healthy and must-have food among Asian people likewise Chinese cuisine is also one of the most Cooking is undoubtedly a fine art not everyone can master but with Rasa’s ready-to-use products and a few cooking tips anyone can cook without going through all those hassles.
In this blog, we will be looking into one of our recipes and unravel the rasa for a deliciously self-prepared meal that is also healthy.
Rice is often considered popular & preferred cuisine. Almost everyone is familiar with rice and Chinese food like fried rice. Apart from being healthy and filled with flavours fried rice is also a vegan dish.
Loaded with all kind of veggies and just enough portion of Rasa sauces makes the recipe tastier and more than satisfying.
Feeling hungry already? Alright then, just follow along with the recipe and try to enjoy the cooking process. As Wolfgang Puck famously said, “Cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are only so many notes or colors- there are only so many flavors. It is how you combine those sets you apart”.
Before we dive into the recipe and you wear your apron let’s go through all the necessary ingredients first. You’ll find that most of things mentioned in the list are in your kitchen already except our unique Rasa sauces. So go ahead and order your pack of Rasa Sauces from here:
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked Long Grain Basmati Rice 3½ cup steamed/cooked long grain rice
- 3 tbsp Oil
- 2 tsp Grated Ginger
- 1½ tsp Minced Garlic
- ¼ cup Finely Chopped White Part Of Scallions
- ¾ cup Finely Chopped Onions
- ¾ cup Finely Chopped Green Peppers
- ¾ cup Finely Chopped Cabbage
- ¾ cup Finely Chopped Carrots
- ¾ cup Finely Chopped String Beans
- ½ cup Boiled Green Peas
- 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce Ching’s Dark Soy Sauce
- 1½ tsp White Vinegar
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper Powder
- ¼ cup Finely Chopped Cilantro
- ¼ cup Finely Chopped Green Part Of Scallions
Instructions
1. Wash and soak long grain basmati rice in warm water for 20 minutes.
2. Bring 5 cups of water to boil in a big pot. Add pinch of salt, squeeze of lemon and 1 tsp of oil.
3. Drain soaking rice and add it to the boiling water. Boil it till al dente(cooked so as to be still firm when bitten), holds a little crunch while pressing between fingers.
4. Drain boiling rice using a strainer, run a splash of cold water through the rice and let it drain completely by leaving it in the strainer. You can toss it once or twice to move the grains around while it sits in the strainer.
5. Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a wide pan.
6. Once hot, saute(to fry food quickly in a little fat or oil until it turns brown) ginger, garlic and white part of scallions on medium heat until the raw smell of garlic is gone. Do not burn it.
7. Add in finely chopped onions and green peppers along with ½ tsp of salt. Cook it on high heat for a minute or two.
8. Add in finely chopped cabbage, carrots, string beans and boiled peas. Cook it on high heat for a 2-4 minutes.
9. Add in another ½ tsp of salt and ½ tsp of black peppers powder. Mix well.
10. Add in boiled rice, soy sauce and white vinegar. Mix it very gently to prevent the breaking of rice. You can also use wide spatula, scoop the rice from the edge and wiggle it down. Keep doing it till the rice is well coated with soy sauce and vinegar.
11. Garnish it with finely chopped cilantro and green part of scallions. Mix well by scooping on a spatula and wiggle it down, instead of doing stirring motion.
12. Serve it while its hot with side of chili tofu, chili paneer, gravy manchurian, or any type of Indo Chinese soup!!
How to make Fried Rice Recipe
Prep and Cook Rice
1. A great vegetable fried rice recipe begins with well-cooked white rice. To do so, first, soak 1 cup of basmati rice (190 to 200 grams) in water for 30 mins. Then drain and set rice aside.
TIP: You can opt for a good quality aged long-grained rice if you do not have Basmati rice. Jasmine rice will also work in a pinch.
2. In a large pot add 4 to 4.5 cups of water, ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 to 3 drops of toasted sesame oil (or any cooking oil), and set over high heat on the stovetop.
3. Let the water reach a full boil.
4. Add the soaked and drained basmati rice.
5. Simmer the rice uncovered on medium to medium-high heat.
6. Cook rice until al dente, or just about cooked. It’s important that you do not overcook rice during this step in order to make the best Chinese fried rice dish.
Overcooking rice or even cooking them completely, will break the rice grains while stir-frying.
7. Quickly strain rice in a colander, and let it cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerating rice for 30 minutes also helps. Simply cover cooked rice and refrigerate.
8. You can also rinse the rice with water so that the rice stops cooking. Use your hands to gently stir the cooked rice grains around while rinsing to ensure that every grain is cooled. Then drain thoroughly.
9. Cover cooked rice and set aside to cool.
Prep Vegetables
10. While rice is cooling, finely chop the veggies. Because french beans tend to be tougher than the other mixed vegetables, I recommend chopping them very finely.
You also have the option to blanch them first before adding, or you can begin cooking them in this recipe before the rest of the vegetables are added.
For my favorite version of fried rice recipe you’ll need ¼ cup of each of the following ingredients, finely chopped:
- spring white onions (scallions) (not in the image below)
- carrots
- french beans
- capsicum (bell peppers, your choice of color – green, red or yellow)
Plus about 1 cup of chopped button mushrooms for great earthy, umami flavor.
