Veg Fried Rice
Veg fried rice is a quick and easy Indo-Chinese style stir fry rice loaded with fresh and crunchy veggies. It is one of the most popular dishes ordered from the Indo-Chinese section both in restaurants and also the take-aways.
Back at our home, we always relish having a bowl full of piping hot fried rice on any day. Whenever I would ask my wife if we should make a veg fried rice for lunch or dinner, the answer would be an instant ‘yes;! We both would be surprised how quickly we gobble the rice in a matter of no time. I am not a big fan of plain rice, however I thoroughly enjoy rice dishes like this which is loaded with flavour and veggies.
It is generally quite a hassle to feed veggies to the kids, as most of them are very picky and we would see them make all different kind of faces when we offer them a bowl full of nutritious veggies! However there are some recipes like this fried rice which although is loaded with the same veggies, but they enjoy eating them without any fuss. This recipe is also great for packed lunches and school tiffin boxes. My nephew and niece thoroughly enjoy this dish any any given day.
The beauty of Indo-Chinese cooking lies in the way the crunch and freshness of the veggies is retained. Indo-Chinese cooking makes use of a cooking technique called as ‘Flash Frying’. In this mode of cooking, we generally use a relatively thin iron or steel wok which is heated to a very high temperature and the veggies are cooked quickly on a high flame. By doing this, the veggies get cooked just to the right amount and also would not wilt or become soggy.
Most restaurants have a professional grade gas stoves or burners which are capable of producing very high heat which however is not the case with our conventional home gas stoves, hence you would notice that the Chinese items ordered in restaurants taste much better. Nevertheless, we will look at some pro-tips below for making the best restaurant style fried rice.
Pro Tips for Perfect Fried Rice
The first and foremost thing for a perfect fried rice is the type of rice, the way it is cooked and the resting time before it could be used. Generally speaking Thai Jasmine rice, Basmati rice or Sona masuri rice works best for this dish.
The rice is cooked separately before making the fried rice. Be careful not to overcook the rice or add excess water while cooking, as a mushy rice is a big no-no for making fried rice.
The next important thing is that the rice has to be cooled down completely before adding it to the veggies and stir fry them. This will ensure that the rice does not break while tossing on high flame. I generally transfer the cooked rice to large plates immediately after cooking and spread it well and let it cool completely. This recipe also works great with a day old rice which has been refrigerated, and is a great way of using the leftovers for making a quick meal.
Use fresh veggies for making the fried rice and chop them finely. This is the only time consuming step in this recipe. The most common and important ones for fried rice are cabbage, carrots, french beans and spring onions. I love using plenty of fresh ginger and garlic in my fried rice.
Add salt towards the end of cooking the veggies, as if it is added in the beginning the veggies tend to leave water and the veggies would not stay crunchy.
As mentioned earlier, it is important to cook them on highest flame in a steel or iron wok and flash fry them. Do not overcook the veggies, as it is important to retain the bite of the veggie.
Finally, preferably use either sesame or groundnut oil for adding a nutty and smoky flavour to the rice
Variations
This recipe talks about a simple veg fried rice, however it also forms the base for some of the other variations of fried rice like Schezwan Fried rice, Burnt Garlic Fried rice etc. For making Schezwan Fried rice, just add some Schezwan sauce along with the other sauces while mixing the rice.
Serving suggestion
Veg Fried rice is best served with a Chinese style Veg Stir Fry or a Manchurian gravy like Veg Manchurian, Baby corn Manchurian or Gobi Manchurian. Some Kids also having this rice just with some tomato ketchup and chilli vinegar.
Veg Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups Rice Basmati or Jasmine
- 100 grams French Beans
- 2 large Carrots
- 1 small Capsicum
- 2 inch Ginger
- 2 Green Chillies
- 6 cloves Garlic
- ⅓ cup Spring Onions Chopped
- 1 tbsp Soya Sauce
- 1 tbsp Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Green Chilli Sauce Optional
- 1 tsp Pepper Powder
- 4 tbsp Sesame or Groundnut Oil
Instructions
- Soak basmati rice for 20 minutes and cook the rice with some salt and oil. Spread the rice in flat plate and add some oil and mix and let it cool down completely. If you are using leftover cooked rice, you can skip this step.
- In the meanwhile, finely chop all the veggies, ginger, garlic and green chillies.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a wok or a wide pan and add the chopped garlic, ginger and green chillies.
- Add chopped onions, carrots and beans and cook on high flame for 3 to 4 minutes. Do not cover and cook or add salt while cooking.
- Next add the chopped cabbage and capsicum and continue to cook on high flame for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Now add soya sauce, vinegar, chilli sauce, salt and some crushed pepper and mix well
- Add the cooked rice and toss well and cook on high flame for 2 to 3 minutes. Add some more freshly cracked pepper powder if required.
- Garnish with some chopped spring onions and serve hot.
Notes
- The rice has to be cooked and perfectly cooled down before it could used for making the fried rice.
- Chop the veggies finely so that they can be flash fried quickly.
- Try using a wok for the best results. The entire cooking has to be done on high flame.
- You could also additionally use other veggies like broccoli, mushrooms and baby corn in this dish and it tastes great.
- You could skip the green chillies and just use green chilli sauce if you are making this recipe for the kids.
- Be careful with the amount of salt that you add, as the cooked rice and soya sauce also contain salt.
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