Veg fried rice recipe with video & step by step photos – Delicious, flavorful and quick to make veg fried rice! There are so many ways a fried rice can be made. Chinese fried rice, schezwan style, egg fried rice, chicken fried rice are some of the most common ones from the Indo chinese cuisine.
This vegetable fried rice is an easy one to follow, can be made with any sauce you like. It can be made in a jiffy with basic ingredients and rice.
Chinese Restaurants serve veg fried rice that often taste different from one another. The few ingredients that are used in almost all recipes is the monosodium glutamate called as ajjinomotto and the olive oil or sesame oil.
Ajjinomotto or MSG lends a different taste and flavor to the rice that dominates every other ingredient that is used. Due to the controversies associated with it, I do not use it for any of my foods.
You can still make a very good vegetable fried rice with out it.
Step-by-step photos
Cooking rice for veg fried rice
If you have precooked rice, then skip the first too steps. Most people prefer to use up 1 day old cooked rice or left over rice. We don’t eat leftover rice so I always make fried rice with fresh cooked rice. I have shown below the way we personally prefer.
1. Soak 2 cups rice for 10 to 20 mins. If you are a small family you can make with 1 cup rice & cup down all of the ingredients. Bring water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Then drain the water from the rice and add it to the boiling water. Also add 1 teaspoon oil to the water. Cook the rice till al dente but not mushy. Grains must be separated yet fully cooked.
2. Drain off the rice to a colander and cool it. If the rice is al dente, you can cover and set aside. This prevents it from drying too.
Preparing vegetables
While the rice cooks, chop all the veggies. You will need –
- ½ cup fine chopped carrots (1 small)
- ¼ cup fine chopped french beans (4 to 5 medium)
- ¼ to ½ cup bell peppers (half small)
- ¼ to ½ cup chopped cabbage or sliced mushrooms
- ¼ cup spring onions (4 stalks, separate greens and whites)
- 1 to 2 green chilies slit (skip for kids)
- 1 tablespoon fine chopped garlic
How to make veg fried rice recipe
To cook on high flame and do not overcook the veggies as they lose the crunch.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok on the highest flame. If you don’t have a wok, use a wide pan. Add garlic and sauté till you get an aroma. Some fine dining Chinese restaurants also add star anise (whole or powder). So I do add it sometimes. This is optional but gives an awesome flavor.
4. Add all chopped vegetables and slit green chilli. Fry for 2 minutes.
5. Next add half teaspoon sugar (optional) if you like. Using sugar keeps the veggies color intact.
Adding sauces
6. Ensure the flame is still high at this stage. For making Indian fried rice just add ¾ to 1 tablespoon vinegar. To make Chinese style, add 1 tablespoon soya sauce as well. You can add more or less to suit your taste. Any other hot sauces you prefer can also be added at this stage.
There is already salt added to the sauces, so I add only half a teaspoon at this stage. Take care not to add too much. Do not cook the veggies further as the salt will make them sweat out.
7. The sauces will bubble immediately, then add rice and black pepper.
8. Toss, mix, fry for 2 to 3 mins. Taste test. If needed add more sauce & salt now to suit your taste. Remember the entire cooking process should happen on the highest flame. Otherwise the moisture from the veggies can make the rice mushy.
Garnish veg fried rice with spring onion greens.
Tips to make best veg fried rice
- Always use non sticky rice. Cook it al dente and not mushy. A good method to cook rice is to rinse it well to get rid of the starch. Then cook it in a open pot.
- Cool the rice completely before adding it to the pan.
- Do not use cold vegetables from fridge as they let out lot of moisture & turn too soft.
- Always make veg fried rice on the highest flame this lends a unique aroma.
- Veg fried rice can be made without any sauce. But soya sauce imparts a flavor. You can also add any sauce of your choice like schezwan sauce or chilli sauce.
- After cooking the rice, adding a tbsp of oil and tossing will prevent the rice grains from sticking up to each other.
What vegetables do you put in fried rice?
