Dominican Fried Rice (Chofán)
A Dominican-Chinese fusion fried rice loaded with diced chicken, pork and salami, bright bits of vegetable and a deep soy-garlic flavor, the way the Chinese-Dominican fondas have made it for generations.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Prep the cold rice
Break up the cold cooked rice with your fingers so no clumps remain; cold, day-old rice fries much better than fresh warm rice because the grains are drier and separate instead of turning mushy.
- 600 g cooked white rice
✅ Done when: the rice is loose, grain by grain, with no sticky lumps
Brown the meats
Season the chicken, pork and salami with half the garlic, the black pepper, salt and a splash of soy sauce. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat and cook the meats, stirring often, until the chicken and pork are browned on the outside and fully cooked through, with no pink left inside (internal temperature of about 74°C/165°F). Remove and set aside.
- 200 g chicken
- 150 g pork
- 100 g salami or ham
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oil
✅ Done when: the meats are browned and cooked through with no pink remaining
Scramble the eggs
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Stir-fry the vegetables
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Fry the rice
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Combine and season
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Prep the cold rice
Break up the cold cooked rice with your fingers so no clumps remain; cold, day-old rice fries much better than fresh warm rice because the grains are drier and separate instead of turning mushy.
- 600 g cooked white rice
✅ Done when: the rice is loose, grain by grain, with no sticky lumps
Brown the meats
Season the chicken, pork and salami with half the garlic, the black pepper, salt and a splash of soy sauce. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat and cook the meats, stirring often, until the chicken and pork are browned on the outside and fully cooked through, with no pink left inside (internal temperature of about 74°C/165°F). Remove and set aside.
- 200 g chicken
- 150 g pork
- 100 g salami or ham
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oil
✅ Done when: the meats are browned and cooked through with no pink remaining
Scramble the eggs
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Stir-fry the vegetables
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Fry the rice
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Combine and season
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The Story Behind the Dish
Chinese immigrants arrived in the Dominican Republic in waves from the late 19th century onward, many settling in Santo Domingo and opening small eateries known as fondas. There they began serving fried rice built from Cantonese kitchen basics, but using local Dominican ingredients and tastes, which is how chofán, from the Cantonese 'chow fan', was born.
Over time, chofán stopped being seen as a foreign dish and became a staple of Dominican takeout food, sold everywhere from Chinese-Dominican fondas to neighborhood colmados, usually loaded with diced chicken, pork and salami.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It is the dish that best shows how Chinese and Dominican cooking merged into something new: wok technique and soy sauce meeting rice, root vegetables and the deep love of mixed meats found in Dominican cooking.
💡 Fun Fact
In the Dominican Republic, 'chofán' is used as a general word for fried rice, not just for the Chinese dish it came from, and it is one of the most ordered items at Chinese-Dominican takeout counters.
Santo Domingo and Dominican cities with Chinese-Dominican communities
18.49°N, -69.93°W
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