Veg Schezwan Fried Rice Recipe | Indo-Chinese or Chindise Delight!

This is probably my last post on Monsoon Spice…. Well, what I meant was it is this year’s last post… I am not giving up blogging, yet. My passion for cooking, clicking and blogging is still burning as bright as the day one! After being away from blogging for more than a year, I resumed my blogging soon after Lil Dumpling turned a year old. From posting one post per week, this blog has been thriving and going strong with three posts a week!!! I think it’s time I slowed down a bit and smelled the roses, literally!

Veg Schezwan Fried Rice

It is that time of the year where Monsoon Spice household is busy running around like headless chicken, excited and thrilled nevertheless, searching, packing, shopping, cleaning, dusting, checking, and packing and more packing!!! Yes, we are leaving tomorrow to our beloved home land! Our bags are packed, well almost! We have been busy for the last week or two, shopping for our loved ones, booking flights, calling the airlines, cleaning the house, and making sure everything is packed. I feel like I am running the long marathon, at record speed, making sure everything is in order. My checklist has never been this long and my luggage has never been this lighter! Thanks to Lil Dumpling, whose stuff has taken major space and as a result our luggage has shrunk dramatically! I think it’s high time the airlines seriously consider changing their baggage allowance for a toddler and adults as it is clear that the toddler has more luggage than an adult!

Dig in: Veg Schezwan Fried Rice

You won’t find me or my HD cooking here at Monsoon Spice kitchen. You will not see me chattering or rambling here for few weeks. There won’t be any curries simmering or noise of grinding spice or chopping vegetables resonating from our tiny kitchen. But I am not letting this kitchen go cold in this cold, breezy and wet winter! No sire!!! I have invited some A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and very talented food blogger friends of mine to keep Monsoon Spice kitchen warm with their delicious and aromatic food. I felt humbled and honoured when every single blogger friend agreed immediately to do guest post while I am away and keep the hot stove burning for me and you, my readers! These talented ladies have graciously agreed to keep my reader friend entertained with their beautiful narrations and heart-touching stories. They will treat you at this festive time with their unique recipes, stunning photographs, and wonderful descriptions that will make you run to your kitchen and recreate the same magic!

Veg Schezwan Fried Rice

But before I bid you goodbye, I have something special for all Indo-Chinese or Chindian food lovers. It is Veg Schezwan or Sichuan Fried Rice, hot, spicy and irresistible! Indo-Chinese food is much different from authentic Chinese food as it is developed to suit Indian palate. Authentic and traditional Schezwan or Szechuan cuisine from Sichuan region in China is hot and fiery due to their very famous Sichuan pepper, but I still won’t say that this Veg Schezwan Fried Rice is anything like what you get in Sichuan region. Although I have adapted this recipe from Mallika Badrinath’s 100 Rice Varieties cookbook and I didn’t follow her recipe strictly. I have changed few ingredients and cooking technique to suit our taste buds.

Finger-licking good: Veg Schezwan Fried Rice

I like to use lot of vegetables whenever I make rice and here too I have used bit more vegetables than usually recommended in any recipes. The amount of vegetables used totally depends on your liking. And also I have made the Schezwan paste by grinding dried red chillies, fresh ginger and garlic which can easily be substituted with the ready made Schezwan or Sichuan sauce you get in any supermarkets. But trust me, it is really easy to make fresh sauce at home and what more, it tastes so amazing that you will never go back to the ready made ones with artificial additives any more! Try it yourself and you will know it's worth the effort! Don't get nervous by looking at the ingredient list as it is really simple dish to cook. Serve this delicious Schezwan Fried Rice with any Manchurians (Gobi, Baby Corn or Mushroom) or with Veg balls in Garlic Sauce or with Stir fried Vegetables in Sweet and Sour Sauce or with plain Tomato-Chilli Sauce.

Some fresh vegetables used in making Veg Schezwan Fried Rice

Easy, spicy and delicious: Fresh homemade Schezwan chilli paste for Veg Schezwan Fried Rice

Other Sauces used for making Veg Schezwan Fried Rice: (From top: Chilli Sauce, Soya Sauce, Tomato Sauce, Worcester Sauce, Sweet Chilli Sauce)

