What?
The first time I had tried to make anything Indo-Chinese (I use this term especially for those who will fuss about how Chinese food in India is not really Chinese food or whatever) was last year, with something that was intended to be hakka noodles, but began as patta gobhi ki sabzi and ended up, traumatically, as a tasteless bulk of smelly cabbage mixed with over-boiled noodles.
I had of course made loads of mistakes, most of which I was able to figure out, but it was quite some time before I dared venturing into that territory again.
Today, I decided to make Fried Rice, and since I had purchased Soya Sauce just a day before and had peppers and spring onions, it made perfect sense to go the Indo-Chinese way.
How did it look?
The pic could have been better. It's a bad angle for a rice dish, but well.
A posteriori
- The rice we purchased here does to me, what in Marathi is called छळणे. In my Dollar Consciousness, I purchased the cheapest that was available, and it shows. Apart from not being full grain, it always ends up gummy and mushy, and while it is still OK for a daal-chaawal sort of meal, it is totally disastrous for making fried rice. Even after putting less water and reducing cooking time, it ends up the same way. So, this time, I took special precautions, and got a marginally better result. I then spread all the rice in two plates and let it dry for half an hour before proceeding on. Later, I tried to change my rice algorithm. Soaked it for 20 minutes and then cooked the rice in an open vessel with constant stirring and continuous evaluation (counselling season, sorry). The result was much better.
- The Veg Fried Rice was better than I originally expected, but there's chance for improvement. I goofed up the cutting direction for the peppers too. Will take care of that the next time. I would prefer a larger flat pan though, since you can't really stir-fry the vegetables well in a small pan while using less oil and maintaining their crispiness.
This somehow reminds me of the popular kannada dish- vaangi bhaat. I,personally,am a huge fan of rice items(effect of being brought-up in South India) and I am very very particular when it comes to how the rice is cooked. That was a smart thing to do-cooking rice in the open. Although, you needn't soak it prior to cooking. Adding water that is 1.5 to 2 times the quantity of rice and keeping the flame on sim does wonders.. If you are the sorts who likes every grain intact and separated from other grains, this is the method.. Making mushy rice is a lot more easier.. As far as fried rice is concerned,what sauces did you add? I haven't prepared fried rice anytime so I'd like to know...
ReplyDeleteUsually, for open cooking you need more than 1.5 to 2 times the amount of rice. 1.5-2 is good for pressure cooker.
ReplyDeleteJust some soya sauce. Chinese fried rice is usually made by just sauteing veggies, cooking an egg separately, and mixing it all with slightly old rice. Some people add soya sauce too.