Veg fried rice

INGREDIENTS (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

for cooking the rice:

• 1 cup long grained rice or basmati rice
• 4.5 to 5 cups water
• ½ tsp salt or as required
• 2 to 3 drops of oil

rest of the ingredients:

• ¼ cup each of finely chopped spring onion whites/scallions, carrots, french beans, cabbage, mushrooms, capsicum or bell peppers (green, red or yellow) or about 1.5 to 2 cups finely chopped vegetables
• 3 to 4 small sized garlic chopped or ¾ tsp finely chopped garlic
• ½ inch ginger, finely chopped (optional)
• 1.5 to 2 tsp finely chopped celery, skip if you do not have
• 3 tsp naturally fermented soy sauce or add as required
• 1 tsp rice vinegar or regular vinegar,
• ½ tsp black pepper powder or add as required
• 1 star anise/chakri phool
• 2 to 2.5 tbsp sesame oil or any other oil
• 2 tbsp chopped spring onions greens for garnish or adding towards the end
• salt as required

INSTRUCTIONS

cooking the rice:

1. rinse rice very well till the water runs clear of starch. soak rice in water for 30 mins. drain and keep aside.
2. in a pot, bring to a gentle boil 4.5 to 5 cups of water with salt and 2 to 3 drops of oil.
3. add the soaked and drained rice to the hot water.
4. on a low to medium flame cook the rice without the lid.
5. when the rice becomes al dente or just cooked, remove the pot from fire and drain the rice.
6. you can also gently rinse the rice in water so that they stop cooking and don't stick to each other. cover the rice and keep aside till the rice cools completely.

preparing the fried rice:

1. when the rice is cooling, chop the veggies finely and keep aside. remember to chop the french beans very finely. they take more time to cook than other veggies. you can also blanch them first and then cook. another option is to add the beans first and then add the other vegetables.
2. heat oil in a wok or a pan. first add the star anise and fry for some seconds or till the oil becomes fragrant.
3. add the garlic and saute for some seconds. no need to brown the garlic. at this stage, you can also add ginger, if you prefer.
4. add the spring onions whites/scallions and saute for about 2 minutes.
5. then add all the finely chopped veggies including the celery. increase the flame to a medium or high and stir fry the veggies.
6. you have to continuously toss and stir while frying so that the veggies are uniformly cooked and do not get burnt.
7. the veggies have to be stir fried, till they are almost cooked and yet retain their crunchiness and crispiness.
8. add the soy sauce, salt and pepper. stir quickly and add the rice. stir fry for a few minutes till the sauce has coated the fried rice well. keep a check when adding salt, as soy sauce already has salt in it.
9. serve the veg fried rice hot plain or with an indo chinese vegetable gravy.