on Feb 27, 2021, Updated Aug 29, 2023 If you are a fan of Chinese take-out, try these recipes: Egg Foo Young, Hunan Chicken, Thai Chicken Drunken Noodles, and Cantonese Pan Fried Noodles.
About Vegetable Fried Rice
If you are a Chinese food fan like me, vegetable fried rice must be a regular feature on your table. I have been making vegetable fried rice for a long time, and I can safely say that this recipe beats any takeout any day. Following a few tips, you can make smoky, delicious, and flavorful restaurant-style veg fried rice in under 30 minutes. The best part is that you can customize it according to your preferences. You can add the veggies you like, adjust the sauces, and choose the variety of rice you want—fun, right? Good veg fried rice is all about smoky flavors, vibrant colors, and a perfect balance of sauces, and this recipe has it all. Serve it with Indo-Chinese gravies like Sweet and Sour Vegetables, Vegetables In Hot Garlic Sauce, or Veg Manchurian.
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Freshly made rice results in soggy, sticky rice, which we do not seek. I like to make this dish using non-sticky medium-grain rice, such as Jasmine, basmati, or Indian Sona Masuri. However, any non-sticky white rice you have at hand works fine. To make the dish healthier, you can replace white rice with brown rice, quinoa, couscous, or millet. Vegetables add a nice crunch, color, and freshness, and this is a great recipe for using leftover vegetables from the refrigerator. Use as many vegetables as you like. I have added onions, celery, carrots, cabbage, and green onions. You can add other veggies like mushrooms, red bell peppers, green peas, green bell peppers, water chestnuts, bok choy, green beans, zucchini, broccoli, asparagus, snow peas, etc. Make sure to cut the veggies in equal sizes. It looks pleasing to the eyes and also makes the cooking uniform. Oil – You can use olive, avocado, canola, or any other oil with a high smoke point. I added a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil at the end of cooking, adding a very traditional Asian flavor. Others – You will need other ingredients such as fresh ginger, garlic, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, salt, and ground black pepper. Use regular white vinegar if rice vinegar is not available. To make this dish gluten-free, replace the soy sauce with tamari. If you are watching your salt intake, use low-sodium soy sauce. I have seen some people add some star anise powder to this rice. You can try that, too. Note – Fry it in batches if you are making a big portion. Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add the following ingredients and fry for 20-25 seconds, stirring frequently.
2 tablespoon minced garlic 2 tablespoon minced ginger 2 teaspoon chopped green chilies
Add the following ingredients and saute for 30-40 seconds.
½ cup of finely cubed carrots (¼ inch cubes) 2 cups of shredded cabbage 4-5 green beans (finely chopped)
2 teaspoon dark soy sauce 2 teaspoon rice vinegar 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
Crumble 3 cups of cooked and cooled rice to separate each grain and add it to the wok. Mix well to coat the rice with the sauces. Garnish with 2 tablespoon chopped green onions and serve hot. To save time, you can use pre-cut vegetables, which are easily available these days in supermarkets. Restaurants add Ajinomoto (MSG, Chinese salt) to their preparations, giving the dishes a lovely umami flavor. If you are not allergic to Ajinomoto, add a teaspoon to the sauces. Make sure the veggies are at room temperature. If they are cold, they will release moisture and become soggy. The choice of wok is very important. Use carbon steel or a cast iron wok, and always stir fry on the highest heat possible. Be quick while stir-frying. Prepare all the ingredients and arrange them next to the stove. Soy sauce is quite salty on its own. So be careful of the extra salt that you add. You can double or triple the recipe. If scaling, I suggested stir-frying the rice in batches for the best flavor.
