Veg fried rice is the most quintessential rice recipe that you must have in your repertoire and I am sure this will save you in more occasions than you could imagine thanks to its ease of prep and versatility!
I could not believe that I haven’t yet shared everyone’s favorite and an almost staple veg fried rice recipe in my 10+ years old blog! That’s unpardonable!
Let’s fix that now, shall we? This veg fried rice is one such recipe that you would have made so many times that you actually lost count of it and don’t even think of it as a ‘recipe’ anymore while making it!
Does this happen to you too?
My veg fried rice is absolutely free of any animal protein like egg or chicken or even seafood because that’s how we Indians like our veg fried rice.
You can of course check out my egg fried rice and chicken fried rice recipes which have remained very popular since the time I have shared them with my lovely readers!
Why is veg fried rice so popular especially in India?
According to a study done in 2021, about 40% of the Indian population is vegetarian i.e. they don’t consume any kind of meat or egg or fish. [source]
This above data alone explains why vegetarian dishes are always in high demand in this land of diverse culture.
That’s exactly why this Indo-Chinese veg fried rice is one of the most ordered staple dishes in any Indian restaurant!
Plus this dish is so versatile that it pairs beautifully with any side dish, be it an Indian curry or a Chinese stir-fry gravy. I have shared many serving suggestions below for your reference!
Ingredients for restaurant style veg fried rice
Rice: We need to spend a little time discussing rice to be used for a perfect veg fried rice or any fried rice for that matter.
First and foremost, you have to use a day-old cooked rice which is refrigerated at least overnight if you really wanna make a restaurant style fluffy veg fried rice.
If you are wondering why, then let me quickly tell you that it’s simply because chilled rice has very less moisture left in it making it easy to stir fry without converting it to a mashed lump.
Also, using hot rice is a strict no-no for any fried rice recipe. The heat will break the rice grains and you will not end up with perfectly fluffy and separated grains of stir fried rice.
In terms of the type of rice to use, I believe you can use any rice of your choice – it can be short grain or even long grain like Basmati. Take your pick!
Veggies: I kept it pretty simple! I used most-used staple veggies which I am sure are always available in your refrigerator.
I am talking about good old carrots and french beans! This veg fried rice is a quick fix for your sudden cravings which is why I didn’t complicate my recipe.
Just throw in chopped carrots for vibrant orange color and chopped beans for contrasting greens!
But of course, it goes without saying that you can add any veggie of your choice! Mushrooms, bell peppers, sweet corn or whatever your heart desires!
Aromatics: Now the flavors of a good veg fried rice is built with the right aromatics! Let’s talk about them one by one.
The very first & most important one is the garlic, as that gives the most authentic restaurant-like flavor to your homemade veg fried rice.
I use loads of garlic simply because of my personal preference; you can adjust the amount to suit your taste buds.
All you do is to throw in the finely chopped garlic to the hot oil as the very first ingredient so that the oil gets beautifully infused with garlicky flavor.
Spring onion needs special mention in any fried rice recipe as without this no fried rice is ever complete!
You need to separate the white and green parts of spring onions and finely chop each. Then stir fry the whites in hot oil along with garlic to soften them and also to impart their flavor into the oil.
The greens are the jewels sprinkled on top of your restaurant style veg fried rice at the very end; so be generous!
Finally, you will need finely chopped ginger and also finely chopped fresh chillies. You may use fresh green or fresh red chillies adjusting the amount as per your liking.
Seasoning: Since this is a Indo-Chinese veg fried rice recipe, you will need a touch of soy sauce to add that depth of flavor which is also called umami in Chinese cuisine.
I didn’t want to make my veg fried rice too dark with soy sauce, which is why I used light soy sauce which imparts the flavor but without that dark color.
If you don’t wanna use soy sauce, then feel free to season your veg fried rice with salt and of course add a generous amount of freshly crushed black pepper.
Oil: For combining all flavors impeccably, you need a flavorless oil like canola, sunflower or any vegetable oil which has a high smoking point.
How to make restaurant style veg fried rice?
Step 1: Like any other stir fry recipe, complete all the chopping before you switch on your flame. Chop carrot and beans into small pieces.
Step 2: Finely chop the garlic cloves, ginger and also the fresh chillies. Now separate the whites and greens of spring onions; then finely chop the whites and green separately.
Step 3: Now heat a wok keeping the flame on high. Once the wok is super hot, reduce the flame to medium and add oil.
Step 4: Swirl the wok to coat the surface nicely. Then add the chopped garlic to the wok and stir fry them for a few minutes on low heat ensuring they do not burn.
Step 5: Next add the chopped ginger & chillies and spring onion whites. Continue stir frying them on medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes or until they slightly change their color.
