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, also known as ''yakimeshi'' (Japanese: 焼飯 or 焼き飯), is a Japanese
fried rice Fried rice is a dish of cooked rice that has been stir-fried in a wok or a frying pan and is usually mixed with other ingredients such as eggs, vegetables, seafood, or meat. It is often eaten by itself or as an accompaniment to another dis ...
dish prepared with
rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
as a primary ingredient and myriad additional ingredients and
seasoning Seasoning is the process of supplementing food via herbs, spices, and/or salts, intended to enhance a particular flavour. General meaning Seasonings include herbs and spices, which are themselves frequently referred to as "seasonings". Salt may ...
s. The dish is typically fried, and can be cooked in a wok. ''Chahan'' may have originated in the 1860s from Chinese immigrants arriving at the port of
Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...
. ''Chahan'' is a
staple food A staple food, food staple, or simply staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for an individual or a population group, supplying a large fraction of energy needs an ...
in homes in Japan. Some restaurants outside Japan serve the dish as a part of their fare.


History

''Chahan'' may have originated from Chinese immigrants who arrived at the port of
Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...
, Japan in the 1860s. In Chinese, fried rice is called ''chǎofàn'' (); these same
Chinese character Chinese characters are logographs used to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represent the only on ...
s have a Japanese reading of ''chāhan''.


Preparation

''Chahan'' is a Japanese
fried rice Fried rice is a dish of cooked rice that has been stir-fried in a wok or a frying pan and is usually mixed with other ingredients such as eggs, vegetables, seafood, or meat. It is often eaten by itself or as an accompaniment to another dis ...
dish that is typically cooked in a wok. Rice is used as a primary ingredient, and a wide range of additional ingredients can be used including scrambled egg, vegetables, onion, garlic, edible mushrooms such as
shiitake The shiitake (; ''Chinese/black mushroom'' or ''Lentinula edodes'') is a macrofungus native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed around the globe. Taxonomy The fungus was first described scientifically as '' Agaricus edodes'' by ...
,
tofu or bean curd is a food prepared by Coagulation (milk), coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness: ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', and ''extra (or super) firm''. It originated in Chin ...
, pork, as well as
seafood Seafood is any form of Marine life, sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including Fish as food, fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of Mollusca, molluscs (e.g., bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters, and mussel ...
s such as crab meat, roe, and shrimp. Oils such as canola oil, sesame oil and sunflower oil are used to fry the dish. The dish can be seasoned with soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, pepper and
katsuobushi is simmered, smoked and fermented skipjack tuna (''Katsuwonus pelamis'', sometimes referred to as bonito). It is also known as bonito flakes or broadly as . Shaved ''katsuobushi'' and dried kelp—''kombu''—are the main ingredients of ...
, a dried and flaked tuna product.
Shiso ''Perilla frutescens'' var. ''crispa'', also known by its Japanese name shiso (), is a cultigen of '' Perilla frutescens'', a herb in the mint family Lamiaceae. It is native to the mountainous regions of China and India, but is now found world ...
, an Asian culinary herb, may also be used to flavor ''chahan''.
Nori Nori is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, usually made from species of the red algae genus ''Pyropia'', including ''P. yezoensis'' and ''Pyropia tenera, P. tenera''. It has a strong and distinctive flavor, and is generally made in ...
, a dried
edible seaweed Edible seaweed, or sea vegetables, are seaweeds that can be eaten and used for culinary purposes. They typically contain high amounts of fiber. They may belong to one of several groups of multicellular algae: the red algae, green algae, and bro ...
product, can be used as a garnish. The use of a hot wok for frying and cooking ''chahan'' quickly can prevent the rice from sticking to the pan, and using warm rice also prevents pan sticking. The use of pre-cooked and refrigerated rice is also conducive toward enhancing the cooking process.


Variations

''Takana chahan'' is prepared with takanazuke (pickled takana) as a primary ingredient.


See also

*
Japanese cuisine Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese language, Japanese: ) is based on rice with m ...
* List of fried rice dishes * List of Japanese dishes *


References

{{Japanese food and drink, state=autocollapse Chinese fusion cuisine Fried rice Japanese rice dishes Japanese Chinese cuisine