Schezwan Fried Rice
day-old rice fried hard with a red chilli garlic paste and numbing pepper
Allergens in Schezwan Fried Rice: gluten, soy.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 300g raw, cooked to firm grains and cooled Basmati Ricelong-grain rice cooked the day before is best
- 12, stems removed and soaked 20 minutes in hot water Dried Red Chilli
- 15 cloves Garlic10 for the paste, 5 chopped for the fry
- 1 tbsp, chopped Ginger
- 1 tsp, crushed Schezwan Pepperthe numbing note that names the dish
- 1, finely diced Onion
- 1, finely diced Carrot
- 150g, finely shredded Cabbage
- 1, finely diced Capsicum
- 5, whites and greens separated Spring Onion
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1.5 tbsp Vinegar1 in the paste, 1/2 in the rice
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 6 tbsp Neutral Oil4 for the paste, 2 for the rice
- to taste Salt
- 60ml Waterfor grinding the paste
Cookware
stovetop, kadhai, blender
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Cook the rice a day ahead, spread it on a tray and refrigerate uncovered. Fresh warm rice turns to porridge in the pan.
- Soak the dried chillies in hot water for 20 minutes before grinding, or the paste stays gritty.
- The schezwan paste can be made up to a fortnight ahead and kept in a jar under a film of oil.
- Separate the cold rice grains with wet fingers before it goes anywhere near heat.
Method
- Drain the soaked chillies and grind them with 10 garlic cloves, the ginger and 60ml water to a coarse red paste.
- Heat 4 tbsp oil, add the paste and cook on a low flame for 8 minutes, stirring, until it darkens and oil beads at the edges.This slow fry is the difference between schezwan sauce and raw chilli. Stop when the oil separates, not before.
- Stir in the crushed schezwan pepper, 1 tbsp vinegar, the sugar and 1/2 tsp salt, cook 1 minute more, then set the paste aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadhai on the highest flame until it smokes faintly.
- Add the remaining 5 chopped garlic cloves and the spring onion whites and stir 30 seconds.
- Add the onion, carrot, cabbage and capsicum and toss hard for 3 minutes. They should char slightly and stay crisp.
- Stir in 3 to 4 tbsp of the schezwan paste and fry 1 minute, until it coats the vegetables and smells toasted.Start with 3 tbsp. You can always add more; you cannot take the heat back out.
- Tip in the cold rice, break up any clumps against the pan, and toss for 3 minutes so every grain takes colour.Use a flat spatula and a folding motion. Stirring in circles mashes the grains.
- Add the soy sauce and remaining 1/2 tbsp vinegar down the side of the pan, toss 1 minute, and check the salt.
- Fold through the spring onion greens and serve, with the extra paste on the table.
Storage
Keeps 2 days refrigerated. Reheat in a hot pan, not a microwave. The schezwan paste keeps 2 weeks in the fridge in a sealed jar.
Nutrition Good estimate
One serving of Schezwan Fried Rice (270 g) is about 525 calories, or 195 calories per 100 g.
Low protein: 8 g a serving, 6% of the calories
| Per serving270 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 525 kcal | 195 kcal |
| Protein | 8.4 g | 3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 75.6 g | 28 g |
| of which sugars | 5.6 g | 2 g |
| Fibre | 4.5 g | 2 g |
| Fat | 21.3 g | 8 g |
| of which saturated | 2.3 g | 1 g |
| of which unsaturated | 17.9 g | 7 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Nearest database match used for schezwan pepper. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Vegan Indian recipes · Vegetarian Indian recipes · Dairy-free Indian recipes · Indo-Chinese recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.