Step 6: Now it’s time to add the veggies – throw in the carrots & beans and sprinkle little salt to expedite softening the veggies.
Step 7: Stir fry the veggies on medium flame for 6 to 8 minutes. Then sprinkle a handful of water over the vegetables and cover the wok, reducing the flame to low.
Pro tip: Above process will steam the vegetables making them soft quickly thus avoiding too much oil absorption.
Step 8: Lift the lid after about 5 minutes; the water should have been absorbed by now and the veggies should have turned soft; if not, continue to steam them with the lid on for another two minutes.
Step 9: Once the veggies are nicely cooked, it’s time to add the rice! Make sure you are using cold rice that has been refrigerated overnight.
Step 10: Spread the rice over the veggies evenly and leave it undisturbed for about a couple of minutes keeping the flame medium-low.
This will ensure that the bottom layer of the rice crisps up once it comes in contact with hot wok.
Step 11: After about 2 minutes, drizzle the soy sauce, if using or the salt and black pepper powder.
Step 12: Now using a spatula, start stirring the rice and continue mixing the rice with veggies while stir frying everything on medium flame.
Step 13: You should stir fry the veg fried rice for at least 10 minutes so that the rice gets enough time to soak up all the flavors and also become fluffy, hot & smoky.
Step 14: Taste the rice for seasoning and adjust if needed either by adding a little more salt or a dash of soy sauce.
Step 15: Finally sprinkle the spring onion greens over the veg fried rice and give it a good mix for even distribution.
Step 16: Your restaurant style veg fried rice is ready! Switch off the flame and transfer it to a serving bowl, garnish with more spring onion greens and enjoy!
Serving suggestions for veg fried rice
Veg fried rice is one such dish that can be paired and enjoyed in uncountable ways! This is such an accommodative staple that you can pair with any Indian curry or a Chinese stir fry gravy!
Here are a few of my personal favorite combinations:
Veg Fried Rice + Restaurant Style Chilli Paneer
Veg Fried Rice + Paneer Butter Masala
Veg Fried Rice + Veg Handi Restaurant Style
And for my meat loving readers, here are my recommendations:
Veg Fried Rice + Restaurant Style Chilli Chicken
Veg Fried Rice + Creamy Cashew Chicken Curry
Veg Fried Rice + Thai Yellow Chicken Curry
More popular rice recipes from Flavor Quotient
- Cooked cold rice - 4-5 cups
- Garlic - 10 to 12 cloves
- Ginger - 1-inch piece
- Fresh chilli (red or green) - 3 to 4 (adjust as per your taste)
- Spring onion - 5 stalks, large
- Carrot - 2, large
- French beans - 12 to 15
- Light soy sauce - 2 tbsp
- Oil - 4 tbsp
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Chop carrot and beans into small pieces. Finely chop the garlic cloves, ginger and also the fresh chillies.
- Separate the whites and greens of spring onions; then finely chop the whites and green separately.
- Now heat a wok keeping the flame on high. Once the wok is super hot, reduce the flame to medium and add oil.
- Swirl the wok to coat the surface nicely. Then add the chopped garlic to the wok and stir fry them for a few minutes on low heat ensuring they do not burn.
- Next add the chopped ginger & chillies and spring onion whites. Continue stir frying them on medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes or until they slightly change their color.
- Now it’s time to add the veggies - throw in the carrots & beans and sprinkle little salt to expedite softening the veggies.
- Stir fry the veggies on medium flame for 6 to 8 minutes. Then sprinkle a handful of water over the vegetables and cover the wok, reducing the flame to low.
- Lift the lid after about 5 minutes; the water should have been absorbed by now and the veggies should have turned soft; if not, continue to steam them with the lid on for another two minutes.
- Once the veggies are nicely cooked, it’s time to add the rice! Make sure you are using cold rice that has been refrigerated overnight.
- Spread the rice over the veggies evenly and leave it undisturbed for about a couple of minutes keeping the flame medium-low. This will ensure that the bottom layer of the rice crisps up once it comes in contact with hot wok.
- After about 2 minutes, drizzle the soy sauce, if using or the salt and black pepper powder.
- Now using a spatula, start stirring the rice and continue mixing the rice with veggies while stir frying everything on medium flame.
- You should stir fry the veg fried rice for at least 10 minutes so that the rice gets enough time to soak up all the flavors and also become fluffy, hot & smoky.
- Taste the rice for seasoning and adjust if needed either by adding a little more salt or a dash of soy sauce.
- Finally sprinkle the spring onion greens over the veg fried rice and give it a good mix for even distribution.
- Your restaurant style veg fried rice is ready! Switch off the flame and transfer it to a serving bowl, garnish with more spring onion greens and enjoy!
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