Chinese Fried Rice — Chow Fan (Chaufa)

Classic Peruvian-Chinese chow fan (chaufa) made with colander-cooked rice, shrimp, chicken thigh, English ham, egg, green onion, bell pepper, and soy sauce. Victor Heredia's standardized recipe with exact weights, served as a side for roasted chicken.

20m Prep

20m Cook

40m Total

5 Servings

chow-fan chaufa fried-rice chinese-peruvian chifa arroz-colado shrimp chicken street-food master-cook

Ingredients

Finishing

sesame oil (optional, for finishing) opcional

Liquid

chicken bone broth (made from reserved chicken bones simmered 20 min with a piece of beef) opcional

Oil & Aromatics

90 ml vegetable oil
10 g garlic (finely minced)
2 g fresh ginger (kion) (grated or very finely minced)

Proteins

275 g chicken thigh / encounter cut (skin removed, bone removed, cut into cubes, seasoned with 2 g salt)
shrimp / langostinos (peeled and deveined) (deveined using a spoon technique, cut into pieces) opcional
English ham (jamón inglés / jamón de York) (cut into pieces) opcional
5 pieces eggs (beaten)

Rice

500 g aged long-grain rice (indica, transparent, basmati or jasmine ideal) (washed once gently, cooked by colander method in boiling water, drained and dried on low heat)

Seasoning

2 tsp salt
sugar (slightly less than 1 tsp — for the sweet-savory balance of chifa)
dark soy sauce (sillao) (added along the edges of the pan, not directly on center) opcional

Vegetables

red bell pepper (pimentón) (seeds removed, diced) opcional
green onion / Chinese onion (cebollita china) (sliced, mostly green part — added at the very end)

Steps

1

Cook the rice using the colander (arroz colado) method: bring 2.5 liters of water to a rolling boil. Wash the rice once, gently rubbing the grains. Add rice to the boiling water and stir immediately to prevent sticking. Cook until a grain crushes completely between your fingers with no hard core. Drain, discard the water (this removes over 80% of arsenic and excess starch), and return rice to the pot on the lowest heat possible. Stir with a fork or large carving fork every 2 minutes until fully dry and fluffy — about 6 minutes.

Consejo: Use aged (añejo) or parboiled rice — it releases less starch and produces better separated grains for stir-frying.

~15 min
2

Make the bone broth: simmer the reserved chicken bones with a small piece of beef in water for 20 minutes. Reserve this broth to moisten the chow fan.

Consejo: The magic of Chinese cooking is mixing air (egg), sea (shrimp), and land (pork/chicken) flavors together.

~20 min
3

Prepare the aromatics: finely mince 10 g garlic and grate 2 g ginger (kion). Season the diced chicken with 2 g salt.

~5 min
4

Heat 90 ml oil in a pan or wok over low heat from cold. Add garlic and ginger. As soon as they start to color, add the diced chicken. Fry until cooked through.

Consejo: Starting aromatics in cold oil slowly draws out their fragrance without burning.

~6 min
5

Beat 5 eggs and add them to the pan with the chicken. Before the eggs are fully set, add the cooked rice. Place the shrimp in the center of the rice — they cook almost instantly with the steam.

Consejo: Adding the rice before the eggs fully set allows the egg to coat each grain.

~3 min
6

Add the diced bell pepper and ham pieces. Stir-fry on high heat, keeping the rice moving. Season with 2 tsp salt and a small pinch of sugar (less than 1 tsp). The goal is to fry the rice — listen for the sizzling sound.

Consejo: CRITICAL: Never let the flame enter the wok — that would make chaufa (smoky), not chow fan.

~4 min
7

Add a small splash of soy sauce (sillao) by pouring it along the edges of the pan so it heats before reaching the rice. Add a splash of bone broth around the edges as well.

Consejo: Pouring liquids along the edges allows them to caramelize slightly before hitting the rice, adding depth.

~1 min
8

Turn off the heat. Add the sliced green onion (cebollita china) and toss briefly. Optionally finish with a few drops of sesame oil. Serve immediately.

Consejo: Green onion always goes in last — it wilts quickly and loses its freshness if overcooked.

~1 min

Nutrition (por porción)

420

Calorías

22g

Proteína

52g

Carbohidratos

14g

Grasa

Fibra

Cultural Context

Chow fan (also called chaufa in Peru) is the Peruvian-Chinese (chifa) version of fried rice, deeply embedded in Peruvian food culture thanks to 19th-century Chinese immigration. Victor Heredia teaches the distinction: chow fan is the Chinese restaurant version (no flame enters the wok), while chaufa refers more broadly to the Peruvian-adapted style. The essential components are rice and egg — proteins and vegetables are optional additions. Heredia also demonstrates the Peruvian 'arroz colado' technique: boiling rice in abundant water and draining it, which eliminates over 80% of arsenic and removes excess starch for fluffy, separated grains.