On my commute home I had decided to make some fried rice. Mainly because my daughter had called me at work and asked if she could eat bread with her curries for lunch instead of rice, and thus I assumed that there would be a heap of left over rice. However, it seems like she gave up on the idea and ate the rice anyways. Once I'm set on cooking something there is no changing my mind. I have what we like to call "large momentum". Once I get going on an idea there is little that can change my mind however the circumstances change. So I had to cook some new rice and enough for two meals because Wednesdays the kids have to take lunch to school.
Everyone enjoyed the rice and it was requested to be made a regular. Hence I need this blog so I can make it again.
Preparation time: 60 minutes ; serves 6 - 8
Ingredients:
| 3 rice cooker cups | Basmati or other long grain, non-sticky rice |
| 4 rice cooker cups | Cold water |
| 1 l + 4 tbsp. | Oil |
| 325 g | Eggplant |
| 225 g | Carrots |
| 1 tbsp. | Garlic, minced |
| 300 g | Sausages, vegetarian of course! |
| 75 g | Spring onions |
| 300 g | Corn |
| 50 g | Sun dried tomatoes |
| 3 tbsp. | Vegetarian stirfry sauce |
| 1 tbsp. | Soya sauce |
| 1 tbsp. | Ketchup |
Method:
Wash your rice well in cold water until the water is not so white. Usually recipes say until clear, but I have never managed clear. I don't know what that looks like when washing rice!! Then cook your rice either in a rice cooker with 4 cups of water or on the stove top. And here is a short description of how to do this because it seems like a lot of people have forgotten how to do this (like my mother-in-law who is 100% Chinese!).
Put the rice and the water in a heavy bottom pan with a fitting lid. Make sure that the rice is completely covered by the water. Place it on the stove top, on high heat, with the lid on. When the water boils (you will know this because the pot will start splattering and over flowing, can't miss it), take off the lid, reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting, stir the rice, put the lid back on and cook for 20 minutes. If it boils over again, which it might, just take the lid off, release the heat and put it back on again. Do not peep at your rice (unless you are not using a heavy bottom pan and you smell the bottom burning). Once the 20 minutes are up check your rice by eating a little bit. Then stir it again. For this recipe it is best to leave the lid off and allow the moisture to evaporate and the rice to cool.
So having that out of the way... while your rice is cooking prepare the vegetables. I finely sliced my eggplant and started deep frying it while chopping the other vegetables. Just heat the oil, add a 1/4 of the eggplant and fry it until golden brown. You should stir it once in the middle of the frying so that it gets cooked equally on all sides.
Next peel and dice your carrots, mince your garlic, wash and slice your spring onions, cut your sausages into slices, chop your sun dried tomatoes, and crack open the can of corn (yes, use a can and save yourself some time) and drain the water from it. By now you should be done frying the eggplant and it there is a good chance that your rice has cooked. If it hasn't, take a break and clean up the mess!
Once the rice is cooked heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large wok (high heat). First add the carrots and stir fry them until they change colour (they become more yellowy). This takes a couple of minutes. Next add the garlic and mix everything well. Sausages should be added next. You can substitute the sausages with any other type of high protein food, like scrambled eggs, fried tofu sticks, or any of the other types of high protein foods that do not appear in this blog! Fry for another couple of minutes and then add all the other vegetables mixing well.
In a small bowl mix together the 3 sauces and pour them over the vegetables. Again mixing well. Next add the rice and stir until everything is well mixed. Voila you have fried rice!
Enjoy!!
