Fried rice recipe | Indian style

Updated on August 31, 2023 by Raks Anand 84 Comments

Fried rice, Indian style fried rice without any sauces, just vegetables and a dash of pepper. Yet this is packed with the flavors from the fresh vegetables and tossing in high flame gives a lovely aroma. Even beginners can easily follow the recipe and nail it!

This is perfect when you want anything quick yet with vegetables. Packs well for a lunch box too!

Check out my chilli paneer recipe and gobi manchurian recipe in this website that goes well with this.

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About fried rice
Step by step
My notes
Recipe card

For me fried rice means Chinese style, until last week when we visited Kailash Parbat for a dinner treat.

Though the restaurant is famous for chaats, that day, more than that I loved this Fried rice which was not the Chinese style one, but it was Indian style.

It had only vegetables no sauces, but was so flavourful! Was so simple that, I could really guess the ingredients and very tempted to try at home. The very next day, I made for lunch with Gobi Manchurian, as the previous day I had only as such.

The recipe is so so so simple. Only thing to do is cut the veggie finely.

It's very flavourful but a quick fix, you can try for lunch box too with any indo chinese side.

About fried rice

Fried rice is very popular globally because it is easy to put together, versatile and quick to prepare. Indo-Chinese fried rice is really popular street food throughout India.

Basically fried rice is cooked rice tossed along with vegetables and other ingredients in oil, until you hear a crackling sound. The rice gets slightly crisp that's why you hear the sound when it gets fried in the high flame in oil.

The vegetables and rice gets a smoky flavour as they toss in high flame and it catches fire in flame. Usually there is a protein factor as well but I made it just with vegetables. If you want, you can add a hand full of sprouts or paneer too.

Sauces like soya sauce, chilli sauce and ajinomoto are added, but what I made here is homestyle which any Indian household does in early days.

Step by step

Cook rice

Refrigerated leftover rice works best for a fried rice. But here's how to cook rice.
I used basmati rice, so firstly clean, soak rice in hot water for 10 mins.
Then, cook rice with 1 & ½ cup water for 3 whistles and spread in a plate to cool down. Sprinkle a dash of salt and oil.
Put in the refrigerator for perfect texture.

Prepare fried rice

Chop veggies finely so that it will get cooked easily in short period of time.
Then, heat a wok or a broad pan with oil. When it's hot, add the veggies with sugar and fry for a minute in high flame or until it's cooked, but retains its crunchiness.

2. Toss if you know the knack so that the flame gives the veggies a smokey flavour. For this, you need more oil.

3. Lastly add pepper, spring onion and give it a fry.

4. After that, add cooked, rice and stir till it gets heated up. All should be done in high flame. You should hear rice crackling sound that's the right stage to stop.

My notes

Any oil like sunflower, olive oil or sesame oil can be used.
You can try the same with left over rice by keeping it overnight in fridge.
Add ajinomoto and soya sauce in this same recipe for indo Chinese version
I added black pepper, but white pepper can be added for more colourful result. Add just ¼ teaspoon for this recipe.
Adding sugar to retain colour.
Any rice can be used, just make sure the rice is cooked with less water to get separate grain.
Veggies should not be over cooked for this mainly, so make sure its just crunchy.

It is simple yet packed with flavours! The basmati rice will dominate and makes an awesome combo with the pepper and veggies flavor...The crunchy veggies compliments this well. I never thought it would turn out so good… Try yourself to believe it!

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5 from 3 votes