Chaufa is Peruvian fried rice, a standard dish in Chifa cuisine, which fuses Peruvian and Chinese cooking. But these days it’s common to find chaufa that replaces the rice with more nutrient-dense quinoa, a seed native to the Andean region. You’ll get the lightest, fluffiest texture if the quinoa is cooked and cooled before stir-frying. An efficient way to approach this recipe is to prep the vegetables and other ingredients while the quinoa cools—or, if you like to plan ahead, you can prepare the quinoa a day or two in advance and refrigerate it until you’re ready to make the chaufa.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup quinoa, rinsed and drained Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided
- 8 ounces broccoli florets, chopped into ½- to 1-inch pieces OR green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths OR a combination
- 1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced OR 4 ounces snow peas, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced OR 1 bunch scallions, whites thinly sliced, greens sliced about ½ inch thick, reserved separately
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin OR oyster sauce
Preparation
In a medium saucepan, stir together the quinoa, ½ teaspoon salt and 1½ cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high, then cover, reduce to low and cook without stirring until the quinoa absorbs the liquid, 13 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, drape a kitchen towel across the top, then re-cover. Let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, transfer to a large plate and cool to room temperature, stirring once or twice.
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons oil until barely smoking. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring just once or twice, until beginning to char at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the bell pepper, ginger, garlic (or scallion whites) and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir in the quinoa, then distribute the mixture in an even layer. Cook without stirring until you hear crackling and sizzling, about 30 seconds. Stir, distribute again in an even layer and cook until you, once again, hear crackling and sizzling, about another 30 seconds.
Push the mixture to one side of the skillet. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the clearing and heat until shimmering. Add the eggs to the clearing and cook, stirring just the eggs, until set but still glossy and shiny, 20 to 30 seconds. Now stir the eggs into the quinoa mixture, breaking them into small bits.
Add the soy sauce and hoisin; cook, stirring, until the skillet is dry and the chaufa is sizzling, about 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in the scallion greens (if using), then taste and season with salt and pepper.
Optional garnish: Toasted sesame oil OR chopped fresh cilantro OR Sriracha sauce OR a combination
About this recipe
Read about Cook What You Have in Edible Reads on p. 50.
