Skip pre-cooked ingredients for flavorful fried rice

In theory, fried rice is a great dish for home cooks. You take leftover rice, leftover meat, fish or poultry (or some tofu), scallions and soy sauce, and you've got yourself a low-cost, low-effort, filling and delicious meal. The "delicious" part, however, is where many recipes fall flat.

The problem for the home cook is getting the right texture - not too oily, not too dry - as well as some crunch and vibrant flavor. Homemade fried rice often lacks depth. It tastes like soy-sauce-drenched rice, with some limp veggies and overcooked meat thrown in. It becomes a kind of kitchen-sink dish, especially for those of us who are not students of Chinese recipes and technique.

Fried rice in the United States is often associated with Cantonese cooking, but according to "The Food of China" (Whitecap Books, 2001), it comes from Yangzhou, a city on the Yangtze River in eastern China where none other than Marco Polo once served as a public administrator.

In China, it is often served as the second-to-last dish in a traditional banquet (which may include 40 dishes, each served as a separate course), just before dessert. In Chinese restaurants in the United States, however, diners tend to eat it simultaneously with other dishes (often in place of white rice), which is considered to be a Western custom.

Recently, by chance, my husband - who is a student of Chinese recipes and technique - found the recipe here at kitchendaily.com. It's from chef and cookbook author Curtis Stone. This recipe was great right from the get-go, but with a few tweaks (hot pepper, cilantro, more fish sauce), it has become one of our favorite dishes. Serve it for lunch, or as part of dinner with some grilled fish, poultry or tofu.

FINALLY! GREAT FRIED RICE

1-2⁄3 cups uncooked white or brown rice, or 5 cups leftover cooked rice

1⁄2 cup unsalted cashews, coarsely chopped

4 large eggs

5 tablespoons canola oil

1⁄4 to 1⁄2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

18 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 small carrots, peeled and finely diced

3 scallions, white parts thinly sliced and green parts cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces

1⁄4 cup soy sauce

2 to 3 teaspoons fish sauce (sold in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets as nam pla or nuoc nam)

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (sold in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets)

3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

If making rice from scratch, cook according to package directions with water and 1⁄4 teaspoon of salt. Transfer it to a jellyroll pan or other large baking sheet with sides, spread it out, and allow to cool. If using leftover rice, spread it out on a baking pan as well. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, preferably overnight. Remove from the refrigerator at least an hour before cooking and allow to come to room temperature. According to "The Food of China," this step is key to non-lumpy fried rice.

Center a rack in the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the nuts in a single layer on a pan or in a skillet, and toast until golden and fragrant. Start checking at five minutes. When done, remove from pan and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs well with a fork.

Heat a large wok over medium-high heat until the first wisp of white smoke comes off the wok. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil, and tilt the wok to coat. Add the eggs, and quickly stir until just cooked, about 30 seconds. Remove the eggs from the wok, and set aside on a plate.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in the wok over medium-high heat. Add the red-pepper flakes, and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until pink and almost cooked through, about one minute. Add the carrots, and stir-fry for one minute. Stir in the white parts of the green onions. Add the rice, and stir-fry for two minutes or until heated through.

Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil, and continue to stir-fry for one minute. Stir in the eggs and cashews.

Transfer the rice to a bowl, sprinkle with the green parts of the green onions and cilantro, and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

Marialisa Calta is the author of "Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family" (Perigee, 2005). For more information, go to www.marialisacalta.com.