Type Rice dish Place of origin Various | Region or state Worldwide | |
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Variations Bokkeum-bapChāhanChǎo fànKhao phatNasi goreng Similar | ||
How to make vegetable fried rice
Fried rice is a dish of cooked rice that has been stir-fried in a wok or a frying pan and, usually, mixed with other ingredients, such as eggs, vegetables, and meat, and as such, often served as a complete dish. It is a popular component of East and Southeast Asian cuisines. As a homemade dish, fried rice is typically made with leftover ingredients (including vegetables and/or meat) from other dishes, leading to countless variations, being an economic hodgepodge like it is done with fried noodles or pyttipanna.
Contents
Many popular varieties of fried rice have their own specific list of ingredients. In Greater China, the most famous varieties include Yangzhou fried rice and Hokkien fried rice. Other East Asian varieties are either derived from Chinese fried rice dishes (Japanese chāhan) or not (Korean bokkeum-bap). In South East Asia, Indonesian-, Malaysian-, and Singaporean- nasi goreng and Thai khao phat are popular dishes. In the west, most restaurants catering to vegetarian or Muslim clientele have invented their own varieties of fried rice including egg fried rice and the spicy Indonesian nasi goreng.
Fried rice is also seen in other American restaurants, even in cuisines with no native tradition of the dish.
Vegetable fried rice
Preparation
Leftover rice is generally used because the moisture in freshly cooked rice will cause it to steam instead of fry. The oil may be seasoned with aromatics such as garlic before the rice and other ingredients are stir-fried together in a wok. Other ingredients vary: they can include eggs, meat (chicken, beef, or cured pork), char siu pork, seafood (shrimp or lobster), vegetables (carrots, broccoli, bean sprouts, celery, peas, corn), mushrooms, spices and peppers, and soy sauce or sometimes oyster sauce. The base of vegetable fried rice does not contain any meat or seafood; others are named for the primary addition (e.g. "chicken fried rice" or "shrimp fried rice"). Other "house" versions may contain several meats and seafoods. It is often stir-fried in a wok with vegetable oil or pork fat to prevent sticking, as well as for flavor. Onions, scallion and garlic are often added for extra flavor. It is popularly eaten either as an accompaniment to another dish, or as a course by itself.
Popular garnishes include fried shallots, sprigs of parsley or coriander leaves, carrots carved into intricate shapes, pickled vegetables, sliced cucumber, tomato or sliced chili sprinkled on top of the heaped rice.
Fried rice is a popular street food in Asia. In some Asian countries, there are some small restaurants, street vendors and travelling hawkers that specialized on serving fried rice. In Indonesia it is common to find fried rice travelling street hawkers with their cart stationed in busy street or frequenting residential areas in the city. Many food stands found on the streets across Southeast Asia serve fried rice with a selection of garnishes and side dishes that the customer can choose to add.