To make veg fried rice, you can use your favorite veggies like sweet corn, baby corn, french beans, baby beans, bell pepper, spring onions, peas, carrots,mushroom and cabbage too.
We love using cabbage but it is optional. If you have a dislike towards it you can skip. But fresh tender shredded cabbage lends a unique flavor that one can find in restaurants served fried rice.
This recipe can be altered to suit your taste, make an Chinese style fried rice by using soya sauce or use peri peri sauce to make a hot spicy peri peri rice. It can also be made using only vinegar.
Typically a simple Indian style fried rice is made using only vinegar & without any sauce.
Tips on using Soya sauce:
While buying soya sauce choose one that is labelled as naturally brewed or traditionally brewed. Other ways of making soya sauce uses harsh chemicals which may cause side effects in the long run.
I use Organic soya sauce or atleast the one made from Non-GMO soya. If you are looking for substitutes to soya sauce, then you may use Tamari, coconut aminos or liquid aminos. I personally feel tamari to be more flavorful than soya sauce.
Variations of the recipe
I have shown the basic version of making fried rice above, but you can try these variations:
1. You can make egg fried rice using the same recipe. Just stir in 4 beaten eggs once the veggies are cooked. Scramble & cook the eggs then add rice.
2. Stir in your favorite sauce to spice up the fried rice. You can use some schezwan sauce or sri racha.
3. You can also use some cooked chicken chunks in this dish. Just add them to the pan along with the veggies. Double the sauces and black pepper.
This fried rice can be served with any of these sides:
Veg manchurian
Chilli paneer
Chilli chicken
Gobi manchurian
Chilli potato
Chicken manchurian
More Fried rice recipes,
Schezwan fried rice
Egg fried rice
Chicken fried rice
Related Recipes
Recipe
Veg fried rice
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
- 2 cups Rice (long grain)
- 1 tablespoon Garlic chopped
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil or sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon Soya sauce (about 2 to 3 tsp, use to suit your taste)
- ¾ to 1 tablespoon Vinegar (rice vinegar or apple cider)
- Salt as needed
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper coarsely crushed
Vegetables
- ¼ cup Carrots chopped finely
- ¼ cup Bell peppers (capsicum) chopped finely
- ¼ cup Beans chopped finely
- ¼ cup Cabbage (or 3 to 4 tablespoon chopped )
- ¼ cup Spring onions (or 3 to 4 tablespoon chopped )
Optional ingredients (skip if you don’t have)
- 1 green chili slit
- 8 sprigs celery chopped finely
- ¼ cup mushrooms sliced
Instructions
Preparation
- Skip this section if you have precooked rice. Wash rice a few times till the water runs clear.
- Soak it for at least 10 mins & drain the water.
- Bring 8 to 10 cups of water to a boil in a large pot.
- Add the rice & pour 1 tsp oil to prevent the rice from turning sticky.
- Cook rice till al dente. Rice must not be mushy but has to be grainy.
- Drain off the rice to a colander. Cool it completely & fluff it up with a fork.
- Chop the veggies, garlic and other ingredients.
How to make fried rice
- Heat a wok with oil on the highest flame and fry chopped garlic slightly.
- Next add all the chopped veggies and fry for a min or two.
- Add in half tsp sugar (optional) to cut down the pungent taste from vinegar.
- To make Indian fried rice recipe just add vinegar & salt to the wok.
- To make Chinese style, add soya sauce, vinegar & very little salt.
- Add rice and black pepper powder. Fry the vegetable fried rice for 2 mins.
- Garnish veg fried rice with fresh chopped spring onions.
Video
Video of veg fried rice recipe
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
Notes
Notes for veg fried rice recipe
- A Chinese wok lends the best flavor to the rice. Even a cast iron skillet works good.
- Rice must be fried on the highest flame or heat. That lends a smoky flavor to the rice.
- Do not use mushy rice.
- Refrigerated rice can be used.
