Chinese Fried Rice 🍚

We wanted something easy for lunch and nothing is easier than fried rice! This simple fried rice is rich in spices and the addition of lime zest makes it tangy and slightly sweet. You can also sub the chicken with seafood, strips of beef or other vegetables to make this vegetarian!

Hot tip: the key to the perfect fried rice is to use overnight rice. Rice you made the night before, which has been stored in an airtight container in the fridge. This is an asian tip that asian cooks swear by. You can toss it in straight from the fridge as it ensures the rice is not mushy. If you don't have overnight rice, you can use fresh too but be sure to let it cool for a few hours before making the fried rice.

Serves: 2-3 people

Difficulty: Level 1

Wow factor: ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐

Ingredients

Part 1 - The Spice Rub

• 3x chicken breast, cut into small cubes

• 2tbsp Chinese Five Spice

• Cracked black pepper to taste

• 1/2 lime zested

• 1tsp fish sauce

• 1tbsp soy sauce

Part 2 - The Veg

• 1 shallot, chopped finely

• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

• 2 carrots, chopped into small quarters

• 3 celery sticks, chopped into small pieces

• 1 courgette, chopped into small quarters

Part 3 - Fried Rice Making

• 1tbsp olive oil

• 200gr overnight rice (see tip above)

• Salt & pepper to taste

• 1tbsp Chinese Five Spice

• 1tbsp fish sauce

• 1tbsp soy sauce

• 1tbsp sweet soy sauce / kecap manis

• 1 lime wedge

• Freshly chopped coriander to serve if desired

Instructions

1. Part 1: The Spice Rub - In a large bowl, mix the chicken with Chinese Five Spice, black pepper, lime zest, fish sauce and soy sauce. Set aside while you prep the veg.

2. Part 2: The Veg - When the veg is all prepped you can heat the olive oil in a large wok over medium heat. If you don't have a wok, a large pan will do!

3. Part 3: Fried Rice Making starts here. Once the oil is hot, tip in the chicken. Fry until the chicken pieces look done on the outside. This will probably take around 5-8 minutes.

4. Now add the garlic and shallots. Fry for 3 minutes.

5. Add carrots, celery and courgette to the pan. Fry for 4 minutes.

6. Add cold rice to the pan. Fry for a minute or 2.

7. Now add salt, pepper, Chinese Five Spice, fish sauce, soy sauce and sweet soy sauce. Mix well and keep frying for another 2-3 minutes. Squeeze the lime wedge and incorporate the juice in the mix.

8. Check if the chicken is cooked and ensure the flavouring is up to scratch. If it's all good, it is ready to serve! Top with fresh coriander if that's your thing, but this fried rice is done!

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