Vegetable Fried Rice - Indo-Chinese

We love our rice) and the texture is important for that perfect fried rice. Separate grains, not too separate but not mushy either and  dry without any moisture (that's why leftovers work best). Refer step 1 in case you don't have any on hand. Too much of the vegetables makes this dish mushy, so you need the right balance. Apart from that, the seasonings are minimal. I know it sounds too much but trust me, this whole thing would take you just 10 minutes to put together if you have everything on hand. Perfect for all those times when you are short on time, enthusiasm or motivation. Or when you just want to use up leftovers. Or even when you want to make something special. It fits all the needs. And that's what simplicity is all about :) :)

{ Preparation & cooking Time : 35 Min }
      Difficulty : Average
     Meal Type : Vegetarian
           Serves : 2
Cuisines : Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, Vietnamese.


  Ingredients
• 3 cups cooked rice.
• 1/4 cup minced Scallion (Green Onion), sliced thinly - green and white separated
• 1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper.
• 1/2 cup Green peas
• 1/4 cup Green Beans
• 1/4 cup Carrots
• 1/4 cup Cabbage
• 1/4 cup Celery
• 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce (or Tamari), or to taste
• 1 tablespoon Sesame Oil.
• 1 tablespoon Garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon Ginger, peeled and minced.

Optional Additions
• 1 teaspoon Chilli sauce, or to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon Vinegar

Optional Protein Additions
• 1/2 cup Baked Tofu (or)
• 1/2 cup Fried Extra Firm Tofu (or)
• 2 Eggs, scrambled or hard boiled (or)
• 1/2 cup Soya Chunks (meal maker/TVP) (or)
• 1/2 cup fried cubed Tempeh (or)
• 1/2 cup crumbled Seitan (or)
• 1/2 cup Edamame



    Preparation Method
1. If the rice is freshly cooked, set aside to cool naturally (or refrigerate it for at least 3 hours uncovered or until completely dry and grains are easily separated). I use 1 cup raw rice that I cooked in 1-1/2 cups water with 1 tsp vegetable oil. I, at times, also add salt which is optional. Saute the rice in oil until translucent, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. Add water and salt if using. Bring it to boil, stir and then reduce the heat to low-medium. Cover and cook until liquid is absorbed - around 10-12 minutes. Cool as mentioned in the first line.

2. Now heat a wok (or any skillet) in high heat. Make sure to keep all the ingredients already. Add the sesame oil, followed by scallion whites, ginger and garlic.

3. Stir for 5-6 seconds and the minute the aroma starts wafting, add rest of the vegetables.  Make sure nothing burns given that you are cooking in high heat. You want the vegetables to be cooked but still crunchy which is why it is important to chop the vegetables into small pieces (and also keep them uniform in size). Keep stirring. This whole things should take around 30-40 seconds.

Note: If using edamame, thaw it at room temperature or soak in warm water to defrost and add it here. Same for Soy chunks (prep as per package directions and add it here). Seitan can also be added at this point. Rest of the additions, if using, can be added along with rice /or towards the end since they are already cooked.

4. Next add the rice. Stir until combined.

5. Next add the soy sauce (and/or toasted sesame oil + chilli sauce if using). Stir for the flavors to combine. Make sure you don't stir it too much 'cos that might make the rice mushy.

6. Combine well. If it looks dry, you can sprinkle some water. For it to look closer to restaurant style, you would need to add more oil.

Serve garnished with scallion greens. It tastes best when hot. Enjoy them with Gobi Manchurian, Baby Corn Manchurian, Vegetable Manchurian or any other side dish of your choice.

        ENJOY