The Chinese Emperor’s New Clothes by Ying Chang Compestine is a fresh retelling of the tale of The Emperor’s New Clothes with a fun twist. Instead of the emperor being the one fooled by the non-existent magical clothes, in this story a young boy emperor named Ming Da in ancient China tricks his corrupt ministers into getting new robes for the New Year. The ministers believe their new robes are made of beautiful silks and embroidery when they are really just old rice sacks. In the process, Ming Da also convinces the ministers to return some of the riches and food they have stolen from the royal treasury and the people.
My kids were delighted by this version of a familiar story with a boy their age outwitting corrupt adults to save the day. I was delighted with the gorgeous illustrations by David Roberts and the haunting biography by the author in the back of the book where she talks about the life-changing power of reading forbidden books while growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China. One of these forbidden books was a copy of Hans Christian Andersen’s version of The Emperor’s New Clothes which inspired her retelling here. I found her testament to the power of literature in the lives of children so moving. This would be a wonderful book to read for Lunar New Year, coming up on January 25th this year. Although this book is not expressly about the New Year, there is a New Year’s parade at the end of the story with the neatest illustration of a dragon dance.
After Ming Da tricks his ministers into returning some of the riches they have stolen, he uses the treasure to buy new clothes for the poor and to feed children with rice. For the recipe to go with this book, I’ve created a fried rice dish fit for an emperor, the kind of rice that I imagine Ming Da feasting on with the other children at a New Year’s meal. This fried rice is loaded with every goody imaginable: shrimp, sausage, lots of vegetables, ginger, garlic, and plenty of sesame oil and soy sauce. I like using Chinese sausage in fried rice because it has a unique sweet and spicy flavor and turns beautifully crispy when fried. This sausage can be found in the refrigerator section of most Asian markets and usually comes in clear plastic packaging with a red label that says “Chinese Style Sweet Sausage”. However, any firm, smoked sausage would work well here, such as Spanish chorizo.
Emperor Fried Rice
Heat 1 Tablespoon of the sesame oil and 1 Tablespoon of the canola oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the shrimp. Season the shrimp with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper and saute until the shrimp is pink all the way through, about 2 minutes. Remove shrimp from the pan and set aside. Add the diced sausage to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until brown and crispy on the outside, about 1 minute. Remove sausage to a bowl or plate and set aside.
If the skillet or wok looks dry, add another Tablespoon of canola oil along with the carrots, ginger, onion, garlic, and the white parts of the green onions. Saute the vegetables over medium heat, stirring often with a spatula or wooden spoon, until they are softened and just beginning to brown. Push the vegetables to one side of the skillet and tip the beaten eggs into the other side of the skillet. Season the eggs with a little bit of salt and pepper as you stir them until they are cooked through like scrambled eggs.
Add the rice to the skillet along with the soy sauce, the last 1 Tablespoon of sesame oil, and sriracha or chili garlic sauce. Stir everything together until well mixed and cook the rice, undisturbed, for several minutes. Stir the rice again, making sure to scrape the browned parts from the bottom of the pan, and then let cook for another few minutes until parts of the rice are brown and crispy and the rice is all warmed through. Add the shrimp and sausage back to the skillet along with the peas. Again stir everything together to thoroughly combine and continue to cook until the meat and peas are hot. Taste the rice and season with extra soy sauce, sesame oil, or salt and pepper as needed. Serve topped with the green parts of the green onions.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat 1 Tablespoon of the sesame oil and 1 Tablespoon of the canola oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the shrimp. Season the shrimp with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper and saute until the shrimp is pink all the way through, about 2 minutes. Remove shrimp from the pan and set aside. Add the diced sausage to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until brown and crispy on the outside, about 1 minute. Remove sausage to a bowl or plate and set aside.
If the skillet or wok looks dry, add another Tablespoon of canola oil along with the carrots, ginger, onion, garlic, and the white parts of the green onions. Saute the vegetables over medium heat, stirring often with a spatula or wooden spoon, until they are softened and just beginning to brown. Push the vegetables to one side of the skillet and tip the beaten eggs into the other side of the skillet. Season the eggs with a little bit of salt and pepper as you stir them until they are cooked through like scrambled eggs.
Add the rice to the skillet along with the soy sauce, the last 1 Tablespoon of sesame oil, and sriracha or chili garlic sauce. Stir everything together until well mixed and cook the rice, undisturbed, for several minutes. Stir the rice again, making sure to scrape the browned parts from the bottom of the pan, and then let cook for another few minutes until parts of the rice are brown and crispy and the rice is all warmed through. Add the shrimp and sausage back to the skillet along with the peas. Again stir everything together to thoroughly combine and continue to cook until the meat and peas are hot. Taste the rice and season with extra soy sauce, sesame oil, or salt and pepper as needed. Serve topped with the green parts of the green onions.
