Yin Yang Fried Rice (鴛鴦炒飯)

First, wash the rice (12 oz) 3 times in clean water. Each rinse should result in slightly less starchy water than the previous rinse.

Then, add water (13 oz) to the rice and cook in your rice cooker.

The water is a slightly smaller amount than you might use for general steamed rice, because we want a drier rice for a better fried rice.

Separate the eggs (3 ) into two bowls. Crack each egg open and carefully transfer the yolk between the eggshell halves, allowing the whites to fall down into one of the bowls. Then, put the yolk into the other bowl.

Cut the tomato (1 ) in quarters, and then cut away the hard stem at the top, where the leaves come out, and discard it.

Then, cut the tomato core away from the wall, and roughly dice into small pieces. Then cut the rest of the tomato into two ways: cut half of them into short strips, and dice the rest.

Cut the onion (1 oz) in two different ways, just like the tomato. Cut half into small strips, which we'll use for the red side, and dice the other half into small pieces. We'll be using the diced onion for the white side.

Cut the shrimp (5 oz) in half, lengthwise, so they still look like whole shrimp from one side but are half the thickness.

Cut the chicken breast (15 oz) in half horizontally to halve the thickness, and then slice into short strips.

Then, marinate the chicken in a bowl with salt (0.50 tsp), cornstarch (1 tbsp), and water (2 tbsp). Don't forget Daddy Lau's trick of mixing the marinade on the side of the bowl first to get all the clumps out, so that you're not fighting clumps amidst the chicken.

Prepare the red sauce in a medium-sized bowl. Mix together ketchup (3 tbsp), sugar (2 tbsp), vinegar (1 tbsp), and salt (1 tsp). Then add chicken broth (6 oz).

(If you're following our recipe according to the original amounts, this is almost half of a 14 oz can, and the rest of the can will be used for cooking the shrimp.)

Stir the sauce together, have a taste, and adjust the flavors to your liking.

Time to get crafty! Tear out a piece of aluminum foil, at least 1.5 the diameter of your serving dish. Fold it in half lengthwise, and curve it into an S shape. Later, you'll use this as your sauce separator so that the final dish will be that iconic yin yang symbol.

To prepare for the fried rice, mix the egg yolks into the steamed rice.

This is different from our typical process of frying the rice first and then adding the egg. This time, we want the yolk mixed in prior to frying, so that every grain of rice will fry up to be yellow, and the fried rice will contrast beautifully against the white sauce.

Heat the wok on high for about a minute on the highest heat. Then, add oil (1 tbsp), give it a quick swirl to coat the bottom, and add the rice in. Fry the rice on high for about 3 minutes.

If you hear crackling sounds as you fry it, that's a great sign that you're getting that much-coveted wok hei!

Season the fried rice with salt (0.50 tsp), mix it in, and cook for another 30-40 seconds. Scoop the rice into your serving plate and gentle pat it down so it's level. It needs to be flat so when you put the sauce over it, the sauces can also lay flat instead of sliding down towards any dips and depressions.

Reheat the wok on high for another 30 seconds, then add the oil (1 tbsp). Add the chicken and stir-fry for about 30-40 seconds.

Push the chicken to the side of the wok to make some room, and add the sliced onion. Stir-fry the onions a bit and add the tomatoes. My dad likes to add the juicy core and the diced pieces first, and press down on them with the spatula to squeeze the juice out. Add the strips of tomato as well, and stir-fry for 40-50 seconds.

Add the red sauce that we mixed up earlier. Lower the heat, and give it a taste. Adjust the taste to your liking: my dad added a little more sugar.

Then, prepare the thickening slurry by mixing cornstarch (1 tbsp) and water (2 tbsp) in a separate, small bowl. Pour the mixed slurry slowly into the red sauce, stirring constantly to prevent clumping.

Cook the sauce for another minute, and then transfer to a bowl.

We want the colors and flavors to stay distinct and not mix, so either use a separate wok and spatula, or give your set-up a quick clean so that there's no residue of the red sauce.

Heat the wok on high for about a minute, and add oil (2 tbsp). Give it a quick swirl to coat the wok, and put the shrimp in. Turn the heat down to low, and cook the shrimp for about 20 seconds.

Add the minced onion and stir-fry for 20 seconds. Then add chicken broth and salt.

To thicken the sauce, make another slurry with cornstarch (1 tbsp) and water (2 tbsp) in a small bowl, and mix well. Because the amount of broth makes this sauce runnier to begin with, you may need to make more slurry in a bit.

Beat the egg whites really well to incorporate some air and volume into it. We're not looking for meringue, though, so leave your electric beaters stashed away.

Now, add the slurry while stirring constantly. Make and add more cornstarch slurry if it still seems too runny.

Next, pour the egg whites slowly, circling over the surface a few times. Don't stir it yet! Use the pouring pattern to control the size and shape of the egg pieces. You want the egg whites to cook in slightly firmer pieces, and if you stir it right away, they'll break apart. Let the egg whites cook for 20-30 seconds, and turn off the heat.

Add oil (1 tsp) for shine and sprinkle on peas (2 oz) for color. Stir the peas in so the heat can cook them just a bit.