Veggie Fried Rice is a delicious rice recipe brimming with colorful vegetables and flavorful seasoning. A perfect main course dish full of flavors that the whole family will love. It is ready in 10 minutes when you have cooked rice in hand. This fried rice tastes great on its own or serve with any manchurian gravy.
Veggie fried rice tastes better when fried in small batches. Cook the rice ahead of time giving ample amount of time to cool results in a non sticky fried rice. With just following a few tips you can make a restaurant equivalent recipe.
Here a basic version of fried rice that is simple and quick to make. Enhance this recipe more by adding additional sauces or veggies to suit your taste buds.
Add toasted sesame oil to the finished fried rice to enhance flavor. This fried rice is mildly seasoned so it nicely pairs with any asian flavor main courses.
If planning for a perfect weekend meal try this out with CAULIFLOWER MANCHURIAN or any Chinese gravy of choice.
INGREDIENTS FOR VEGGIE FRIED RICE
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- Rice : AnyLong grain rice , basmati rice or jasmine rice works better. Fat and short grains has lot of startch content and results in a sticky end result.
- Veggies : Most common veggies used for a fried rice and carrots, green peas, cabbage, spring onions, beans, bell peppers(capsicum).
- Seasonings : Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Salt and Pepper are a must. Can use chili sauces to spicy up the rice.
- Others : Chopped Garlic and Ginger.
WHAT RICE WORKS BETTER TO MAKE FRIED RICE?
Long grain basmati rice has a nice aroma on its own upon cooking and is not so sticky. Any Long grain rice works better for this recipe.
HOW TO COOK RICE PERFECTLY?
Instead of cooking rice 100% in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot cook rice till al dente.
Soak rice for 15 mins and cook upto 80 percent in a pot with more water. Boil the water and add rice for a cook for few minutes only. Check rice to see if it cooked and each grain is separated.
Drain water from rice immediately in a collander and fluff rice with a fork and let cool completely before making the fried rice.
HOW TO MAKE VEGGIE FRIED RICE?
Start by cooking the rice ahead and let it cool completly. Rice cooked in the morning or left over rice also works perfect. Key to a dry fried rice is cooled rice.
Thinly slice veggies and onions. Gather soy sauce, vinegar and chili sauce required for the recipe and mix in a small bowl and set aside.
The veggies has to be cooked slight, they have to be crisp and not soft, so there is very little time to stop over cooking them. Mixing the sauces ahead will save ample time.
Heat a wok and add some oil. when sizzing hot add crushed ginger, crushed garlic and onions. Stir quickly and the veggies that cook longer like carrots, beans etc..
When slightly cooked add the rest of the veggies like cabbage, peppers, cooked peas etc.
Season with salt & pepper and sauces. Add cooked rice and toss the wok to mix. You and also use a spatulla, but a couple of mixes should do the trick.
Garnish with spring onions and serve hot with chioce of gravy or with manchurian.
TOP TIPS FOR MAKING VEGGIE FRIED RICE
- Do not over cook the rice it might result in a mushy fried rice. Use any kind of long grain rice only.
- Chop the vegatbles finely to a simlar size to avoid over cooking or burning. While adding the vegatables add in the order that required more cooking first. Ex: Carrot and beans take longer to cook than bell peppers.
- Use a Wok or a Cast iron skillet that has high heat tolerance.
- Stir fry your veggies for a few minutes on very high flame so have all your seasoning, rice ready for a perfect fried rice.
- Cook in small batches for the flavors to infuse well not more than 2 -3 serving at a time.
- Cool your rice completely before adding to the fried rice. Hot rice makes the recipe mushy.If possible cook rice ahead to save time.
VARIATIONS AND OPTIONAL ADD-INS
Adding few sauces to this basic recipe yields different flavorful fried rices.
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- Spicy Schezwan Fried Rice : Add Schezwan sauce or sri racha to make it more spicier. Lessen the use of Soy sauce while adding other sauces.
- Veggies : Add additional veggies like broccoli, mushrooms, baby corn to make fried rice varaition woth more veggies
- Sweetened Fried Rice : Add small pieces of pineapple to spicy fried rice if you love a ting of sweet in your fried rice.
- Protien : Add Panner or Tofu for a protein filled recipe if vegetarian option.
- Mushroom Fried rice : Add sauted mushrooms to the fried rice to make a mushroom fried rice.
- Manchurian Fried Rice: Add Manchurian balls to the while stir frying for this kind of fried rice.
- Garlicy Fried Rice : Add more garlic to the fried rice than regular recommened for a more garlicy flavor fried rice.
WATCH VEGGIE FRIEd RICE RECIPE VIDEO HERE
Veggie Fried Rice
Equipment
- Wok or Pan
Ingredients
To cook Rice
- 1 cup Long Grain Basmati Rice
- 1 tsp oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 5 cups water
For Fried Rice
- 1 tsp butter optional for flavor only
- 1 tsp oil use 2 tsps if skipping butter
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic 2 no.
- 1 tbsp chopped ginger 1 inch piece approx.
- 4 tbsp spring onions
- ¼ cup carrots
- ¼ cup cabbage
- ¼ cup peppers
- ¼ cup green peas
- 2 green chiles to add some spice (skip if needed)
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp pepper powder
- salt to taste
Instructions
Cook Rice
- Soak Rice for 30 mins. Boil water in a pan, add salt & oil.
- Add Rice and cook for 2- 3 minutes till al dente ( 80 percent cooked). Drain rice in a collander and spread with a fork and cool completely.
For Fried Rice
- Heat a Wok or a heavy bottom pan and add some butter and oil.Add ginger,garlic, onions, carrots, peppers,green peas and saute for minute on high flame.
- Add vinegar, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Mix together.
- Add Cooked Rice and mix on high flame till everything is mixed for minute.
- Garnish with spring onions and serve hot with a side or as is.
