Schezwan Rice: Indo- Chinese stir-fried recipe

Last 4 days in Switzerland were amazing and I am dying to check out the pictures we took. No time to transfer them from the card though midst loads of pending washing, ironing, cleaning sort of work pending plus the boring Office routine back in place. Wanted to do this quick post for Schezwan rice for this virtual Potluck Party before going to Bed for my do-not-disturb sleep  mode. It does happen after too much of walking, eating and clicking… Pheww !! No more rant today and straight to the recipe.

My regular readers would know, how much I used to despise the rice-alone dinners. As a newly transformed Rice-lover, I leave no opportunity to cook a spicy rice dish, with a simple side.. just to be on a safe side. And this one is no exception. I wanted to try the Indo-Chinese Rice dish for long and it was pleasant surprise for my own taste buds when I got to have this one. Since this recipe  from Sia uses assorted vegetables, and I like to use lot of vegetables whenever I make rice it has left no choice for me but to include this in my dinner menu. As recommended in the recipe, I tried making  Schezwan paste by grinding dried red chillies, fresh ginger and garlic, which tastes so amazing that you will never go back to the ready-made ones with artificial additives anymore. Regarding the vegetables, you can use any of your choice. Usually Beans, baby corns and carrots are considered to be the main veggies to be used for any sort of Ind-Chinese stir-fry, but I have skipped Baby Corns due to Allergy issues here. 

What you need ?

• 2 cups rice
• 1 ½ cup chopped assorted vegetables - I used Green Peas, diced Carrots, Sweet Corns, Green Beans Bell Peppers etc
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 large Onion, diced
• 2-3 Green Chillies, finely chopped (Adjust acc to taste)
• 2 large cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
• ½ inch Ginger, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp Roasted Sesame Oil or any other oil of your choice
• 2-3 tbsp finely chopped Spring Onion greens or Coriander Leaves, for garnishing
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp Schezwan Sauce - I made it from scratch at home  

For Schezwan Sauce:

• 6-8 Dried Red Chillies, soaked in warm water for 5 minutes and drained (I have used Byadagi Chillies for colour and smoky taste, you can also use Kashmiri chillies)
• 4-5 large cloves of Garlic
• 1 inch Ginger, peeled

How to Make ?

• First Wash the rice and soak it in water for around 10 minutes. This not only helps in cooking the rice faster but also helps in getting really long grained rice once cooked.
• Cook the rice either in microwave or pressure cooker or any method you think is the best.
• Once cooked, let the rice cool and then separate each grain with a help of fork and spread it on wide plate.
• Add about 1 tbsp oil and gently mix with the help of a fork. This way each grain will not stick to each other and be separated..

Method adopted from this original recipe. 

• Heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil in a wok to smoking hot and then reduce the heat to medium-high.
• Add finely chopped garlic, green chillies and sauté for few seconds.
• Immediately add diced onions and ginger and stir fry them till onions turn light golden, about 2-3 minute.
• Next add bell peppers and carrots and sauté them for a minute or two.
• Add in green peas, sweet corns and beans along with freshly ground Schezwan paste and stir fry for a minute or two. Take care that the vegetables are not cooked to soft but are half cooked and retains their crunch and colour.
• Now add soy sauce along with salt and pepper to taste and give them a good toss.
• Add cooked rice gradually and evenly fluffing it gently with the fork. Garnish with fresh coriander and spring onions. 

Notes: 

• Don’t over cook the vegetables as is it important that they retain their crunch and colour.
• Usually Schezwan Fried Rice is really spicy but you can make it as spicy or mild depending on how you like it.
• You can use the vegetables of your liking or depending on what’s available during the season and in your fridge. Other vegetables that go well with this rice are spring onions, mushrooms, French beans, broccoli, bamboo shoots etc.
• You can use the store bought Schezwan Sauce in place of freshly, home made one. But the home made one tastes best!!!
• Be cautious for the seasoning since Soy sauce is already rich in salt and you would not want the excessive flavour