Fried rice...

Quick, easy, delicious.... Fried Rice is a life savior for me. Whether I'm not in a mood to cook something elaborate or preparing a special dinner for my family, in several occasions I end up with this simple fried rice. Add loads of veggies and meat, it is a dish in itself. Or keep it simple and serve with chilli chicken, sweet and sour chicken or chilli fish. It is versatile. Vegetarian or non-veg, it tastes good either way. And it is a great way to end up your leftover rice.

I use cooked jasmine rice to make fried rice. If you do not get jasmine rice, use good quality long grain rice. It is better if you are using cooked rice made last night or cooked at least 6-8 hrs before preparing the fried rice. To know to how to cook jasmine rice click here.

Things needed to make Fried Rice:

• Cooked jasmine rice: 4 cups
• Carrot: 1/4 cup
• Green pea: 1/4 cup
• Bell peppers: 1/4 cup
• Onion: 3 tbsp
• Garlic: 1 tsp
• Spring onion (the green part): a handful
• Egg: 2
• Soy sauce: 2-3 tbsp
• Sesame oil: 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Sugar: 1 tsp
• Black pepper powder for seasoning
• Oil to cook

Steps of making Fried Rice:

1. In a wok heat 2-3 table spoons of oil. When the oil is hot add finely chopped garlic, cook for 1 min over high heat, do not burn. Add chopped onions, cook till transparent. Add carrots and cook till tender. Add other vegetables, salt, sugar and cook for 3-4 min. Do not overcook the vegetables, keep them a bit crunchy. You can use any vegetables of your choice.

2. Push aside the vegetables on a side of the wok. Lightly beat the eggs with a pinch of salt. Add a teaspoon of oil and when the oil is hot, add the beaten eggs. As the egg sets a bit, mix it with all the vegetables. Cook for 2 min.

3. Add cooked rice, soy sauce, salt, black pepper, sesame oil and mix well. Break the lumps of cooked jasmine rice before adding. Cook for 3-4 min over high heat, keep tossing the rice. If you are using chicken or other meat or seafood, add the pre-cooked meat or seafood along with the rice(see note below). Take care not to burn the rice, adjust the heat accordingly.

4. Sprinkle chopped spring onion and serve immediately.

NOTE: To add chicken, cut chicken breasts into thin strips, fry the chicken strips with a little salt and black pepper powder. Keep aside. Add it along with the rice. Same way you can add shrimp, fry the shrimps and keep aside, add along with the rice.

Check these recipe to go with the fried rice:

• Chilli chicken
• Chilli fish
• Sweet n sour chicken
• Orange chicken
• Cashew chicken

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How to cook jasmine rice...

How many of you love the fried rice from a Chinese take out? I know most of you are raising your hand. But what makes that fried rice special is the basic ingredient, the rice. The Chinese fried rice we eat from these take outs use Jasmine rice. Jasmine rice is a mildly fragrant rice variety from Thailand, used in Southeast Asian cooking. The cooked rice has a sticky moist texture. Sometimes it is confused with Basmati rice from India, but these two are very different. Never replace one with the other. Use basmati rice for making pulao, biryani etc, and use jasmine rice to make Chinese fried rice, Thai rice preparations etc.

If you haven't cooked jasmine rice before, it may be a little tricky, as cooking jasmine rice requires as little water as possible. The rice should be steamed rather than boiled. Properly cooked jasmine rice results into fluffy, slightly chewy, fragrant, well formed grains. This cooked rice can be served plain with little soy sauce, sesame oil and a sprinkle of spring onion or you can make it into a delicious fried rice. But before going into the fried rice part, one needs to know how to cook jasmine rice. It is easy, but you may need to try 2-3 times to perfect it. There are a few little techniques I have learnt while cooking this particular rice and I would love to share my experience with you all.

To be honest, the first time I cooked jasmine rice I was really disappointed. I thought I wasted my money buying a bag full of jasmine rice. After that the bag was sitting quietly in my kitchen cupboard. I found it while making place for other stuff. I was not sure whether I should give it a try or not, hesitantly I tried and to my surprise it came out good. And after that there was no looking back, I regularly use jasmine rice to go with Thai and Chinese dishes and of course for making fried rice. There are various different brands of jasmine rice available in the market. I use long grain, white jasmine rice.

With time I have tried to improve the outcome, and this is the full proof method of cooking jasmine rice, I follow.

Things needed to make Jasmine Rice:

• Jasmine Rice: 1 cup
• Water: 2 cups
• Salt: 3/4 tsp
• Oil: 1 tbsp
• Lime juice: few drops
• A deep pan with tightly fitted lid
• A fork or chopsticks

Steps of making Jasmine rice:

Measure the rice, wash it till the water runs clear. And make sure you have washed the rice well. Measure water with the same cup used for measuring the rice. In a deep pan add washed rice and water, add all the other ingredients. Cover the pan and let it boil, as the water boils reduce the heat to medium and keep the lid ajar (half open). Give one or two gentle stir in between. Cook till all water evaporates. Switch off heat, remove the pan from heat, cover the pan and rest the rice for 10-12 min. Open the lid and fluff the rice gently with a fork or chopstick. Serve hot.

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