I also like to include 1 tablespoon of finely chopped celery for the most authentic Chinese-inspired dish. Include ¼ to ½ cup of chopped cabbage if you have them.
Stir Fry Veggies
11. Now it’s time to stir-fry the vegetables. Start by heating 3 tablespoons of preferred cooking oil in a wok or a deep skillet. Add 1 whole star anise and fry for a few seconds, until the oil becomes fragrant.
TIP: Use a good, trusted, heavy pan, skillet, or wok for stir-frying so that the tender fresh veggies do not get stuck or burn when frying at medium to high heat. Use oil having neutral taste and flavors.
12. Then add 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic, and ½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger. Cook for only a moment as you don’t want to brown or burn the garlic.
13. Add the chopped spring onions, and sauté for a minute or two on medium-low to medium heat.
14. Then add the finely chopped french beans – or, add these before the onions if you want a softer bean texture.
15. Continue to stir-fry both the onions and french beans for 2 to 3 minutes over medium to medium-high heat.
16. Now add the remaining finely chopped veggies, including mushrooms and celery. Increase the heat to high to thoroughly cook all of the ingredients.
17. Continuously toss and stir while frying so that the veggies are uniformly cooked and do not get burnt – for about 4 to 6 minutes.
You want the vegetables to be cooked and fried but still retain some great crunch.
Add Seasonings
18. Once the veggies have cooked, add 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. Stir well.
TIP: You can add less soy sauce if you prefer that. I recommend going for naturally brewed soy sauce or tamari.
NOTE: If you do like or prefer soy sauce, then omit it adding to the dish.
19. Taste the dish, and then add ½ a teaspoon of ground black pepper and as much salt as you like.
The Chinese fried rice will already be slightly salty because of the soy sauce, so not much additional salt should be needed.
20. Mix well to combine the flavors.
Make Vegetable Fried Rice
21. You are now ready to put everything together to make the veg fried rice. To the wok or skillet of veggies add the cooked and cooled rice – 1 cup or so at a time.
22. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-high. Use a spoon or spatula to gently fold cooked rice into the mixed vegetables.
23. With the heat still on medium to medium-high, continue to gently mix and fry the vegetables with rice for a couple of minutes.
24. You now have the option to stir in 1 tablespoon of rice wine or rice vinegar (or other mild vinegar), if you like. This adds a terrific note of sourness to the veg fried rice that isn’t necessary but is quite lovely.
25. Lastly, add more fresh chopped spring onions. You can either sprinkle on top as a garnish or mix into the fried rice to incorporate.
26. Serve vegetable fried rice hot by itself for a light yet hearty meal, or enjoy it as a side dish along with your other favorite Chinese recipes.
How long can fried rice stay in fridge?
It stays good for a couple of days. But I would recommend it to be eaten as soon as you can – many days old rice is not good for health.
How to reheat fried rice?
I usually steam them in my Instant-pot for 5 minutes. Sometimes I also stir-fry them in a skillet sprinkling a few splashes of water, so that the rice grains do not dry out.
What goes with Veg Fried Rice?
Though fried rice tastes great on its own, listed below are some sides that pair greatly with vegetable fried rice (these are also my favorites).
Expert Tips
- Cooking rice: Don’t overcook the rice. When first boiling the rice you want to cook the grains so that they’re al dente. Be sure to always drain and completely cool cooked rice before adding it to the stir fry. Wet and/or hot rice will not stir-fry properly, and will wind up soggy in your veg fried rice.
- Protein: For protein, include tofu, seitan, tempeh or for a vegetarian option, add paneer
- Veggies: Use your favorite veggies. I like the carrots, beans, and mushrooms used in this chinese fried rice recipe. However, you can add your preferred choice and quantity of vegetables to your version of veg fried rice.
- Mushrooms: Swap button mushrooms for cremini or shiitake mushrooms. If you do not have mushrooms, then simply do not add them.
- Flavors and seasonings: Add a bit of tomato ketchup for a slightly sweet flavor. To make spicy veg fried rice, add some red chili sauce or green chili sauce along with the soy sauce.
- Celery: I recommend not to skip celery! Finely diced celery adds great texture and taste to this Chinese-inspired recipe. While you certainly can skip adding if you don’t have it available, I highly recommend that you do include it if you are able to.
FAQs
Can I use olive oil for fried rice?
As the stir-frying is done at a high heat, it is best to avoid extra virgin olive oil as it has a low smoke point.
Which oil is best for fried rice?
Oil with a high smoking temperatures are good to make fried rice. For a lovely nutty aroma, I suggest toasted sesame oil but use it on a low heat. Fats like sunflower, avocado, peanut oil and butter are some better options.
What kind of rice is used in Chinese cooking?
Long grained non-sticky rice is usually used in Chinese cooking. Basmati recipe fits the bill as it is long grained and non-sticky as well. Try to use aged basmati rice for best results.
How do you make fried rice not soggy?
Drain your rice thoroughly. There shouldn’t be any liquids or water in them. The cooked rice has to be cooled completely. Adding warm or hot rice while stir-frying will make it soggy and pasty. The cooked rice has to be cold or at room temperature when stir-frying.
