Arroz chaufa

Ingredients

The wok

• 700 gcooked long-grain rice, cold, from the day before
• 300 gchicken thigh, in 2 cm dice
• 3eggs, beaten
• 6spring onions, whites and greens separated and sliced
• 1red pepper, diced
• 3 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1 tbspgrated ginger
• 3 tbspvegetable oil

Seasoning

• 4 tbspdark soy sauce (sillao)
• 1 tbspoyster sauce
• 1 tsptoasted sesame oil
• 1 tbspají amarillo paste (optional)
• black pepper

Directions

1. The rice must be cold and dry, cooked the day before and refrigerated uncovered. Fresh warm rice steams in the wok and turns to paste — this is the single condition the dish depends on.
2. Break the cold rice apart with your fingers so there are no clumps before you start cooking.
3. Heat a wok until it is genuinely smoking, add a spoonful of oil and scramble the beaten eggs quickly into loose curds. Tip them out.
4. Add more oil, then the chicken in a single layer, and leave it undisturbed 90 seconds to catch colour before stirring. Cook through, about 4 minutes, and tip out with the egg.
5. Add the last oil, then the garlic, ginger, spring onion whites and red pepper, and stir-fry 1 minute.
6. Add the rice and toss hard, pressing it against the hot sides of the wok, for 3 minutes until it is heated through and beginning to catch in places. Keep everything moving.
7. Return the chicken and egg, pour the soy, oyster sauce and sesame oil down the side of the wok rather than over the rice, and toss to coat. Fold in the spring onion greens, grind over pepper and serve at once.

Technique

• The wok must be hot enough to be uncomfortable to stand near. Chaufa is Cantonese technique with Peruvian seasoning, and the smoky wok hei is half of it.
• Pour sauce down the hot side of the wok, not onto the rice. It caramelises on the way in instead of steaming the grains.
• Cook in two batches if your pan is small. A crowded wok stews.

Substitutions

• Char siu pork, prawns or beef strips all work in place of chicken.
• Ají amarillo is what makes it Peruvian rather than simply fried rice, but it is optional and often left out.

Variations

• Chaufa de mariscos, made with mixed seafood.
• Aeropuerto, chaufa tossed with fried noodles — literally everything on the same plate.

History

Peruvian fried rice, developed by Cantonese Chinese immigrants who arrived in Peru in large numbers as contract laborers beginning in the mid-1800s, adapting Chinese wok-frying technique with Peruvian ingredients and flavourings, including soy sauce brought by the same immigrant community and local Peruvian vegetables and proteins. Its name combines the Spanish word for rice, arroz, with chaufan, a Chinese term for fried rice, directly reflecting that fusion origin in its very name. Arroz chaufa became one of the most recognizable dishes within chifa cuisine, the broader term for Chinese-Peruvian food that developed from this same immigrant community’s culinary contributions, and it remains one of the most commonly eaten dishes across Peru today, considered thoroughly Peruvian despite its clear Chinese immigrant origins.

Frequently asked questions

What is Arroz chaufa?

Arroz chaufa is a main from Peru: peruvian-Chinese fried rice with soy, spring onions and chicken. Peruvian fried rice, developed by Cantonese Chinese immigrants who arrived in Peru in large numbers as contract laborers beginning in the mid-1800s, adapting Chinese wok-frying technique with Peruvian ingredients and flavourings, including soy sauce brought by the same immigrant community and local Peruvian vegetables and proteins. Its name combines the Spanish word for rice, arroz, with chaufan, a Chinese term for fried rice, directly reflecting that fusion origin in its very name. Arroz chaufa became one of the most recognizable dishes within chifa cuisine, the broader term for Chinese-Peruvian food that developed from this same immigrant community’s culinary contributions, and it remains one of the most commonly eaten dishes across Peru today, considered thoroughly Peruvian despite its clear Chinese immigrant origins.

How long does Arroz chaufa take to make?

Arroz chaufa takes 20 min plus cold rice of preparation and 12 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Arroz chaufa?

Yes, within limits. Char siu pork, prawns or beef strips all work in place of chicken. Ají amarillo is what makes it Peruvian rather than simply fried rice, but it is optional and often left out.

What is the most important thing to get right in Arroz chaufa?

The rice must be cold and dry, cooked the day before and refrigerated uncovered. Fresh warm rice steams in the wok and turns to paste — this is the single condition the dish depends on.