Veg Fried Riceવેજ ફ્રાઇડ રાઈસ
The best thing to do with yesterday's rice: tossed on high heat with vegetables, garlic and soy. With manchurian beside it, dinner is done.
Ingredients
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- 3 cups cooked rice, cold
- 1 cup finely chopped vegetables (carrot, beans, capsicum, cabbage)
- 5 garlic cloves and spring onion
- 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp vinegar
- Salt and crushed pepper
- 3 tbsp oil
Method
- Loosen the cold rice with a fork; warm rice turns sticky.
- Heat oil in a wok on high and fry the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add the vegetables and toss on high for 2-3 minutes.
- Add soy sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper.
- Add the rice and toss for 2-3 minutes, lifting rather than stirring.
- Finish with spring onion.
Tips
- Day-old rice works best.
- An overcrowded wok steams the rice instead of frying it; do it in batches.
Storing and reheating
Because this is a cooked-rice dish, handle leftovers carefully. Cool it and get it into the fridge within an hour; rice left standing for hours in warm weather is a known cause of food poisoning. It keeps two days refrigerated. Reheat in a kadai with half a teaspoon of oil on high until it is steaming hot right through, never lukewarm.
What you can swap
- No basmati? Any long-grain rice works. Short-grain rice turns sticky.
- No day-old rice? Spread freshly cooked rice thin on a wide plate, cool it, and give it twenty minutes in the fridge.
- Lemon juice can replace the vinegar, but add it off the heat.
- No spring onion? Add finely chopped regular onion at the start and scatter coriander over at the end. Not the same, but it works.
What to serve with it
At home it goes with veg manchurian, chilli paneer or any Indo-Chinese gravy. At children's birthdays and small parties it is laid out alongside the noodles, and it is also the easiest way to use up yesterday's rice.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not press and stir with a flat spatula. You break the grains and the rice turns pasty. Lift and fold with a wide ladle instead.
- Do not pour the soy sauce directly onto the rice. Add it down the side of the pan or over the vegetables so it sizzles; poured on the rice it leaves one dark patch.
- Do not cook the rice with too much water. Soft, clumped rice cannot be rescued later. Cook it only until the grains stay separate.
- Do not salt without tasting. The rice is already salted and soy sauce is salty too.
Questions people ask
Which rice is best for fried rice?
A long-grain variety such as basmati or sona masuri, because the grains stay separate after cooking. Rinse and soak for fifteen minutes, use slightly less water than usual, and take it off the heat while the grain still has a little bite.
Can I use freshly cooked rice?
You can, but it holds more moisture and will clump. If you are in a hurry, spread it thin on a wide plate, cool it under a fan and chill it briefly. Use it once the grains feel dry to the touch.
Why doesn't my fried rice taste like the restaurant version?
Almost always the heat. A restaurant burner runs far hotter than a home stove. To get closer, get the kadai very hot, have everything chopped and lined up beforehand, and cook only enough for two people at a time.