- You can make variations to this by adding some schezwan sauce
You can also stir in an egg after frying the veggies. - I have tasted veg fried rice with star anise in a few fine dining Chinese restaurants. It does give an awesome flavor to the rice. If you prefer to use the whole star anise add it to the pan along with garlic. To use in ground form, add ¼ teaspoon star anise powder after sauteing the veggies.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Shruthi says
Lovely I would definitely Try This Veg fried rice once…
akash chaware says
I thought it would be hard to make as a male but thanks to you Veg Fried Rice would be…. i will make it on sunday for sure
Chetna says
Is it okay to give soya sauce to children. My children like the chinese foods very much and eat often. How many times can it be given? Please reply. Also tell me if there is any substitute for soya sauce.
swasthi says
Hi Chetna,
Once in a while should be okay even for kids. I usually restrict to once or twice and many times we don’t use it at all for months. Soya sauce may not be all that bad if used in moderation and it is important to use organic soya sauce or atleast NON-GMO. Genetically modified soya is bad. For recipes like this fried rice, you can just skip it and make. I have not tried with any substitutes for soya sauce. Just use it or skip it. Hope this helps
Rahul kumar says
your vegetable fried rice recipes are oswn and like your recipes
swasthi says
Thank you
Sree says
Tried veg fried rice today. Excellent recepie. Fast, easy and tasty. I am noting this in my cook book. Thank you.
swasthi says
Welcome Sree
Glad you liked the fried rice recipe. Thanks for rating the recipe.
🙂
Shailaja Hunagund says
I tried fried rice. It was tasty. Very nice. I loved it and my family too👍🏻👍🏻
swasthi says
Thanks Shailaja
Simmi Bhatia says
Hello Ma’am
I am Simmi Bhatia. I tried chilly chicken . I followed the steps as written by you. It came out to be amazing. And no one in my house believed that I tried this recipe for the first time.
Thank you for making it so simple .
Regards
Simmi
swasthi says
Hi Simmi
You are welcome. So glad to know you made an amazing chilli chicken. Thanks for the comment.
Prasanna Lakshmi says
Swasti is the best blog !! I blindly got your site for any recipe..intially I used to compareb with other sites and found yours is the clear, some and best. Tomorrow I am trying this veg. Fried rice.. Thank you swasti. Please keep sharing healthy b and some recipes for children.
swasthi says
Hi Prasanna,
Thank you so much. Yes do try it. You can check this link for kids recipes. Hope your kids will enjoy them.
🙂
sulis says
Dear swasthi,
This fried rice is simply the best. Your recipes are so precise and well made. Thanks for the good work. Saves me a lot of time.
Srabani says
Tried it.came out really tasty.. thank you
swasthi says
Welcome Srabani
Happy to know you liked the fried rice recipe
Msk says
Looks so delicious Swasti! Waiting to make it but I have just one question – do you have a recipe to make healthy soya sauce? Or any tasty sauce like soya sauce other than schezwan?
swasthi says
Hi Msk
Thank you. Making soya sauce takes about 1.5 to 2 yrs as it has to ferment naturally. I do not have the recipes for any sauce on the blog yet.
🙂
Tanu says
Love your veg fried rice recipe
s.ganapathy subramanian says
simply good.
Tamo yakang says
I love Ur recipes. They are so easy and very delicious..
swasthi says
Thank you
Vandana says
Thank u for such an awesome n simple recipe. I have made fried rice before, but this one, my family LOVED IT 😊
swasthi says
You are welcome Vandana
thanks for the comment. Happy to know your veg fried rice turned out good
🙂
ansan says
Thank u for delicious recipes
Sindhuja says
Tried this recipe…. Tasted WOW…
swasthi says
Thanks Sindhu,
Glad you liked the fried rice
swathi says
Thank you swasti. we don’t take children to outside every time. They like always outside food. If we prepare in home they like it.
Once again thanks
swasthi says
Welcome Swathi,
That’s really a good thing
Sonam says
I really love making fried rice, it’s simple and even tasty.
thanks for sharing
Akbar ali says
Nice recipes ; thank you
Ravi says
I like very much. easy making foods
radha shirodkar says
I like this website very much………………..i try many recipes from this website…………