Here is the recipe for a Chinese Style Fried Rice using Brown Rice. You can use any type of Brown Rice preferably Brown Basmathi Rice.

Chinese Style Brown Fried Rice

Ingredients

1. Brown Rice – 2 cups
2. Diced Spring Onions – 1 small bunch (Separated into whites and greens)
3. Diced Carrots – 1/2 cup
4. Finely Chopped Beans – 1/2 cup
5. Diced Broccoli Florets – 1/2 cup
6. Chilly Garlic Sauce – 1 tsp (Alter according to your spice tolerance)
7. Soy Sauce – 2 tbsp
8. Vinegar – 1 tsp
9. Black Pepper Powder – 1/2 tsp
10. Sugar – 1 tsp
11. Salt – to taste
12. Oil – 2 tbsp
13. Water – as needed

Preparation Method

1. Cook the brown rice in salted water according to the instructions on the packet. To reduce the cooking time, you can soak the brown rice in water for 20-30 minutes before cooking. Drain and keep aside.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a non stick pan or wok and saute the spring onion whites until translucent.
3. Throw in the beans and stir fry for a 2-3 minutes on medium high heat.
4. Next, add the carrots and continue sauteing for a few minutes.
5. Add the broccoli florets along with salt to taste.  Stir fry until the vegetables are cooked but crispy.
6. Reduce heat and add chilly garlic sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper powder and 1 tsp sugar.
7. Add the cooked brown rice and toss everything together. Garnish with spring onion greens and remove from stove top.

Beef/Pork Fried Rice

Ingredients

1. Long Grain Rice – 2 cups
2. Beef/Pork Sliced into thin strips of 1/4 ” thickness – 1/2 lb or 250 grams
3. Eggs – 2
4. Diced Onions – 1 small
5. Fresh/Frozen Green Peas – 3/4 cup
6. Diced Carrots – 3/4 cup
7. Finely Chopped Spring Onions – 1/2 cup each (White & Greens separated)
8. Tomato – 1 (Alternatively, use 1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup)
9. Soy Sauce – 2 tbsp
10. Chilly Garlic Sauce – 2 tsp
11. Fish Sauce – 1 tbsp
12. Black Pepper Powder – 1/2 tsp (Optional)
13. Oil/Butter – 4 tbsp
14. Water – 3 to 3.5 cups (depending on the Rice used)

For Marinating the Meat

1. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
2. Home Made Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp
3. Red Chilly Powder – 2 tsp (Alter according to your Spice Tolerance)
4. Meat Masala Powder – 1 tbsp (optional)
5. Pepper Powder – 1 tsp
6. Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
7. Salt – to taste

Preparation Method

1. Soak the rice for half an hour. You can skip this step of you are in a hurry.
2. Wash the rice and allow the water to drain completely.
3. Meanwhile, wash the meat thoroughly and drain all water. Cut it into thin strips.
4. Marinate the meat with all the above ingredients and keep it aside for 10-15 minutes.
5. If using frozen peas, defrost in a microwave. Chop all the vegetables and keep aside.
6. Heat oil in a non stick frying pan and shallow fry the meat until browned on both sides. You need to fry each side for atleast 5 minutes so that it browns well. Remove the strips and drain onto paper towels.
7. Heat 2 tbsp oil/butter in a wide non-stick pan and add the well-drained rice.
8. Stir fry the rice until it begins to change color lightly.
9. Add 3 to 3.5 cups of water to the pan along with salt to taste. Increase heat, cover and bring to a rolling boil.
10. Reduce heat to low and cook covered for 8-10 minutes until all water has been absorbed by the rice.
11. Remove the pan from stove top. Open the pan and fluff the rice with a fork. Spread it on a baking tray or pan and allow the rice to cool.
12. Meanwhile lightly shred the fried meat using a food processor. You can pulse it once or twice. Be careful, that the meat doesn’t get minced or powdered.
13. Heat 2 tbsp oil in another non-stick pan or wok. Throw in the diced onions and whites of spring onions. Saute on high heat for 2 minutes.
14. Add the carrots and stir fry for 3-4 minutes.
15. Throw in the green peas and tomatoes. Saute for a few minutes
16. Add the shredded meat to the pan and saute for a minute. Push the vegetables and meat to the edges of the pan or wok.
17. Beat the eggs and add it to the center of the pan. When it begins to set, scramble it well.
18. Reduce heat to medium-low and add 2 tsp Chilly Garlic Sauce, 2 tbsp Soy Sauce and 1 tbsp Fish Sauce. Mix everything and stir fry for a minute.
19. Switch off the heat and slowly add rice to the pan. Mix everything carefully or else the rice may break. Sprinkle pepper powder if needed. Do a taste test and add more Soy Sauce if needed.
20. Garnish with spring onion greens. Serve with any side dish like Chilly Chicken.

