Episode 76: Rice as Comfort Food ft. Fan Fried Rice Bar and Maya Bed-Stuy
Paul Chen of Fan Fried Rice Bar and Layla Chen of Maya Bed-Stuy Provisions joined us to discuss the topic of rice as a comfort food. They also shared some parallel experiences as shop owners that specialize in a rice dish that pays respect to their heritage: for Paul it’s fried rice and for Layla it’s congee, their approach in combining tradition and modernity on their respective menus, and setting up shop in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn.
In Taiwan, fried rice isn’t an afterthought for leftovers, it’s as highly regarded and just as popular as ramen or dumplings are for New Yorkers. Taiwanese people chase after the best fried rice and quality versions of the dish can be found everywhere, from street food stalls to fine dining restaurants. What started as a casual idea of opening up a fried rice specialty store became a reality for Paul after he left the fashion world.
Layla didn’t intentionally set out to run a Bed-Stuy cafe, but after having a child she was done with shuffling papers at office jobs. She needed to do something that she was passionate about. “You have to be the best role model. I need to inspire my daughter.” She knew she wanted to anchor in Bed-Stuy where she already had a community of family and friends. The stars aligned when she took over Bed-Stuy Provisions and made it her own by instilling congee on the menu. “I don’t know if I was filling a gap, but I was definitely chasing a dream,” says Layla.
For both Paul and Layla, they grew up eating these versatile and comforting rice dishes and continue to adapt them to their tastes and their surroundings. Layla says she’ll make a pot of congee and have it throughout the week -- she’ll create a turkey version with the carcass after Thanksgiving, or pair it with a salty duck egg when she needs to satiate a craving, or heat up a bowl when it’s cold. She’s adapted her congee base for health conscious modern diets by using a mix of brown rice, white rice, and quinoa that’s sometimes cooked with mushrooms, dates, and other spices.
Paul’s love for fried rice stems from warm memories of his grandma making it for him during family visits in Taiwan. Paul offers traditional Taiwanese classics on his menu, such as bone-in pork chop fried rice and popcorn chicken, as well as versions of fried rice that’s inspired by some of his favorite local foods and iconic New York dishes -- pastrami and chorizo make it on the menu, and street vendor fresh mango topped with chili powder gets reinterpreted in one of his seasonal specials. With each order, the ingredients are assembled and melded together with the proper “wok heat” fire power.
In Taiwan, the most popular rice is “#9”, a hybrid strain between traditional Chinese and Japanese rice. To achieve something similar, Paul actually blends a few different types to achieve his ideal texture. To get those fluffy loose granules for fried rice, he advises home cooks to use less water, and add 1-2 spoons of oil in the rice cooker. Also, separate the rice as much as possible before putting it into the hot pan for frying.
When making congee at home, Layla says you need to give it time. Congee is very forgiving, and you can make it more soupy or thick simply by how much water you add. Just check on it, stir it a bit, keep an eye on it.
“I think love creates great food, and that’s really the bottom line. You have to be present.”
Bed-Stuy allows for a great range of customers -- from the younger generation, to older residents, to the constant flow of Pratt students. Paul says it’s been a great testing ground for his restaurant concept, and he’s grateful for the feedback. One of the things he learned in the first few months of opening was to add a chicken fried rice. While chicken isn’t as popular a protein Taiwan, his Brooklyn customers kept asking for it. Now it’s his best seller. Layla concurs as she went through the same learning experience.
In the future, both Paul and Layla would like to see more from their concepts -- maybe another location to help customers access these dishes and their culture, maybe a full service restaurant where they could pair their rice dishes with wine and cocktails. In the meantime, they’re loving the Bed Stuy community and their roles as one of the few Asian restaurants in the neighborhood. You remember the names of your regulars, they come in to tell you their stories, and they want to connect. Layla says, “I love living here, people are just real.”
