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Baked Cheese Rice with Bacon 芝士焗腌肉饭

Monday, July 11, 2011 | Labels: , , |

Today's feature is my version of a classic dish in Hong Kong's famous cafes or otherwise known as 'char chan teng' (茶餐厅), these cafes that are all over the place in the territory are Hong Kong's answer to fast food restaurants and 'char chan teng' fare is usually a delicious (albeit not the healthiest) fusion of local Chinese dishes and British/ Western influences. Apart from the food, there is also a cult following for its' drinks, the most well known probably being the famed 'stocking' milk tea 絲襪奶茶 - with its' fragrant flavours and ultra smooth texture, I am also one its' biggest fans.  The menu can be rather eclectic at these little cafes - ranging from peanut butter drenched French toast to sinful deep-fried pork ribs with salad cream, or for the more health conscious, perhaps a piping hot bowl of macaroni cooked in broth may fit the bill. I still remember when I first ate in a 'typical' Hong Kong 'char chan teng' (I think it was in Kowloon when I was 13 or 14), I was immensely fascinated by the speediness of it all right from the bustling no-nonsense waiters to the focused diners who ate quickly. These cafes are definitely not ideal for a leisurely lunch but are great when one is on the move and needs a quick but fulfilling bite.

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This easy baked cheese rice I am presenting today is rather rich I must admit but I think it's fine to indulge once in a while.  Before baking the rice, I fried it with a bit of butter, bacon, garlic and green onions, as usual, you can add to or modify the ingredients used to suit your preferences.  Apart from the usual soy sauce, I also seasoned the fried rice with a bit of worcester sauce to enhance the smoky flavours from the bacon and for a little tartness.  Worcester sauce is a very underused condiment in my kitchen and I just love how it adds more pleasingly complex flavours to an otherwise simple dish.  After the rice is fried, simply spoon the rice into an oven safe dish, sprinkle some cheese on top and just bake until cheese is melted and golden.  I do hope you'll give this a try and if you get a chance and have not done so, I highly recommend for you to step into one of these cafes to sample this unique fare Hong Kong has to offer.  By the way, a lot of these cafes have opened up in other Asian countries but they differ slightly - the hustle and bustle was definitely not imported (good or bad depending on your perspective), note too that these are usually chains although not necessarily a bad thing, I still prefer their hole-in-wall counterparts.

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Ingredients:

1 cup of day-old rice (put in microwave for about 30 seconds after sprinkling with some water to make it easier to fry)
1 tbsp butter
2 stalks green onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced roughly
1/2 cup bacon, sliced
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese or another cheese of your choice

Seasoning:

2-3 tsps light soy sauce or to taste
1 tsp worcester sauce

Dash of pepper (optional)

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Method:

Pre-heat your oven to about 200 C (392 F).  Prepare an oven safe dish and lightly grease with a tiny bit of butter or oil.

Heat your wok until almost smoking.  Add the butter and turn heat to medium.  Add in the garlic as the butter is melting.  Add in the green onion slices.  Stir fry till aromatic.

Add in the bacon and fry until browned.  Add in the rice.  Stir fry around until well coated with the garlic mixture. 

Add in the soy sauce from the sides of the wok to better ensure even mixing.  Add in the worcester sauce.  Briskly fry the rice to ensure it is evenly coated.  Do a taste test and add more soy sauce if desired.  Turn heat up and fry briskly for a few seconds.  Turn off heat.  Spoon rice into your oven safe dish.

Sprinkle the cheese on top of the rice and bake for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.  Top with some freshly ground black pepper.  Serve hot.

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20 comments:

Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said...

I see you must've gotten the forks from your brother's visit =).  Looks great!  Baked rice with cheese - YUM!

Tastes of Home (Jen) said...

How observant of you Xiaolu! :D Thanks btw.

Christine@Christine's Recipes said...

I grew up with all the foods served in 'char chan teng' (茶餐厅), lol. All kinds of baked rice is on my top list. Your baked rice is much better than theirs, seriously speaking. :)

Tastes of Home (Jen) said...

thanks Christine! That means a lot esp. coming from you :D

Anncoo said...

Oh Jen, there are many HK 茶餐厅 here in Singapore and I always like to order 猪扒饭 and this baked cheese rice. Next time I can make this at home, thanks for sharing :)

Tastes of Home (Jen) said...

You're welcome Anncoo, yes there are a lot of CCT now everywhere (mostly chains), I still prefer the hole in wall ones in HK :D

Daphne said...

there is something interesting with the texture and taste with cheesy baked rice isn't it? I do like your version of it.. with the bacon! best of all, it's easy and fast. 

shaz said...

How interesting. I've never been to HK, but those cafes sound delightful. Cheesy baked rice sounds awesome :)

shaz said...

How interesting. I've never been to HK, but those cafes sound delightful. Cheesy baked rice sounds awesome :)

Tastes of Home (Jen) said...

you're right! the texture is excellent hehe

Tastes of Home (Jen) said...

there are chains in Malaysia now haha so if you come back for a holiday, you could pop into one :D

TasteHongKong said...

I believe most 茶餐廳 do not serve this dish as elegant as yours : ).

Littlecornerofmine said...

Looks great! :)

Nami @ Just One Cookbook said...

It's silly, I'm always checking your blog this time - just before going to sleep (and I've been enduring my hunger for the past at least 2 hours).  Arrrhhhh you make me so hungry.  I wish this comes out for breakfast in a few hours when I wake up. =P

Tastes of Home (Jen) said...

you're so funny Nami! haha I always get hungry at nite too when I look at blogs haa..I would so cook this for you if I could :D

Tastes of Home (Jen) said...

haha thanks! :)

Tastes of Home (Jen) said...

thanks!

Leslie said...

Oh my! That looks so good. I'm emailing the recipe to myself!

Smoky Wok (Tastes of Home) said...

Thanks Leslie! I hope you'll like it. :)

Joe said...

I lived in Bangkok for 8 years, just returning this past February. I used to eat this dish there frequently and was craving it. Whenever cooking something new I like to look at a recipe (or two) as a starting point. When I googled, I hit yours first because I saw the Chinese characters in the title. It never occurred to me that was a dish created in Asia! Duh! Anyway, thank you and mine's in the oven now. I'll let you know how it was!

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