Nigerian Fried Rice Recipe

In my personalized top-5 list of Nigerian rice dishes, fried rice―a gentle-yellow hued rice dish strewn with vegetables―is vying for the prime spot with white rice, jollof rice, coconut rice, and Ofada (a sweet fermented rice). Like jollof rice, this popular dish is cooked at house and at places to eat equally, and is at any time present at get-togethers and special occasions. 

Nigerian fried rice appears to be, feels, and eats like a dish that’s a cross among golden turmeric Indian pilau and vegetable-studded Chinese fried rice. It isn’t shocking that Nigerian fried rice is an amalgam of influences the two Chinese and Indians have lived in Nigeria since the 1930s and 1970s respectively, and have contributed to Nigerian foods culture, notably spring rolls and samosas, which are permanent fixtures in smaller chops, a collection of Nigerian appetizers served at events and celebrations. 

Choosing Your Equipment

When its name may well evoke photographs of fiery woks and smoky wok hei, all those features never arrive into enjoy in Nigeria’s model, which instead takes advantage of a major-bottomed pot or sauté pan as the typical cooking vessel. Here, the ideal final result is extra pilau than stir-fried: person grains of rice that are cooked as a result of but not mushy interspersed with tender, well-seasoned vegetables that keep their form. 

The Rice

To execute this purpose with relieve, it’s vital to get started with the appropriate variety of rice: converted, or parboiled, rice, like Uncle Ben’s First rice or golden sella basmati. This variety of rice has been par-cooked and then cooled and dried. The par-cooking process totally gelatinizes the starch molecules in the rice grains, which is just a technical way of declaring that the rice is cooked till the starch granules swell and soften. At the time cooled and dried, the starch goes via a approach called retrogradation, which is the similar phenomenon that will cause bread to transform stale. The end result are dried grains of rice that cook dinner up extra individual and fluffy, with small to no stickiness, than their uncooked rice counterpart. This type of rice also does a good job of absorbing seasoning, a good quality that lends alone very well to taking on Nigerian fried rice’s signature golden hue.

The Greens

For the veggies, it is prevalent to insert carrots, onions, bell peppers, inexperienced peas, inexperienced beans, sweet corn, or even mushrooms. Although protein is not explicitly named for in Nigerian fried rice, I have liked versions with diced hen and thinly sliced beef. As for the cooking liquid, Nigerian stock is primarily employed but one particular can also use water or even coconut milk for a pronounced coconut taste. It’s common to season the rice with curry powder and dried thyme, which incorporate aromatic warming spices and shade. Further than this, there are no really hard and quickly rules and variations abound, from plain fried rice just studded with onions, carrots, green beans, and peppers all the way to a surf and turf edition starring modest shrimp and fried cow liver.

When I was rising up, my mum produced fried rice on Sundays. It was her popular ‘test kitchen’ dish that she beloved to experiment with, hoping out new tips and methods she’d arrive throughout, like utilizing different versions of converted rice to toasting the rice beforehand, to staggering the addition of greens, and altering the spices. Although no two pots have been identical, her cooking strategy normally stayed the very same: She just about normally softened the vegetables in hot oil and additional a handful of chopped inexperienced bell pepper to the stop, which have been remaining to steam in the final minutes of cooking. The peppers remained shiny green and lent a contemporary vegetal taste and aroma to the concluded dish. 

This recipe is virtually just like my mum’s, help you save for the coconut milk, a idea I learnt from looking at my good friend Timi make hers. It adds a trace of creaminess which my youngsters like. Serve with dodo, moi moi, and fried or grilled hen alongside.