Make non-greasy fried rice at home

There was a time, whether it was a birthday party or a treat or just returning from shopping or lazy to cook at home or dining out or catching up with a friend, we used to order fried rice/ noodles. It was the beginning of the fast food era and fried rice was the most sought out - veg fried rice, paneer fried rice egg fried rice, chicken fried rice, schezwan fried rice and the list goes on. Somehow I wasn't a fan of fried rice nor the noodles made at the eateries, though I love watching the preparation - tossing the veggies, rice/ noodles together. Yeah you got me. I admit I was and am still a fuddy duddy. Though I accept greasy food tastes the best, I am scared of them because of their ill effects to health, especially the reheated oil, MSG (ajinomoto) used in its preparation.

Fried rice was originally a chinese dish, which is believed to be prepared to use the left overs - rice, vegetables and meat. But it created quite a stir in Asian countries and is still topping the fast food charts. I too like fried rice and prefer to cook at home with ingredients I know. This is one such simple and healthy recipe I indulge in, quite often. If we have left over rice, it hardly takes 15-20 mins to make it. 

I don't use any sauce and it still tastes amazing. The trick is the combo of green chilies-garlic-pepper powder. It is healthier too as I dump in lots of veggies, olive oil and butter for the fats and some protein like paneer or tofu. If you eat egg or meat, you can add those for your protein. Or keep it simple by making just veg fried rice with a side of your choice of protein. Undoubtedly, you can give it to your kid's lunch box. When you have these many positives, doesn't recipe becomes a must try? So scroll down to know how to make.

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Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice - 1 cup
• Onions - 1 medium sized 
• Green chilies - 2 (chopped)
• Garlic - 6 to 8 cloves
• Ginger - 1/2 inch
• Capsicum - 1/2 
• Bell Pepper - 1/2
• Carrot - 1
• Paneer - 100 gms
• Oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
• Butter - 1 tbsp
• Tomato ketchup - 1 tbsp
• Pepper powder - Per taste
• Salt - Per taste
• Lime juice - 1 tsp

Procedure:

• Wash and soak basmati rice for half an hour
• Boil 4 cups of water in a vessel. Once water boils, add a tsp of oil, 1/2 tsp of salt and the soaked rice
• Cook until the rice is 80% done
• Drain the rice completely and allow it to cool down
• Meanwhile cut all the veggies into even sized thin slices and chop garlic and ginger into small pieces
• To a pan add a tbsp of oil and a tbsp of butter. Once it is hot, add the garlic-ginger pieces and fry until it turns golden brown
• Then add green chilies and onions and fry them well
• Once the onions turn translucent, add the vegetables and toss them on high flame. Tossing them on high flame helps to evaporate the moisture from the veggies immediately
• After 3-4 minutes, add a tbsp of tomato ketchup and fry for a minute
• Add crumbled paneer and mix well
• After a minute, add the cooked rice, salt and pepper to taste and fry until rice is hot and absorbs all the flavours
• Fry for 3-4 minutes, switch off the flame and add the lime juice and give it a good mix
• Serve the fried rice while hot, with some chips or sauce 

Tips:

• Instead of Basmati, you can use normal rice like sona masoori or ponni. Alternatively you can also use left over rice
• Fried rice comes out perfect when cooked with fluffy rice. So don't over cook the rice
• You can add fried tofu/ paneer cubes, spring onions, mushrooms, cauliflower, cabbage or any vegetable that doesn't release water, to make this fried rice
• You can add 10 cherry tomatoes instead of adding tomato ketchup. They add an unique taste to the dish

Check out the video recipe below.