Tuesday 7 July 2009

Quick Fried Rice - with Vegetables

What do you do when you have leftover rice in the refrigerator? I know there are several recipes in which it can be used, but the most common use which I have seen in Indian households is to temper it with cumin or mustard seeds, and / or fry with onions to make Jeera Rice or Lemon rice. Turmeric is often added to the rice to give it a fresh color – Sanjeev Kapoor once said that Indians have a dissonance when a dish is white in color and is served hot, and hence they add turmeric to add color. Quite true actually.
My favorite leftover rice recipe is the quick fried rice with veggies – lots of them. Sometimes I add an egg to it, but most of the times its just rice, stir fried vegetables, salt and pepper.


Ingredients:
Cooked rice: 1 cup (preferably leftover, and kept in the refrigerator for sometime)
Onion (sliced): 1 small
Capsicum (sliced / cut in cubes): 1 (You can use different colored bell peppers)
Mushrooms (sliced): 3 – 4
Peas (frozen): ¼ cup
Frozen Mixed vegetables – chopped carrots, beans, cauliflower, broccoli, corn: ½ cup
Spring onion greens (finely chopped)
Oil (Vegetable / Olive): 2 tbsp
Salt, Pepper: To taste

If the vegetables / peas are not frozen, cook them with 1 ½ cup of water in a microwave for 5 min or till par boiled. Drain the water before using.

Method:
- Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan / kadhai. Add the onions and stir fry on medium – high heat till translucent
- Add the mixed vegetables and stir fry for 2 – 3 minutes
- Add mushrooms and capsicum and stir for another 2 – 3 minutes till the water from the mushrooms has evaporated
- Add the spring onion greens, rice, salt and pepper and mix well
- Stir for another minute
- Serve hot

3 comments:

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