healthy recipes: Veg Fried Rice

Veg Fried Rice - No sauces version, I love veg fried rice and here it is with few veggies and no sauces.

Ingredients:
1. Long grain Basmati rice - 2 cups
2. Carrot - 1
3. Beans - 15
4. Pepper powder - 2 tsps
5. Spring onion leaves - 5 springs
6. Olive oil - 2 & 1/2 tbsps
7. Sugar - 1/2 tsp
8. Salt - As per taste

Procedure:
1. Wash rice nicely and soak using 6 to 8 cups of water for about 15 - 20 mins and then cook it.
2. Cut the veggies very finely so that they get cooked very quickly.

3. Use a flat pan and heat olive oil on a high flame. When its hot, add veggies, sugar and fry for some time till veggies get cooked,take care they retain their crunchiness.

4. Now add pepper powder, salt, spring onion leaves and fry for a minute.

5. Add cooked rice and stir till it gets heated up.

6. Veg fried rice is ready.

Serving Suggestions:
1. Any non-veg side dish goes fine with veg fried rice.
2. Coming to veg side dishes, I prefer Gobi Manchurian, kadai veg, Paneer varieties or any gravy.
3. Or to keep the side dish very simple and even a quick one, you can have raitha.

Note:
1. Use only Olive oil it gives better taste for chinese dishes.
2. I prefer long grain Basmati rice as it gives restaurant look.

3. I prefer cooking rice for fried rices in a bowl rather than pressure cooking it. Bcoz for fried rices, the rice should be very fluffy.
4. Cooking rice in a bowl and discarding excess water makes rice fluffy and each grain separated. No need of adding oil while cooking.

5. Basmati rice gets cooked fastly as we have soaked it for some time. So take care not to overcook.
6. If you cut veggies in a bigger size then parboiling veggies before frying ensures veggies get cooked properly and in faster frying. Parboiling is optional. Since I chopped them very finely I didn't parboil them.
7. Notice that Chinese dishes need to be cooked on high flame. So take care the food not to get burnt.
8. Always serve chinese dishes hot especially fried rices.

Raitha Preparation:
1. Whisk a cup of curd properly to remove lumps if any.
2. Add one chopped small onion, one chopped small tomato, spoonful of chopped coriander leaves and salt as per taste and mix well.
3. Can add boondhi on top and it becomes boondhi raitha :).