Quick and Easy Fried Rice

Fried rice is a remarkably versatile dish that is good for a simple dinner or for a lavish party presentation. It is the simplest, quickest and most nutritious meal that every lady in today's fast paced world resorts to prepare at least once every week in her kitchen. Though its origins can be traced back to China, this rice dish loaded with veggies and sometime egg and meat, is a staple food in almost every household in every fast-paced country now.

While I do not have a go-to recipe for fried rice, there are two tips that I keep in mind to prepare the perfect fried rice. I would rather abandon a fried rice project than not follow these simple tips to make it. First and foremost, fried rice should always be prepared with cold, preferably refrigerated rice (refrigerated for at least 2 hours). Refrigerating absorbs moisture from the surface of rice, leaving it a little dry to be fried perfectly when tossed in oil. Secondly, never forget spring onions, celery and capsicum. Nothing less. It is only more that you have to add to make a delectable, flavourful rice.

Serves: 8
Preparation Time: 25 minutes 
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 cups cooked long grain rice, cooled and refrigerated for 2 hrs
• 500g chicken strips
• 4 eggs, well beaten
• 2 cups beans, cut into diagonal strips
• 1/2 cup brown onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
• 2 cups carrot, juliennes
• 1/2 cup red capsicum, finely diced
• 1/2 cup minted peas
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp chinese five-spice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup spring onions, green and white parts, sliced into circles

For the mixing sauce

• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp Fountain hot chilly sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp chinese five-spice

Method

1. Stir-fry chicken strips with salt and pepper in 1 tbsp of cooking oil. Remove chicken from pan and cook beans in it with salt until half-done. Keep aside chicken strips and beans separately.
2. Make 4 thin omelets with beaten egg. Cut them into small strips and keep aside.
3. Mix all ingredients 'for the mixing sauce' and keep aside.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok. Add minced garlic and stir. As soon as it starts to change colour, add onion and celery and stir for a few minutes until onion is softened. Add peas, capsicum, carrot and half-cooked beans. Season with salt and pepper keeping in mind that the sauces we add later have salt in them too. Toss for a few minutes and then add stir-fried chicken. Keep stirring and add cooked rice, sesame oil and chinese five-spice. Add sauce mixture and toss well. Season with salt and pepper if required. Remove from fire and then add spring onions and omelet strips and toss well.

Serve hot.....