Quick Vegetable Fried Rice

 

I had a lot of leftover rice from last night and today, voila, a quick lunch was ready in 15 minutes.

Fried rice is always relished by everyone with either a salad on the side or with soup or some vegetable curry. My version today is a quick Chinese twist using soy sauce and chili-garlic paste.  I always have soy sauce in my pantry and chili-garlic paste in my refrigerator, either store bought or home made. With some vegetables of your choice, making this fast dish is fast and easy.

Quick Vegetable Fried Rice

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time : 5 minutes

Ingredients:

Cooked rice- 1 cup

Onions ( chopped)-1 medium sized

Carrots, capsicum or bell pepper and cabbage : 1/2 cup each (chopped finely)

Garlic : 2 cloves, finely chopped or grated

Ginger :  1/2 inch piece, grated or chopped

Green chillies - 2, slit or cut into roundels

Chili-garlic paste - 1 teaspoon

Soy sauce - 2 teaspoons

Vegetable Oil - 2 tablespoons

Salt to taste

Method:

Heat the oil in a kadai or wok. When it is hot, add the onions, garlic, ginger and green chillies and saute on a high flame for 1 minute. Add the chilli-garlic paste and fry for a few seconds.

Add the vegetables (carrots, bell pepper and cabbage) and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Do not over cook. They should remain crisp. Add the rice, soy sauce and salt to taste and mix.

Remember, soy sauce has salt, so add salt accordingly. Keep stirring on a high heat for few more minutes till heated through.

Serve it hot.

Note:

This dish can be prepared with cooked noodles too. For added protein, you can add cubed paneer, tofu or even chicken.

Handy Tip:

For fried rice, use only cold cooked rice, preferably a day old. Freshly cooked hot rice will be too soft and will make the dish unappetizing. Rice can also be cooked fresh and cooled well, before using in fried rice recipes.