Better than take-out Chicken Fried Rice | Leftover recipes

We buy the fully cooked rotisserie chicken from walmart(read once a month) whenever we visit the place. I love it on my salads seasoned with some salt, pepper and garlic powder and then I love to make chicken salad with greek yogurt, pecans and cranberries which I have as it is or use it in sandwiches. This fried rice is my new favorite to use up the leftover chicken. Stir fried veggies, eggs, chicken and rice mildy flavored with soy sauce and loads of pepper ~ what more for a wholesome meal. I would recommend you to use sesame oil for the best results cos the nuttiness of the oil enhances the overall flavor of this dish.

Prep time: 20 mins; Cook time: 20 mins; Serves - 2-3 ~*What U Need*~ Rotisserie chicken - 1 cup, chopped Cooked basmati rice - 2 cups Sesame oil - 2 tbsp Yellow onion - 1, small, chopped Carrots, beans - 1 cup, chopped Frozen peas - 1/4 cup Soy sauce - 2-3 tbsp Eggs - 2, lightly beaten Green onions - 1/8 cup, chopped Salt, pepper How I Made it: Heat sesame oil in a large pan or wok. Add onion and fry till translucent. Add the peas, beans and carrots and fry until tender. Move this to the side, and pour the beaten eggs onto the other side. Scramble the eggs. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the vegetables. Add the rice and chicken. Pour and gently combine. Add chopped green onions if desired.

Serve warm!!!

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Garam Masala Fried Rice

I am a true lover of garam masala. Not the ones that we get prepacked from the store. I am talking about the one that amma roasts at home and grinds fresh. Its got a unique flavor and aroma which the store bought ones can never acquire. Without doubt the first thing that I asked her when I started preparations to leave to the US was half kgs each of her homemade masala powders and an extra half kg of her garam masala. Now whenever I grab the garam masala powder from my pantry to flavor my curries, I always remember her and her varutharacha kozhi kuzhambu. It always tops my list of favorites and it can be made right by no-one else other than amma.

My love for garam masala is what made me to add the flavor to this fried rice and we totally loved it. If you are not in deep love with the spices then you can reduce the amount to 1/2 teaspoon or you could totally skip it. But then it would just be another regular fried rice.

Prep time: 10 mins; Cook time: 15 mins; Serves: 2-3 ~*What U Need*~ Cooked Basmati rice - 2 cups Onions - 1/2 cup, finely chopped Carrots - 1, finely chopped Beans - 6-7, finely chopped Cabbage - 1/2 cup, finely chopped Spring onions - a handful, chopped Salt, Pepper Oil - 1 tsp Low sodium soy sauce - 1 tsp Garam masala - 1 tsp How I Made it: Heat oil in a pan. Add the onions and saute till brown. Add in the chopped vegtables and saute till tender but crisp. Season with salt and pepper. Add the soy sauce followed by the garam masala. Once the raw smell goes off, add the spring onions and fry for 1 minute. Add the cooled rice and mix well.

Serve warm with any indo-chinese starters!!!

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Sriracha Egg Fried Rice | Easy Lunchbox recipes

Who all loves Sriracha??? Me and the huss are addicted to it these days. Our vegetable fried rice is never complete with a decent dose of hot Sriracha sauce. It all started after we had a take out from a nearby Chinese restaurant and the owner suggested we have it with some Sriracha sauce. Seeing the look on our faces he took the pain to pack us some sauce. The intensity of flavors and the chinese zing was enough for us to fall in love with the sauce and we grabbed our own bottle the next time we went shopping. Since then we have been using it to complete our chinese foods. To those who are not familiar with the sauce, Sriracha is a type of hot sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. It is named after the coastal city of Si Racha, in the Chonburi Province of Eastern Thailand, where it was possibly first produced for dishes served at local seafood restaurants.

This time when I was preparing fried rice, I thought of intensifying the flavors by adding a tablespoon of the sauce in the rice itself and both of us loved it to the core. To those who are not in favor of hotness, reduce the sauce per liking.

~*What U Need*~ Cooked basmati rice - 2 cups Onion - 1, finely chopped Carrots - 1, finely chopped Beans - 8-10, finely chopped Green peas - 1/2 cup Eggs - 2 Spring onions - 1/2 bunch Garlic clove - 2, finely chopped Soy sauce - 1 tsp Sriracha sauce - 1 tbsp Salt, Pepper Oil How I made it: Heat oil in a kadai and add the garlic cloves, fry till brown. Add the onions and fry till soft. Add the peas and cook till tender. Next add in the carrots and beans and saute for few mins. Add the soy and sriracha sauce and mix well. In another pan, scramble the eggs with some oil. Meanwhile to the veggies add the cooked rice and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and then add the spring onions and scrambled eggs. Mix well and cook for another 2 mins.

Serve warm...

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Vegetable fried rice | Easy Lunchbox recipes

We are not very big fans of Chinese cuisine, to be frank the desire varies. There are days when we crave for nothing but Chinese and then there are days when Chinese seems like a distant world. Few days back I had this deep desire to have Chinese food and by Chinese, not the manchurian or schezhwan varieties. All I wanted was a simple fried rice ~ mildly flavored rice with lots of fresh crunchy vegetables. On first thought, I thought of packing some curd rice with potatoes for the huss's lunchbox and then preparing fried rice for me and pappu by around 12. But then the huss enjoys Chinese occasionally too and so I made this simple one pot meal for the three of us.

There are many versions of fried rice out there, it depends on individuals taste and what ur pantry carries too. Some use a wide range of sauces like chilli, light soy, dark soy, fish and many more while some keep it simple by adding just soy. I have even tasted fried rice with just pepper powder and that is how I like mine too. However I have given the amount of soy sauce that needs to be put in for your convenience.

Prep time: 15 mins; Cooking time: 20 mins; Serves - 2 ~*What U Need*~ Cooked basmati rice - 1 1/2 cups Onions - 1, sliced Spring onions - 2-3 stalks, chopped Carrot - 1, diced Beans - 4-5, diced Capsicum - 1/2, medium, diced Cabbage - 1/2 cup, shredded Peas - a handful Tomato ketchup - 2 tsp Soy sauce - 1 tsp(optional) Freshly ground pepper - 1 tsp, to taste Salt - to taste Oil - 1 tbsp Spring onions - to garnish How I Made it: Cook basmati rice and cool it for 1/2 an hour. Heat oil in a tawa, add the sliced onions and saute till tender but not soft. Add the veggies except the spring onions and saute till crisp and tender. Add the ketchup, soy sauce(if using) and mix well. Cook for 2 mins and then season with salt and pepper. Add the rice and spring onions and mix till evenly coated. Remove from flame and garnish with more spring onions.

Serve hot with side dish of choice... I served it with some chicken kebabs...

** My Notes:
** The rice should be non sticky and separated. You could use refrigerated rice too
** Donot overcook the veggies. It should be tender and crunchy.
** I skipped the soy sauce.

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Chicken Fried Rice

Have you tried the chicken fried rice from the Kaiyendhi bhavan's or mini hotels of "NAMMA CHENNAI". They taste too good and just right that you will want more. We have an occasional take-away from the mini hotel near our house or when the huss is in cooking mood, he makes this mixed fried rice. He sautes the veggies just right, adds the right amount of sauces and seasons it just the way it needs to be. Its his best dish till date.

We have been craving fried rice lately and since appa is away, we have no-one to get that take-aways for us. Finally we had to give in and so amma and me decided to make it at home. I always have those Chinese sauces at home and so putting them together sounded no big deal. In fact we thought it would be fun. What I have given below is the measurements that suited our palate, that which we came up with trial and error method. So do a taste check before you add some sauce or some pepper.

If you are a vegetarian then use crumble paneer instead of chicken, if you are an eggiterian then simply skip the chicken and if you are vegan, use just the veggies. Ajinomoto is a must for all fried rice recipes but lately a hell lot of research has been going on to ensure if it safe to use this in food... Why give it the benefit of doubt and so I never use it in my cooking... But if you are okay with it, then sprinkle a pinch of ajinomoto and mix well... I am not promoting the product at any cost here, but just telling that if u have used it in your cooking then add it when making this rice. They say it increases the flavor.

