Healthy Chinese Egg Fried Rice: Quick One Pot Meal

I’m a simple person with my simple needs. But this is busy world with a busier schedule on the busiest path of the life. It is very hard to remember actually when you prepared a full course meal for your entire family. Atleast I can’t. Most of you are running out of time. Even 24 hours is not enough for you I guess. So cooking might be another out of the world question for you.

Here is something quick one pot meal for those busy bees: Chinese Egg fried Rice. It is easy on cooking; need more or less 30 minutes and it can be a complete meal. This fried rice can be enjoyed during lunch or dinner. In fact it can be quite good for you and your kid’s lunch box too.

The most exciting part of this preparation is it can be made with left over rice or fresh rice whatever suits you. But trust me it tastes best when left over rice is used. And secondly, it is a versatile preparation. by keeping the basic things unchanged you can make variations depending on the stock of your party. Same rice can be prepared with only veggies or with chicken or bacon.

Here it goes the simple Chinese Egg Fried Rice recipe for your busy midweek days. If your are using left over rice, simply skip the first step of the recipe and make sure rice is at room temperature before you start cooking.

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

Rice : 2 cups

Carrot : 1/3 cup, diced into small cubes

Red, yellow and green bell peppers : 1/4 cup of each, diced into small cubes

Green chili : 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Spring onion (both green and white) : ¼ cup + 2 tbsp for garnishing

Egg : 4

Garlic : 1 tbsp, crushed

Soy sauce : 1 tsp

Red and green chili sauce : 1 tsp of each

Sesame oil : 2 tbsp

Salt : 1 tsp for the rice

Water : 3 cups to cook rice + 2 tbsp

Preparation:

First prepare the rice. Wash and clean the rice and soak in water for 30 mins. Drain the water and reserve the rice. Pour water in a heavy bottomed pan and bring it to boil with salt. Add rice into the boiling water and cook until rice is half done. Make sure you don’t cook the rice thoroughly. Otherwise in the later part of cooking the rice will be mushy. Our aim is to have nicely done rice only. Once done, keep separately.

Now it’s time to prepare the veggies. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan on medium flame. Add garlic and chopped green chili. Sauté for 1-2 mins. Add carrot and continue cooking without cover for 5-7 mins more. By the time carrot will be half done. Now add bell peppers with spring onion and sauté 2-3 mins more. Don’t over fry them otherwise veggies will get mushy and will not be crunchy. And crunchy yet cooked veggies plays most important role in the flavor of Chinese cuisine. So, it’s better not to lose it.

In between prepare the sauce. Take a medium mixing bowl and mix soy sauce, red and green chili sauce with 2 tbsp of water. Once veggies are almost done, pour the sauce in to the saucepan and increase the flame to medium high. Add previously prepared rice and mix on high flame. Quickly stir sauté for 1-2 mins. Switch off the flame and remove immediately. Otherwise everything will be over cooked and mushy.

Beat 2 eggs in a medium mixing bowl with a pinch of salt. In a frying pan drizzle oil on medium flame and pour the beaten egg into the pan. Once egg is settled scramble it with spatula and cook until neatly done with a nice golden hue. Mix this scrambled egg in to the rice.

Take two serving bowls and place fried rice equally into them. Sprinkle spring onion on the top.

Place the pan back on the oven and again drizzle oil. Now crack egg directly in the pan and sprinkle salt on top of it. Make two separate poached eggs. Carefully place one egg on top of each bowl. If you don’t like poached eggs then have with more scrambled eggs.

Serve warm with some chili oil or any gravy item. I made some Baked Meatballs in Hot Garlic Sauce.
Enjoy!!!