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Chicken fried rice

Chicken fried rice
Photo: Vee Satayamas from Bangkok, Thailand, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Ingredients

For 4 servings. 1 serving = 1 adult; a 6-year-old eats about half.

  • Basmati rice280 g
  • Chicken thigh fillets280 g
  • Eggs2
  • Frozen mixed vegetables200 g
  • Brown onions60 g (~½ medium)
  • Garlic4 cloves
  • Soy sauce (low salt)1 tbsp
  • Black pepper (crushed)½ tsp
  • Sunflower or rice-bran oil1½ tbsp
  • Salt¾ tsp

You need

  • Medium saucepan with lid
  • Kadai or deep sauté pan with lid
  • Whisk or fork
  • Sharp knife and chopping board
  • Sieve or colander
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Ladle and flat spatula (dosa turner)

Method

  1. The night before: rinse 280 g basmati 3 times and cook it in the saucepan with 520 ml (about 2 cups) water. Bring to the boil on high, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 12 minutes. Spread out to cool and refrigerate within an hour.
  2. The night before: on the raw-meat board, cut 280 g chicken into 1 cm pieces, cover and refrigerate.
  3. Beat 2 egg with a pinch of the ¾ tsp salt. Finely chop 60 g (~½ medium) onion and 4 cloves garlic.
  4. Heat half the 1½ tbsp oil in the kadai on high. Add the chicken and stir-fry 5 to 6 minutes until golden, with no pink inside and the juices running clear.
  5. Push the chicken to one side. Pour the egg into the empty side and stir 1 minute until just set, then mix it with the chicken.
  6. Add the rest of the oil, then the garlic and onion. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes until the onion softens.
  7. Add 200 g frozen mixed vegetables and stir-fry on high for 3 minutes until hot.
  8. Add the cold rice, breaking up clumps. Toss on high for 3 minutes until steaming hot. Add 1 tbsp soy sauce and the rest of the salt and toss 1 minute.
  9. For a toddler, take out their portion now. Toss ½ tsp pepper through the rest.

Tips

  • Leftover cooked chicken works too. Add it with the rice and heat until steaming hot.
  • Great in a thermos for the next day's lunch.

Make it easier

  • The night before: Cook the basmati tonight and dice the chicken for tomorrow's fried rice.

Keeping and freezing

  • Fridge: keeps 1 day in a lidded box. Cool it within an hour of cooking.
  • Freezer: does not freeze well; eat within the fridge time.

Good to know

  • Contains: egg, soy, gluten (wheat, oats).
  • Toddlers: take their portion out before adding chilli or pepper.