Classic White Sauce Seafood Baked Rice
The ultimate Cha Chaan Teng style white sauce seafood baked rice — rich, creamy homemade white sauce layered over savory egg fried rice, plump shrimp, scallops, and melted golden cheese.
White sauce seafood baked rice is a staple comfort dish found in traditional Hong Kong style cafes known as Cha Chaan Teng. This recipe achieves the authentic rich, non-dripping white sauce texture by carefully combining butter, flour, and warmed milk in precise stages. Topped with fresh seafood and a blanket of mozzarella cheese, it is baked until bubbling and golden for the ultimate satisfying meal.
Ingredients
- 40 g butter
- 40 g all-purpose flour
- 800 g milk
- 1 bowl overnight cooled rice
- 2 eggs
- 200 g shrimp
- 150 g scallops
- 1 onion
- 100 g mushrooms
- 1 head broccoli
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1 tbsp white wine
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- optional garlic powder
Instructions
- 1Melt butter and mix with flour
Place butter into a pan and allow it to melt completely over heat, then add flour and stir continuously until combined into a paste.
Tip: Ensure the butter is fully melted before incorporating the flour to prevent lumps. - 2Add warm milk in batches
Pour pre-warmed milk into the pan in small batches while stirring constantly to blend it with the butter and flour mixture, forming a smooth white sauce.
Tip: Adding milk gradually helps prevent the formation of lumps in the sauce. - 3Season the white sauce
Sprinkle salt and black pepper directly into the thickened white sauce while stirring to ensure even seasoning throughout.
Tip: Taste the sauce carefully before adjusting the final seasoning to keep the flavor balanced. - 4Dice the vegetables
Slice and dice onions and mushrooms into small, uniform pieces on a wooden checkerboard cutting board.
Tip: Cut the vegetables into even sizes so they cook uniformly. - 5Blanch the broccoli
Transfer broccoli florets into a pot of boiling water and blanch for about 1 minute before taking them out.
Tip: Do not over-blanch the broccoli to keep its vibrant green color and crisp texture. - 6Cook the egg fried rice
Pour beaten eggs into a hot wok with oil and stir-fry to create the base fried rice layer for the dish.
Tip: Use cooled or overnight rice for the best fried rice texture. - 7Transfer fried rice to the baking dish
Transfer the freshly cooked egg fried rice into a white ceramic baking dish, spreading it evenly across the bottom to form the base of the baked rice.
Tip: Make sure the fried rice is packed down evenly so the layers stack properly without mixing into the sauce.
