Fried Rice Recipe
This classic Chinese Fried Rice recipe is loaded with fresh mixed vegetables and aromatic spices for an incredibly healthy, delicious vegetarian fried rice.
Cuisine : Chinese, Indo Chinese
Course : Main Course
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Ingredients
For Cooking Rice
- 1 cup basmati rice or long grained rice – 190 to 200 grams
- 4 to 4.5 cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt or add as required
- 2 to 3 drops toasted sesame oil or any neutral oil
Other Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil or any neutral oil
- 1 star anise
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic or 3 to 4 small to medium garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger or ½ inch ginger – optional
- ¼ cup chopped spring onion whites (scallions)
- ¼ cup finely chopped french beans
- ¼ cup finely chopped carrots
- ¼ to ½ cup finely chopped cabbage – optional
- ¼ cup chopped bell pepper or capsicum – red, green or yellow
- 1 cup chopped button mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped celery – skip if you do not have
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (naturally brewed) or tamari – can add as required
- 1 teaspoon rice wine or rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder or add as required
- 2 tablespoons chopped spring onions greens
- salt as required
Method :
To make rice.
- Wash the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear of starch. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. Sieve and keep aside.
- Boil water with salt and 2 to 3 drops of roasted sesame oil in a vessel.
- Add soaked and filtered rice in hot water.
- Bring rice to a boil over low to medium-high heat without a lid.
- When the rice is al dente or almost cooked, remove the pot from the heat. Strain the rice in a sieve or strainer.
- You can also gently wash the cooked rice in water so that they stop cooking and don't stick to each other. Cover the cooked rice and keep it aside until the rice cools down completely. You can also put the rice in the fridge with the lid on for 30 minutes.
How to cut vegetables
- When the cooked rice cools down, finely chop the vegetables and keep them aside.
- Remember to chop the French beans very finely. These take longer to cook than other vegetables.
- You can also blanch them first and then cook them. Another option is to add beans first and then add other vegetables.
To make Fried Rice.
- Heat oil in a wok or skillet. First of all add fennel and fry for few seconds or till the smell of oil comes.
- Add garlic, ginger and saute for a few seconds. There is no need to brown the garlic.
- Add the white part of spring onions and fry for about 2 minutes.
- Then add finely chopped French beans.
- Fry the french beans on a medium to medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the remaining finely chopped vegetables, including mushrooms and celery. Increase the flame to cook all the vegetables properly.
- You have to toss and stir continuously while frying so that the vegetables get cooked evenly and do not burn.
- Vegetables have to be fried till they are almost cooked and still retain their crispness and crunchiness. It takes about 4 to 6 minutes to fry the vegetables on high flame.
- Add soy sauce, salt and pepper. Stir quickly and add cooked and cold rice. Fry for a few minutes until the sauce coats the rice well. Check when adding salt, as soy sauce already contains salt.
- Serve Fried Rice hot or with your favorite Chinese side.