Stir fried vegetables for Veg Schezwan Fried Rice

Hot, Spicy and delicious: Veg Schezwan Fried Rice

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Veg Schezwan Fried Rice (Spicy stir fried vegetables and rice tossed in Schezwan or Sichuan sauce of ground red chillies, garlic and ginger, an Indo-Chinese speciality)
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: Around 30-40 mins (Includes time for cooking the rice)
Serves: 4-6 people as main course
Recipe Level: Easy to Intermediary
Spice Level: Medium to Hot (depending on the amount of chillies used)
Shelf Life: Best served fresh but can be refrigerated for 2 days
Recipe Inspiration: Mallika Badrinath’s 100 Rice Varieties
Serving Suggestion: With Manchurians (Gobi, Baby Corn or Mushroom) or with Veg balls in Garlic Sauce or Stir fried vegetables in Sweet and Sour Sauce or simply with plain Tomato-Chilli Sauce

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Ingredients:
2 cups Long Grained Rice (I used Basmati Rice)
1 large Onion, diced
2-3 Green Chillies, finely chopped (Adjust acc to taste)
2 large cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
½ inch Ginger, finely chopped
3 tbsp Roasted Sesame Oil or any other oil of your choice
2-3 tbsp finely chopped Spring Onion greens or Coriander Leaves, for garnishing
Salt and Pepper to taste

Vegetables Used:
Use 3-5 cups of Mixed Vegetables of your choice. I like lots of vegetable in my rice.
I used:
½ cup Green Bell Peppers/Capsicums, sliced
½ cup Red Bell Peppers, sliced
½ cup Sugar Snaps or Beans or Snow Peas, cut into 1 inch pieces
½ cup Sweet Corns, fresh/frozen/canned
½ cup Green Peas
½ cup Carrot, vertically halved and thinly sliced to 1 inch long pieces
¾ cup Baby Corn, halved and then cut into 1 inch pieces
¾ cup Cabbage, thinly shredded

Sauces Used: (Adjust acc to taste)
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
1 tbsp Chilli Sauce
1 tbsp Sweet Chilli Sauce (Optional)
1 tbsp Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp Worcester Sauce (Optional but recommended)

For Schezwan Sauce: (Makes about 2 tbsp)
6-8 Dried Red Chillies, soaked in warm water for 5 minutes and drained (I have used Byadagi Chillies for colour and smoky taste, you can also use Kashmiri chillies)
4-5 large cloves of Garlic
1 inch Ginger, peeled

Fiery hot and delicious: Veg Schezwan Fried Rice

Method:
Preparing the Rice:

1. Wash the rice and soak it in water for around 10 minutes. This not only helps in cooking the rice faster but also helps in getting really long grained rice once cooked.
2. Cook the rice either in microwave or pressure cooker or any method you think is the best.
3. Once cooked, let the rice cool and then separate each grain with a help of fork and spread it on wide plate.
4. Add about 1 tbsp oil and gently mix with the help of a fork. This way each grain will not stick to each other and be separated.

Stir-frying the Vegetables:

1. Heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil in a wok to smoking hot and then reduce the heat to medium-high.
2. Add finely chopped garlic, green chillies and sauté for few seconds.
3. Immediately add diced onions and ginger and stir fry them till onions turn light golden, about 2-3 minute.
4. Next add bell peppers and carrots and sauté them for a minute or two.
5. Mix in baby corn and sugar snaps, stir fry them for a minute or two.
6. Add in green peas, sweet corns and shredded cabbage along with freshly ground Schezwan paste and stir fry for a minute or two. Take care that the vegetables are not cooked to soft but are half cooked and retains their crunch and colour.
7. Now add all the sauces mentioned above along with salt and pepper to taste and give them a good toss.

Assembling:

1. Add the cooked rice and mix them well so that each grain is coated well with sauce. Stir fry them for 3-4 minutes till each grain is heated through.
2. Finally switch off the gas and toss in finely chopped spring onion greens or coriander leaves.
3. Serve this delicious Schezwan Fried Rice with any Manchurians (Gobi, Baby Corn or Mushroom) or with Veg balls in Garlic Sauce or Stir fried vegetables in Sweet and Sour Sauce or simply with plain Tomato-Chilli Sauce and enjoy!

Veg Schezwan Fried Rice: Indo-Chinese or Chindise Delight

Veg Schezwan Fried Rice : Are you ready to dig in?

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Sia’s Notes:

• Don’t over cook the vegetables as is it important that they retain their crunch and colour.
• Usually Schezwan Fried Rice is really spicy but you can make it as spicy or mild depending on how you like it.
• You can use the vegetables of your liking or depending on what’s available during the season and in your fridge. I used the vegetables I had in my pantry. Other vegetables that go well with this rice are spring onions, mushrooms, French beans, broccoli, bamboo shoots etc.
• You can use the store bought Schezwan Sauce in place of freshly, home made one. But the home made one tastes best!!!
• Be cautious about the amount of salt used as the Soya sauce, Worcester sauce and other sauces have good amount of salt in them. Hence you will need much less salt compared to the usual rice variety preparation.