Day-old rice fried with egg, prawns, ham, peas and spring onion — each grain separate and coated.
What makes it yangzhou fried rice
Cold cooked rice, so the grains stay separate.
Egg, fried with the rice or first on its own.
Several things in small, even dice — prawns, ham or char siu, peas, spring onion.
Where it comes from
Fried rice is old and everywhere, and the Yangzhou name is usually credited to a Qing-dynasty official from the city, though the story is loose. The version the world knows was carried south and made famous by Cantonese restaurants, in Hong Kong and abroad.
Yangzhou has since set down its own standard, with a long list of what should go in; at home it's simply fried rice done carefully.
How it varies
Egg-coated rice
Beaten egg stirred through the rice before frying, so each grain is golden.