Fried rice

Rice is one of those starches you either hate or can live with every so often. I don’t think I have come across someone who could not live without rice, as the more appealing pastas and potato dishes take rein in the kitchen. It’s certainly a staple, especially for budgeting purposes. However, besides having rice with your curry or as an accompaniment with a good ole Sunday roast, there are other ways to have it. Surprise, surprise.

As I mentioned before and I doubt I have to try and sell this fact; rice is budget friendly. You may be agreeable, but also questioning how many rice dishes you’d have to eat in a month. The thought of plain boiled white rice, a sliver of chicken on the side and boiled veggies seems hardly exciting. However, I don’t plan on boring you just yet. This week’s dish is my family's version of fried rice.

We usually have this when we are in the mood for something different or when our pockets are pretty empty. It adds variety to our lives; I don’t recommend it every day but, for that much needed change-up, it does wonders. This is just one different rice dish I have up my sleeve and I promise they get much more interesting. It’s quick, easy to do and a way to make a meal go a long way; get the recipe and step-by-step instructions below.  

Serves: 4 - 5

Ingredients:

1 Cup white rice

1 Large white onion

1 tsp Garlic (crushed)

½ Cup frozen corn

1 Tsp parsley (finely chopped)

½ cup of button mushrooms (sliced)

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

Instructions:

Boil rice for half - ¾ of the recommended time on the packet. While boiling rice, fry button mushrooms separately in another pan.

Peel and halve the onion; slice.

Heat oil in a large frying pan and sweat the onion slices.

Add garlic and fry for a few seconds to infuse the flavour.

Add pre-boiled rice; fry for +-2 minutes.

Add corn.

Add parsley.

Add mushrooms.

Add salt and pepper for taste. Leave to fry for another +-2 minutes.

Tip: 

Do not over boil your rice initially; as you will be putting it through another cooking phase. Boil for half – ¾ of the recommended time. Otherwise while frying the rice will become stodgy. 

Make it a bit more interesting by adding a dash (no more than a tablespoon) of white wine to simmer away in pan while the rice fries.

Add sliced green, red and/or yellow peppers to the mix.