using a rice cooker. Whichever method you use, try to cook it al dente, so that the rice does not lose that particular texture it has.

As for many Asian style preparations, Basmati or Jasmine rice are the best options. However, you can use any type of long-grain white rice.

Ingredients needed (4 servings)

2 cups of uncooked white rice (Basmati or Jasmine will be fine).
1 chicken breast, diced.
4 eggs.
1 cup of spring onions, chopped.
2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger.
2 teaspoons of freshly chopped garlic
½ cup of red bell pepper, coarsely chopped.
½ cup of soy sauce.
¼ cup of sesame oil.
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (soybean or corn oil will be ok, it’s just for frying)
A pinch of salt.

Step by step preparation

Whisk the 4 eggs (with a pinch of salt and pepper) and make a simple omelet in the frying pan.
Cut the omelet in small pieces and set aside.
Cook the white rice in a pot on the stove or in a rice cooker.
Chop the chicken breast in medium-sized dice.
In a large frying pan (or a wok), stir-fry the chicken adding 1 tbsp of grated ginger.
Once the chicken turns slightly golden, add the chopped vegetables, the omelet pieces and the other tablespoon of grated ginger.
Now it’s time to add the cooked rice, the sesame oil and the soy sauce. Stir-fry over high heat until all ingredients are mixed through the rice evenly. This will take no longer than 5 minutes.
Serve the arroz chaufa and enjoy.

Final recommendations

As for many preparations that use cooked rice as the main ingredient, it is best to have it cooked for at least 6 to 12 hours beforehand. Cold rice grains are less likely to aggregate and will have a much better texture on the palate.
Ingredients for a genuine arroz chaufa include Peruvian yellow pepper as the ideal choice. However, habanero or jalapeño pepper will be right as well.
There’s a Peruvian typical strong red bell pepper called rocoto that some cooks use to include in small quantities to boost the spiciness. If you decide to try it, do it carefully, since rocoto is way hotter than jalapeño.
In some regions of Peru, people use to include sausages or chorizo to the preparation, replacing -or even combining them to- the chicken breast, as they add a more pleasant texture and flavor.
The tender part of the leaves of the spring onions – finely chopped – can be used to sprinkle over the dish served as a touch of green.