Not Ham: Chinese Choose This Surprising Ingredient for Cantonese Rice!

Adding cubes of cooked ham to Cantonese rice is like using cream in pasta carbonara: for the purists, it’s almost sacrilegious. First off, let’s clarify that the so-called Cantonese rice actually originates from Yangzhou. It was here, about 1500 kilometers north of Canton, that the traditional recipe was first created in the 7th century. Initially, it consisted only of fried rice and egg, explains Zhao Dandan, a guide at the Yangzhou museum in this TF1 report. It wasn’t until the 19th century that other ingredients like peas and shrimp began to be included. However, ham was never part of the recipe; the Chinese use a different ingredient that is much tastier.

I discovered this a few years ago while dining at a Chinese restaurant in the 13th district of Paris. I had ordered Cantonese rice, but the taste of the small pink pieces, which I initially thought were ham, didn’t have the usual flavor. Unlike the Europeanized version commonly found in all-you-can-eat Asian buffets, the meat used had a smoky, slightly sweet, and utterly addictive flavor. The texture was also different: it was chewier, with a more substantial bite. It was only much later, while browsing a blog dedicated to Chinese cuisine, that I finally understood: I had tasted Lap cheong.

On Margot Zhang’s blog, known as Recipes of a Chinese Woman, this meat is described as a dry Chinese sausage. To prepare it, she cuts it into small cubes and fries them in a wok over high heat without adding any fat, Margot Zhang notes. Often smoked and sometimes flavored with rose liquor (Mei Kuei Lu), it adds a depth and flavor to the rice that is truly unique. You can easily find it in specialty stores like Tang brothers or online on sites like Asiamarché. Try it, and you’ll see it makes all the difference.

With lap cheong, Cantonese rice reaches a new level. The flavor is bolder, more savory, and much more intriguing than that of cooked ham. It’s easy to see why this version has become popular over time. Once you’ve tried it, it’s hard to go back.