Indian Fried Rice
If you're guilty of cooking too much rice, then Fried Rice is the solution!
Rice is one of the most beloved ingredients in the Indian kitchen. It’s used in savoury and sweet dishes. Along with rice, herbs and spices or Masala as it’s called in Hindi, are also abundant in the Indian cuisine. It’s tantalizing aroma’s, spicy flavours and beautiful vibrant colours can be quite intimidating, but when you learn to play with flavours and adapt them to your own taste, it can become less scary. When I came up with this recipe this was exactly what I did. I combined these two cherished ingredients as I wanted something different with my leftover rice; something more aromatic, savoury and vibrant in colour.
This Indian Fried Rice is therefore full of aroma's and colourful veggies. I’ve used a lot of warm spices such as, ground coriander seeds which gives a sweet aromatic citrus taste. Turmeric which instantly turns the colour of the rice into a beautiful deep mustard colour. Whole cumin seeds which resemble caraway seeds and add so much flavour and depth to the rice. Curry leaves, which gives another aromatic citrus accent to this dish and of course Garam Masala – the mother of all masala’s. For this recipe I've used my own blend which I will post soon on my blog, but in the meantime you can find lots of recipes online or you can even buy a store-bought brand.
The aromatic spices in this rice create an abundance of rich flavours!
When I said that this Indian Fried Rice can be made in less than half an hour I wasn't kidding! Most of the ingredients are either dried, fresh, canned or come out of the freezer. It is however easier when you have all the ingredients at home but since there’s no meat involved you'll spend less time cooking and prepping.
When you’re trying out this recipe you can either buy all the ingredients or be adventurous and use whatever vegetable there is in your “house”. Just keep in mind that some vegetables which are crunchier take longer to cook and those that don’t take less time. However, you’ll need most of the spices to get that Indian flavour. Whichever way you’re trying, this Indian Fried Rice will be a nice change when it comes to the all-time favourite Chinese Fried Rice!
This Indian Fried Rice is a true gamechanger. Try it out yourself!
Indian Fried Rice
- Prep: 10 min
- Total: 30 min
Vegetables
Ingredients
Note: this recipe serves two persons. Please double the quantities for more servings.
Vegetables
- ¼ cup canned chickpeas
- ¼ cup carrots (I’ve used purple carrots which I got from The Hague Market)
- ¼ cup of peas
- half of a white onion (normal size)
- 2 or 3 garlic cloves (I love garlic so I used 3 cloves)
- 1 small red chili (if you don’t like it too spicy use a few pieces or deseed them)
- fresh coriander (use as much as you like or leave it out if you’re not a fan)
Spices
- 1 tsp of ground coriander seed
- 1 tsp of chili powder (optional)
- 1 tsp of ginger powder
- 1 tsp of turmeric powder
- 1 tsp of onion seed (optional)
- 1 tsp of whole cumin seed
- 3 or 4 dried/fresh curry leaves (fresh is better)
- ½ tsp salt (add more salt to your taste)
- 1 ½ tbsp of Garam Masala
- 2 ½ cups of rice (I’ve used a two days old cooked Basmati rice)
- 2 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Remove the chickpeas from the can and rinse them off. Finely slice the onion, garlic, carrots and chili.
- Add 1 tbsp of oil in the pan and heat it up. Then add the onion, garlic, chili, carrots and chickpeas. Let the veggies cook for 5 min on a medium heat before you add the peas. This way the carrots and chickpeas will soften a bit but will still hold their crunch. If you want them cooked through then cook them a bit longer.
- When the veggies are cooked add all the spices to the pan. The mixture will become quite dry so add another tablespoon of oil and cook this for a few minutes before you add the rice*
*My rice was two days old and very cold because I kept it in the fridge that’s why I added a bit of water. But if you use fresh cooked rice this is not necessary. Also make sure you flatten the big chunks of rice.| - When the rice is completely mixed with all the spices and veggies add the fresh coriander and serve immediately.
You can serve this Indian Fried Rice with a yoghurt raita, a fresh salad or a mint chutney.
If you make my recipes please tag me in them and use #thespicedchickpearecipes. I'd love to see what you've made!