Ban Fan, a Simple Chinese mixed rice bowl (2024)

Home Recipes Rice Ban Fan, a Simple Chinese mixed rice bowl

Ban Fan, a Simple Chinese mixed rice bowl (1)

by: Judy

171 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Ban Fan, a Simple Chinese mixed rice bowl (2)

A Chinese bàn fàn (拌饭) is a simple bowl of mixed rice similar to Korean bibimbap (albeit much simpler). It’s almost crazy how easy it is to put together, and it’s super satisfying and tasty.

As you may have guessed from our almost 2-week hiatus on posting, we’ve been very busy with the cookbook.

The book is designed (exciting!) and we have been doing edits all day (and night) on a tight timeline to ensure the book comes out this fall.

Add to that all the craziness going on in the world, and we’ve found that we just haven’t had much time or energy to cook.

This recipe is for times like these—something comforting and tasty, without much effort. Make this recipe with leftover rice and a couple eggs. I made it for the girls and Justin on a busy day of cookbook editing, and everyone raved over how delicious and simple a meal it was.

What to Make with Leftover Rice

With this Chinese mixed rice recipe, fried rice may no longer be your go-to method for using up leftover rice! This tasty meal takes even less time, and it’s hard to mess up.

The only real cooking involved is frying up two eggs to your liking—sunny side up, over easy, or scrambled, runny or firm—the choice is yours!

Ban Fan, a Simple Chinese mixed rice bowl (3)

This recipe is also perfect for any time of day—breakfast, lunch, dinner, hearty snack, or late night indulgence. And I bet you have all the ingredients in the refrigerator right now.

Tip!

If you always find yourself short on scallions, garlic, and ginger, freeze them! Check out our instructions. It not only ensures you always have them close at hand, it also reduces waste—no more throwing away wilted scallions, fuzzy ginger, and sprouted garlic. It’s also incredibly convenient. Even my mother, who has a Chinese supermarket at her doorstep, has a bag of frozen chopped scallion and a bag of frozen sliced ginger in her freezer.

Cooking for One?

This mixed rice recipe is for a single serving. It’s ideal for those of you who are cooking for one or two—it’s great for solo weeknights and students!

If you want to make the 2 servings shown in our photos, you’ll need to double the recipe. That said, I suggest that you still construct each serving in separate bowls—though simultaneously—for the best results.

Rewards far outweigh efforts here. You will be amazed at how scrumptious just a few pantry ingredients can be. Give it a try!

Recipe Instructions

Add the ingredients to a medium heatproof bowl in the order listed: the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, garlic, scallion, and cilantro. If you’re making multiple servings, multiply the ingredients to prepare the number of bowls needed.

Ban Fan, a Simple Chinese mixed rice bowl (4)

Heat the oil in a small saucepan until it starts to smoke. For this step, you can simply multiply the quantity of oil by the number of servings and heat it all simultaneously.

Drizzle the hot oil over the aromatics and hear it sizzle.

Ban Fan, a Simple Chinese mixed rice bowl (5)

Fry the eggs in the same saucepan you heated the oil in.

Ban Fan, a Simple Chinese mixed rice bowl (6)

Then add the cooked rice (reheat it first if using leftover rice) to the bowl, and top with the eggs.

Ban Fan, a Simple Chinese mixed rice bowl (7)
Ban Fan, a Simple Chinese mixed rice bowl (8)
Ban Fan, a Simple Chinese mixed rice bowl (9)

Mix well and enjoy!

Ban Fan, a Simple Chinese mixed rice bowl (10)
Ban Fan, a Simple Chinese mixed rice bowl (11)

Looking for more authentic recipes? Subscribe to our email list and be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube!

4.90 from 46 votes

Ban Fan, Simple Rice Bowl

A Chinese bàn fàn (拌饭) is a simple bowl of mixed rice similar to Korean bibimbap (albeit much simpler). It’s almost crazy how easy it is to put together, and it’s super satisfying and tasty.

by: Judy

Course:Rice

Cuisine:Chinese

Ban Fan, a Simple Chinese mixed rice bowl (12)

serves: 1

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 5 minutes minutes

Total: 15 minutes minutes

Print

Rate

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon garlic (minced; heaping tablespoon)
  • 2 tablespoons scallion (chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup cooked rice (a Chinese rice bowl's worth; if using leftovers, microwave or steam to reheat)

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

  • Add the ingredients to a medium heatproof bowl in the order listed—the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, garlic, scallion, and cilantro. If you’re making multiple servings, multiply the ingredients to prepare the number of bowls needed.

  • Heat the oil in a small saucepan until it starts to smoke—for this step, you can simply multiply the quantity of oil by the number of servings and heat it all simultaneously.

  • Drizzle the hot oil over the aromatics and hear it sizzle.

  • Fry the eggs in the same saucepan you heated the oil in. Then add the cooked, warmed rice to the bowls, and top with the eggs. Mix well and enjoy!

nutrition facts

Calories: 622kcal (31%) Carbohydrates: 54g (18%) Protein: 18g (36%) Fat: 37g (57%) Saturated Fat: 5g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g Monounsaturated Fat: 21g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 327mg (109%) Sodium: 1628mg (68%) Potassium: 294mg (8%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 3g (3%) Vitamin A: 650IU (13%) Vitamin C: 5mg (6%) Calcium: 98mg (10%) Iron: 3mg (17%)

nutritional info disclaimer

TheWoksofLife.com is written and produced for informational purposes only. While we do our best to provide nutritional information as a general guideline to our readers, we are not certified nutritionists, and the values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. Various online calculators also provide different results, depending on their sources. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used.

Did You Make This?Tag us on Instagram @thewoksoflife, subscribe to our email list, and be sure to follow us on social for more recipes!

