Spanish Chinese Fried Rice is a nifty little recipe that I found in Buen Provecho, a community cookbook compiled by HISPA, then a professional development group for Hispanic AT&T employees.  This cookbook was put together to raise money for the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund as part of HISPA’s larger efforts in the community.  Shortly after Buen Provecho was published HISPA was re-chartered as a standalone non-profit, opening membership to the general public.  Twenty-five years later, HISPA remains dedicated to advancing educational opportunities for Hispanic high school students.

One of the things I appreciate about Buen Provecho is its lack of pretense.  In spite of the heady subtitle – 500 Years of Hispanic Cuisine – this is a book for home cooks that’s not stuffy about tradition or authenticity.  This is inclusivity at its finest.   Recipes come from every (Spanish-speaking) corner of the globe, influenced by everything from Spanish and Basque cuisine and every country from the US of A to the southern tip of Chile.  Some contributors came to New Jersey from Spanish-speaking countries, while for others their Hispanic heritage is a distant cultural memory.   Some recipes reflect lovingly preserved traditions or memories.  Others, such as Latino Yuppie Baked Green Rice, not so much.   Spanish Chinese Fried Rice fits squarely in the “not so much” category.   The title kind of says it all – this is traditional Chinese fried rice with some traditional Spanish seasonings.  Calling it “fusion” takes the fun out of it.  Everyone loves fried rice.  Everyone loves adobo.  This is a match made in heaven, and easy enough for a weeknight.

I’ve retooled this one a little bit to suit our family, substituting canned chipotles in adobo sauce for the plain old adobo sauce in the original.  The chipotles add a nice smoky heat, but it might be too much heat for some families.  I still strongly recommend marinating the pork with the chipotles, but you can leave a couple out when you make the final stir fry sauce (if you must).  This recipe makes a huge batch, enough to feed eight comfortably as a main course.  You can serve it as a standalone meal, with scallions and hot sauce on the side, with some fresh fruit or a simple green salad.   If you’re feeding teenagers, top it with a six-minute egg, sliced in half, as shown below.  For a side dish, cut the recipe in half and pair with beans, sprinkled with a little bit of cotija cheese.  Enjoy!