Mixed Fried Rice

Take boneless chicken – cut into small pieces in a bowl. Add in the soy sauce and a little pinch of baking soda. The little baking soda will tenderize the meat and will retain the juiciness in the meat after cooking without the meat drying out. The baking soda is optional. If you do not want to add it, you can just leave it out. Mix everything well to combine. I used boneless chicken breast today. Chicken thighs also work well in the recipe. Let the chicken marinate for about 15 minutes. Set aside.

Take cleaned and deveined prawns in a bowl. Add in the soy sauce and a little pinch of baking soda. Mix everything well to combine. Do not use big sized prawns. For fried rice, medium sized or even small sized prawns work well. Let the prawns marinate for about 15 minutes. Set aside.

Break three eggs in a bowl. Add little salt and whisk well to combine. If you like the texture and flavour of scrambled eggs in your fried rice, you can add one more egg. Once the eggs are mixed well, Set aside.

Let’s get the rice ready. We will be using basmati rice for the fried rice today. I have taken about a cup of basmati rice today. Wash the rice gently in water once or twice. Soak the rice in water for about 20 minutes. Soaking helps in keeping the rice separate without becoming sticky and gummy.

Once the rice is soaked, drain the water and add it to a pressure cooker. I am using a 5 liter cooker today. Add the water. For one cup rice – I use 1.5 cups of water. Add a stock cube broken into small pieces. The stock cube will nicely flavour the rice. If you dont have a stock cube, add a little salt and proceed with the recipe. Mix well to combine. Cover the pressure cooker and let it cook for two whistles on medium flame.

After the said whistles switch off the flame and let the pressure from the cooker release naturally. Open the cooker and gently fluff up the rice and Set aside on a plate to cool.

Take a pan and add in some oil. Add the marinated prawns to the pan. Saute them for about three to four minutes. Once the prawns are cooked, add in some black pepper powder and mix well to combine. Do not cook the prawns for long. Remove the prawns from the pan and set aside on a plate to cool.

In the same pan, add a little oil. Add the marinated chicken to the pan. Since the chicken is boneless and is cut into small pieces, it will cook fast. Keep sauteing so the chicken browns evenly. Once the chicken is done, add in the black pepper powder and mix well to combine. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate to cool.

Add a little oil to the pan. Add the eggs. Scramble the eggs to a soft consistency. Do not overcook the eggs. Once the eggs are scrambled and done, remove from the pan and set aside on a plate to cool.

Now, let’s assemble the fried rice.

Add a little oil in the pan. I am using Indian style sesame oil. I like the flavour of Indian sesame oil in fried rice. You can use vegetable oil too. Add in the finely minced garlic. Add the finely minced ginger. Add the spring onions – white part only at this stage. Saute for a minute. Add in the finely chopped onions and the red chilli flakes. Saute for a couple of minutes for the onions to become soft. Once the onions are soft, add in the finely chopped carrots and the finely chopped beans. Cook for a few minutes for the veggies to cook. The veggies should be crunchy and not fully cooked for fried rice. Just cook till the veggies are half done. Add the capsicum to the pan. At this stage, add in our cooked chicken, cooked prawns and the scrambled eggs. Mix everything well.

Add in the black pepper powder. Add in a little sugar. The little sugar will nicely balance the flavours. Add in some soy sauce. Add my secret ingredient to the fried rice – little butter. The butter will make the fried rice very glossy and enhance the taste too. Butter makes everything better. Isn’t it? Mix everything well. At this stage, add in the cooked rice and mix well to combine. We have not added any salt as the sauce and the stock cube that we added is itself salty. You can check for seasoning and add salt only if necessary. Finally add in some spring onions and mix well.

Our one pan mixed fried rice is now ready. This protein packed mixed fried rice will surely become a favorite at your home. Serve the fried rice hot.

Enjoy.