Fried rice is a versatile dish varying in flavours from subtle to spicy. The origin of fried rice lies in basically the concept of utilizing the leftover cooked rice, meat & vegetables. It’s made by stir-frying cooked rice in a wok/kadhai or frying pan, along with some lard or oil, vegetables/meat or seafood or combination of all of them. Garlic, ginger, Soy sauce are generally common ingredients forming the base of any variety of fried rice. Since generally fried rice is cooked on high flame/heat, it gets a distinct texture & a sort of smokiness.  

According to my internet research, fried rice originated during Sui Dynasty in China. There are regional variations even within China like Yangzhou fried rice from Yangzhou (usually containing pork, sea cucumber, crab meat, scrambled egg, etc); Hokkien/Fujian fried rice from Hong Kong/Taiwan (containing thick sauce & egg) & Sichuan/Szechwan fried rice from Sichuan (spicy & tangy tasting). However, there is no straightforward recipe for cooking fried rice. One can combine anything that’s available in one’s fridge with cooked rice, add different types of sauces & spices as per one’s preference & create one’s unique fried rice recipe. The rice provides a blank canvas to the flavour profile of different ingredients.

In fact, once I had cooked two different versions of fried rice at the same time catering both vegetarian & non-vegetarian members of my family. The vegetarian version contained veggies like carrots, capsicum/bell peppers, mushrooms & spring onions with chilli-garlic sauce along with soy sauce whereas the non-vegetarian version contained shredded chicken with scrambled eggs, spring onions, and pepper with soy sauce. Both the dishes had distinct flavours & were hit in the respective target audience.

While I was in Denver (US), I had fried rice with whole snap beans in it. Some restaurants also served fried rice with green peas whereas Indian restaurants serve fried rice with cabbage. My favourite concept restaurants in Denver were ‘make your own style’. One can go ahead add meats, veggies, sauces & even toppings like fried noodles or crunchy peanuts as per one’s own choice in the rice & create one’s unique fried rice.  

Here’s my recipe of Vegetarian fried rice:

Ingredients:

1. Leftover rice from the previous night (in case you want to cook fried rice from freshly cooked rice; reduce the proportion of water to rice. Generally, for cooking normal Indian variety of rice the ratio of rice to water is 1:2; for cooking fried rice from fresh rice make the proportion 1:1.75) (this ensures comparatively less-moist rice, which is essential for making fried rice.)
2. Finely chopped ginger
3. Finely chopped garlic
4. Finely chopped green chillies (what are commonly referred to as Thai chillies in the US; use with caution, they are very hot; avoid if you don’t like spicy food)
5. Finely chopped onions (I like red onions)
6. Finely chopped/shredded carrots
7. Finely chopped capsicum/green bell pepper
8. Sliced spring onions & greens
9. Soy sauce (I prefer dark)
10. Chilli vinegar (again its a personal preference rice vinegar or synthetic vinegar works fine)
11. Chili-garlic sauce (green chilli sauce works well too)
12. Oil
13. Salt & pepper for seasoning

Method:

1. In a wok add oil (sesame/sunflower/canola/maize)
2. When oil heats up add ginger, garlic & green chillies. Sauté till the raw smell is gone.
3. Add onions, carrots, capsicum, spring onion whites.
4. Sauté the veggies till they are half done. (don’t overcook, it’s essential that veggies retain certain bite)  
5. Add soy sauce, vinegar, chilli garlic sauce. Mix well.
6. Add rice. Mix well again. (Use high flame/heat).
7. Season with salt & pepper. (Taste the rice before adding seasoning; all the Chinese sauces generally contain salt. Add seasoning accordingly.)
8. Serve hot.

(You can add pre-cooked shredded chicken or diced pork in the above recipe & serve with sunny side up egg. The yolk provides natural sauce to the rice.)

Qǐng màn yòng (Bon Appetit)……