@thewoksoflife

You may also like…

  • Chinese Banquet Fried Rice

  • Sticky Rice with Chinese Sausage

  • Chinese Sausage Rice Cooker Rice (Lap Cheong Fan)

  • Hong Kong Style Clay Pot Rice Bowl

Ban Fan, a Simple Chinese mixed rice bowl (17)

About Judy

Judy is the mom of The Woks of Life family. Born in Shanghai, she arrived in the U.S. at age 16. Fluent in both English and three separate Chinese dialects, she's our professional menu translator when we're eating our way through China. Dedicated to preserving disappearing recipes and traditions, her specialty is all things traditional, from mooncakes to home-style stir-fries.

Previous PostDo You Know the 8 Chinese Cuisines?
Next Post Hua Juan (Chinese Flower Rolls/Steamed Scallion Buns)

Subscribe

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

171 Comments

Newest

OldestMost Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Ban Fan, a Simple Chinese mixed rice bowl (2024)

FAQs

What are Chinese rice bowls called? ›

Chukadon (中華丼) literally means “Chinese style Rice Bowl” in Japanese. It's a donburi (don for short) that consists of stir-fried ingredients served over rice. It is believed that chukadon originated in the 1930s from a Chinese-style restaurant in Tokyo.

How do you do the Chinese rice bowl trick? ›

The Rice Bowls are one of the oldest of magic effects, presumably of Chinese origin. In effect, the performer shows two empty bowls. One of these are filled to the brim with rice and covered with the other. When uncovered the rice has magically doubled in quantity, overflowing the Bowl.

What is mixed rice in Chinese? ›

Other names for economy rice include jaahp faahn (Chinese: 雜飯; pinyin: zá fàn; lit. 'mixed rice') in Cantonese or tsa̍p-tshài-pn̄g (Chinese: 雜菜飯; pinyin: zá cài fàn; lit.

What is the Chinese equivalent of bibimbap? ›

A Chinese bàn fàn (拌饭) is a simple bowl of mixed rice similar to Korean bibimbap (albeit much simpler). It's almost crazy how easy it is to put together, and it's super satisfying and tasty.

What is called the rice bowl of China? ›

Answer: With warm climates and sufficient rainfall, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guangxi are important agricultural areas, known as the "rice bowl" of China. Thanks 12.

What goes well in a rice bowl? ›

Protein – Next up, your choice of protein. You'll find rice bowls made with chicken, beef, seafood, and more, plus plant-based protein like tempeh and tofu. Veggies – Pair your proteins with fresh, steamed, or roasted veggies, sauteed vegetables, and fresh greens. Arugula, kale, and spinach are all great options.

What is Chinese forbidden rice? ›

1 Forbidden rice earned its name because it was once reserved for the Chinese emperor to ensure his health and longevity, and forbidden to anyone else. Forbidden rice is a medium-grain, non-glutinous heirloom rice with a deep purple hue and a nutty, slightly sweet flavor.

Why do Chinese eat white rice instead of brown? ›

Milling and polishing brown rice removes most vitamins and minerals. Although these can be added back to white rice, milling strips away most of its fiber, which helps deter diabetes by slowing the rush of sugar (glucose) into the bloodstream.

What is mulatto rice? ›

mulatto rice a concoction of cooked rice, chopped and browned onions, crisp bacon bits, and some chopped tomatoes.

Why do Koreans eat bibimbap? ›

Ordinary people ate bibimbap on the eve of the lunar new year as the people at that time felt that they had to get rid of all of the leftover side dishes before the new year. The solution to this problem was to put all of the leftovers in a bowl of rice and to mix them together.

What is the Korean version of Chinese food? ›

Korean Chinese cuisine (Korean: 중화 요리; Hanja: 中華料理), also known as Sino–Korean cuisine, is a hybrid cuisine developed by the ethnic Chinese in Korea. Despite originally being derived from Chinese cuisine, Korean-Chinese cuisine consists of unique dishes with Korean flavors and ingredients, making it a hybrid cuisine.

How is Korean food different from Chinese? ›

Also, Koreans enjoy a lot of seafood, pork, beef and tofu. On the other hand the Chinese cuisine uses varieties of staple foods such as rice, noodles, and wheat products. Chinese dishes prominently feature a wide range of vegetables, including bok choy, Chinese cabbage, and mushrooms.

What are those Chinese bowls called? ›

Chinese bowls are often made from porcelain and are referred to as porcelain bowls or china. Prized by collectors worldwide for centuries, Chinese porcelain bowls are known for their excellent craftsmanship and elaborate decorations.

What is a traditional rice bowl called? ›

Donburi (丼, literally "bowl", also abbreviated to "-don" as a suffix, less commonly spelled "domburi") is a Japanese "rice-bowl dish" consisting of fish, meat, vegetables or other ingredients simmered together and served over rice.

What is Chinese rice dish called? ›

4.6. (21) 20 Reviews. Dress up this classic white rice porridge with your favorite savory toppings like bacon, Chinese sausage, or onions.

What is the name of the Chinese rice ball? ›

Tangyuan are a traditional Chinese dessert made of glutinous rice shaped into balls that are served in a hot broth or syrup. They come in varying sizes, anything between a marble to a ping pong ball, and are sometimes stuffed with filling.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Frankie Dare

Last Updated:

Views: 6481

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (73 voted)

Reviews: 80% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Frankie Dare

Birthday: 2000-01-27

Address: Suite 313 45115 Caridad Freeway, Port Barabaraville, MS 66713

Phone: +3769542039359

Job: Sales Manager

Hobby: Baton twirling, Stand-up comedy, Leather crafting, Rugby, tabletop games, Jigsaw puzzles, Air sports

Introduction: My name is Frankie Dare, I am a funny, beautiful, proud, fair, pleasant, cheerful, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.