Green Peas Pulav/Pulao

Serve this Pulav with any Spicy Gravy like Kerala Chicken Curry, Chicken Masala Gravy and so on.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

1. Basmathi Rice – 1 cup
2. Fresh/Frozen Green peas – 1/2 cup
3. Cloves (Grambu) – 2 or 3
4. Bay Leaf – 1 big
5. Cinnamon Stick (Patta) – 1″ long piece
6. Slit Green Chillies – 2
7. Oil/Ghee – 2 tbsp
8. Salt – to taste
9. Lemon Juice – 1/2 tbsp (optional)

Preparation Method

1. Soak the Basmathi Rice for 15 minutes. Wash the rice thoroughly. Drain and keep it aside.
2. If using frozen peas, thaw it in the microwave. Wash and keep aside.
3. Heat oil or ghee in a big non stick pan and throw in the cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and green chillies. Saute for a minute.
4. Add the drained rice to the pan and stir fry the rice for 3 to 4 minutes or until it begins to change color.
5. Throw in the green peas and stir fry for a minute.
6. Add 2 cups of water to the pan, 1/2 tbsp lemon juice and salt to taste. Bring everything to a rolling boil.
7. Reduce heat, cover the pan with a tight lid and cook on low heat for 8-10 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed.
8. Open the pan and fluff the rice with a fork. Remove the bay leaf & cinnamon stick before serving.

Brown Rice & Vegetable Stir Fry

Ingredients

1. Brown Rice – 2 cups
2. Diced Onions – 1 small
3. Diced Tomatoes – 1 small
4. Diced Carrots – 1/2 cup
5. Diced Bell Peppers – 1/2 cup
6. Finely Chopped Cilantro (Malli Ella) – A few
7. Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
8. Red Chilly Powder – 1/2 tsp (Alter according to your spice tolerance)
9. Garlic Powder – 1/4 tsp
10. Oil – 2 tbsp
11. Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp (optional)
12. Salt – to taste
13. Water – as needed

Preparation Method

1. Cook the brown rice in salted water according to the instructions on the packet. To reduce the cooking time, you can soak the brown rice in water for 20-30 minutes before cooking.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a non stick pan and saute onions until translucent.
3. Add tomatoes along with salt and continue sauteing until cooked.
4. Throw in the carrots and stir fry for a few minutes.
5. Add the bell peppers and cilantro leaves. Continue sauteing until the vegetables are cooked but crispy.
6. Reduce heat and add turmeric powder, chilly powder and garlic powder. Stir fry for a minute.
7. Add the cooked brown rice and toss everything together and remove from stove top. Sprinkle lemon juice for added flavor.

Let me start 2011 with my Ultimate Comfort Food – Kanjiyum Payarum. ‘Kanji’ stands for Rice Gruel in Malayalam and ‘Payaru’ means Beans. When I used to stay with roommates in Chennai, we often used to reach home really late in the evenings after all the dreadful projects at office. That’s when my friends would make Kanjiyum Payarum to avoid the hassle of cooking up an elaborate dinner. It’s absolutely easy to make this one-pot dish. Wash Rice and Moong Beans (Cheru Payaru). Pressure cook it with lots of water and salt to taste. It’s ready in 10 minutes mostly.

Kanjiyum Payarum

Now I make Kanjiyum Payarum, whenever I am sick. That’s the only food I care to eat when I have a nagging headache or any other illness. Unfortunately, my husband dislikes Kanji (Rice Gruel) to the core. Well, I just drain the liquids from the gruel and serve it to him with any other side dish. He doesn’t mind eating Rice and Cheru Payaru (Green Gram/Mung Beans) without the liquids.

I use Parboiled Rice and dried Moong Beans for making this gruel. You can instead use fresh Moong beans or even Moong Bean Sprouts.

Ingredients

1. Parboiled Rice – 1 cup
2. Moon Beans/Green Gram (CheruPayaru) – 1/2 cup
3. Salt – to taste
4. Garlic – 4 or 5 cloves
5. Green Chillies – 2 or 3
6. Water – as needed

Preparation Method

1. Wash Rice and Moong Beans thoroughly.
2. Pressure cook all the ingredients in lots of water along with salt to taste. You need to add lots of water (around 3/4th of the cooker) so that the gruel doesn’t become a gooey paste.
3. I pressure cook it for 2 whistles on medium-high flame. You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on the rice you use.
4. Serve this Gruel with Pickle and Pappadam but it tastes best as such.