~*What U Need*~ Servings - 2 to 3 Cooked Basmati rice - 1 1/2 cups For chicken fry: Chicken breast - 2 pieces Vinegar - 1 tsp Lemon juice - few drops Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Garam masala - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - a pinch All purpose flour - 2 tbsp Cornflour - 1 tbsp Egg white - 1 Oil - to deep fry Onion - 1, sliced Beans - 7, chopped Carrot - 1, julienned Egg - 1 Green peas - 1/4 cup Soya sauce - 1 1/2 tsp Chilli sauce - 1/2 tsp Salt, pepper(2 tsp) - to season

How I Made it:
Cook your basmati rice with required water, cool and fluff with fork. Set aside. Mix the chicken with the ingredients given under chicken fry and marinate for 30 mins minimum. Deep fry in oil till cooked. Cool and shred or cut into pieces.

Chop onions and vegetables. Set aside. Heat oil, saute the onions for 2 mins. Move the onions to the other side of the pan, crack open the egg and scramble, mix with the onions.

Next add the vegetables and cook till tender but crisp. Add soya sauce, green chilli sauce, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Add the shredded chicken and give it a quick stir. Add the rice and mix gently till well combined. Check for seasoning.

Serve warm!!!

** My Notes:
** The vegetables should not get fully cooked.
** Do the whole process in high or medium-high flame.
** Adding scrambled egg is optional.
** Similarly u can skip chicken and scramble 3 or 4 eggs to make egg fried rice.

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Veggie 'n' Egg Mixed Fried Rice

My hubby is the best when it comes to make last-minute hasty decisions. As I have mentioned in my previous posts, the scorching sun in Chennai is stopping us from making any afternoon plans. Be it to a film or an eat-out plan, we always do it in the evenings. But last Sunday our will overpowered our decisions and we decided to have lunch out.

At around 11, we started to get ready when sweetpie huss went to the balcony, had a glance, came in and declared “The sun rays are overpowering. Why don’t you make a simple meal and we will have DINNER out. I will help you in the kitchen. Tell me if you want anything to be done” He sat on the sofa and switched on the TV. “OMG, pls don’t tell me that you are serious. What do you expect me to make in just an hour’s time?” This was I. Blaring on top of my lungs for 5 mins, I knew that this was the decision. I had some cooked leftover basmati rice in my fridge. So made this simple and yummy fried rice packed with flavors in less than half an hour and some Baked Masala Potato Wedges (which will be my next post). But Mr. A I am still angry on you!!! Hmmmpppfff.

~*What U Need*~
Carrot – 1
Beans – 4
Fresh peas – ¼ cup
Onions(Medium) – 2
Ginger Garlic paste – ¼ tsp
Tomato sauce – 1 tbsp
Soy Sauce – 1 tsp
Green Chilli sauce – 1 ½ tsp
Salt – to taste
Pepper – to taste
Egg - 2
Oil – 2 tbsps

Cooked & Flavored basmati Rice – 1 ½ cup

How I Made:
Flavored basmati rice
Wash and soak the basmati rice for 15 mins. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a tawa. Add 1 cardamom, 2 cloves and ½ inch cinnamon and sauté till fried.
Add the rice and dry roast for 3-4 mins.
Now add water in 1:2 (rice:water) ratio and cook the rice. If you feel that there is excess water, drain it. For me, this quantity worked well.
Allow it to cool.

Mixed Fried Rice
Chop the onions finely and julienne the carrot and beans.
Heat oil in tawa and add onions and sauté till golden brown.
When done, add the sauces (Tomato, soy and green chilli) and fry.
Add in the carrot, beans and fresh peas and fry till half cooked. Meanwhile, in a pan, heat some oil and scramble the eggs.
When the veggies have cooked, add salt and pepper to taste. The pepper should be a wee-bit overpowering. When done, add the cooked rice and scrambled egg and toss.

Serve hot with raitha or any chips.

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