Kani Cha-han: Fried rice with crab meat

As a Japanese living in a foreign country, I am proud of confessing that I love rice. It is no exaggeration to say that I cannot live without it. I usually make something with rice for lunch at least 3 times a week! So I sometimes need to vary the rice dishes I eat and that is why what I am presenting here is a fried rice recipe.
It is known that fried rice has originally come from India and spread to Asia and Europe. In Asia, each country has a different name for fried rice: nasi goreng in Indonesia and Malaysia and cha-han in Japan. In Europe it is also called "pilaf" which derives from the Turkish word "pilâv". In the United States, a Cajun dish of rice with chicken, shrimps and vegetables is called "jambalaya". It is possible to find all of these dishes on the menu of some modern fusion restaurants in the center of Tokyo.
However, fried-rice and pilaf are prepared slightly differently; fried-rice is prepared by boiling rice in water and then frying it with vegetables, fish or meat, whereas pilaf is prepared by boiling rice in soup with various ingredients and then frying it.
Fried-rice with crab-meat, the recipe presented here, is usually thought to be a Thai recipe in Western countries but it is also very popular in Japan. In fact, it is so popular and commonly found that I always thought it was a Japanese dish. Who knows where it originally came from? But what is for sure is that it has a nice taste and good nutritional value. It is especially popular among business people at lunch time probably because it is both tasty and easy to eat. And it only takes just a few minutes to eat and the rice gives you lots of energy to fight against the afternoon sleepiness! By the way, fried-rice in Japan is eaten with a Chinese spoon, respecting its Chinese origin. That also may help people to eat the rice even faster...
I especially love this recipe because it reminds me of Sunday lunches made by my father. I clearly remember him in the kitchen using a black wok and telling me that the secret of a good fried-rice is to have a high flame to cook it as quickly as possible to avoid making the rice sticky from the oil. I still haven't quite mastered his way of cooking yet so next time when I go back to Japan, I have to be very attentive to his lesson very seriously because I miss its delicious taste and eating it slowly with him, savoring every mouthful.

Written by Yuko Tamaki-Welply
A member of TranNet and freelance translator based in Southern Spain

♦ INGREDIENTS
(4 servings)
T   = tablespoon
t   = teaspoon
c   = cup

100 g   cooked crab meat (tinned)
3 c     short-grain white rice
1-2     garlic cloves, peeled
1        egg
3 T     olive oil
2 T     soy sauce
half of leak, chopped
a bit of salt and pepper


♦ How to make Kani Cha-han
1. Heat oil in a wok and fry garlic until fragrant and beginning to color.
2. Crack the egg, allowing the white to firm before scrambling. Add rice and turn down the heat.
3. Fry gently, mixing and tossing. Season with pepper, salt and light soy sauce.
4. Add chopped leak and, after a moment, the crabmeat, reserving a little to sprinkle over the finished dish.

Fish species are written using a variety of kanji. Each epecies has its own kanji name. It's said that not all such kanji names originated in China: many were created in Japan. Let's study the origins and meanings of fish names.