Fried Rice

# of servings:  4
Preparation Time:  10 mins	Cook Time:  40 mins

An anytime favorite among children, this dish is easy to make and personalize with the veggies of their preference.  This can be relished with just some ketchup or a soy-based curry.  Different combinations can be tried for variety, like Pineapple Fried Rice, Pineapple Basil Fried Rice, etc. 

Ingredients:

• Rice - 2 cups
• Water - 4 cups
• Cabbage - 1 cup (essential)
• Carrots, beans, peas, corn - 0.75 cup
• Colored bell peppers - 0.75 cup
• Corn (or) Baby corn - 0.5 cup (optional)
• Cauliflower - 0.5 cup (optional) 
• Bamboo shoots - 0.5 cup (optional)
• Pineapple chunks - 1 cup (optional) 
• Basil - 2 fistfuls (optional) 
• Ginger - 1 inch
• Garlic - 5-6 pods
• Green chili paste - 1.5 tsp 
• Black pepper - 1 tsp 
• Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt

Method:

• Wash the rice and set it in the pressure cooker with water (1:2 ratio) ('Pressure cook' mode in IP for 3 minutes) 
• Grate ginger garlic to make a paste 
• Chop the vegetables into long slivers (use any or all of the veggies suggested above)
• Crush the black pepper into powder
• Take the cooked rice out of the cooker and let it cool down for some time (at least 10 minutes)
• In another large vessel, heat the oil 
• Add black pepper powder, ginger-garlic paste, and chili paste
• Add carrots, green beans, peas, corn, bell peppers, cauliflower, bamboo shoots, cabbage, and pineapple - (whichever is used) in that order.  Saute each for a minute and add the next veggie
• Add little salt, just enough for all the vegetables, and saute on high flame just a little (Be sure to cook the veggies only three-fourths, to keep their crunch and taste.)
• Add soy sauce and mix
• Add in the cooled rice and basil (if using) 
• Add just a little salt (for the rice). Go easy on salt as soy sauce has a lot of sodium already
• Toss gently to mix the veggies, rice, and salt
• Heat for a few minutes
• Serve with some ketchup or a Soy-based curry

Tips and Tricks:

• Cutting all veggies in slivers not only gives a nice appearance to the dish but also helps them cook faster 
• Crunchy vegetables taste better in this dish.  Cooking quickly on high flame will cook them just the way needed 
• Do not skip using cabbage as it adds a lot to the flavor
• Letting the rice to cool before adding to the veggies will keep the rice from becoming a mushy lump
• Be sure to toss gently while mixing to avoid clumping as well 
• Adding basil at the end, along with rice will keep its color, flavor, and fragrance 

Pictures: 

Final Outcome: