on Nov 24, 2022, Updated Mar 29, 2024 When it comes to making Indo-Chinese food at home, that authentic restaurant-style flavour is non-negotiable for me. I need everything to be just perfect! The texture of the rice, the flavours, and obviously that typical hint of smokiness that’s so authentic to takeaway Chinese. And I am very happy to tell you that this chilli garlic fried rice is all of those things and more! It is spicy, it is garlicky, packs in a tonne of veggies, comes together in a jiffy and is a total flavour bomb!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this scrumptious chilli garlic fried rice at home:
Dry red chillies: Soaked in hot water and ground with garlic to form a coarse paste. This paste forms the base of the recipe and lends the whole dish its distinctive spicy and garlicky flavour. Aromatics: This recipe uses lots of finely chopped garlic, ginger and onions. Oil: You can use any neutral-flavoured oil with a high smoke point such as peanut, canola and sunflower for this recipe. Veggies: I have used finely chopped beans, carrots and red and yellow capsicum; you can use anything available to you. Other commonly added veggies to this garlic fried rice recipe are broccoli, corn, cabbage and peas. Rice: I prefer to use the short-grain variety of Jeera Samba, but you can use Basmati or any other variety available to you. Soy sauce: For saltiness and umami. Responsible for that distinctive Indo-Chinese flavour. White pepper: For a dash of heat. Sugar: Balances out the flavours of the whole dish as well as helps the veggies retain their colour. A little goes a long way. Spring onion greens: Used as a garnish to add a dash of freshness.
Homemade Chilli Garlic Paste
This is a two ingredient paste made with soaked whole dried red chillies and garlic cloves, blended to a coarse texture. It’s the key to that reddish colour, and the smoky, spicy, garlicky flavour. If you don’t want to make this, pick up a jar of schezwan sauce or chutney at the store and use that instead.
How to make Chilli Garlic Fried Rice
Here’s a quick step by step to show you how to make this recipe:
- Soak whole dried red chillies in hot water for 10 minutes
- Drain and Blend soaked red chillies and garlic with a little soaking water
- The blended paste should be slightly coarse in texture
- Saute the paste in hot oil in a wok for 2-3 minutes
- Add ginger, garlic, green chillies and onions and saute in the chilli garlic paste for two more minutes
- Add beans, carrots and bell peppers and saute for 1-2 minutes on high heat
- Add cooked rice, white pepper, soy sauce and vinegar
- Toss well for 2-3 minutes on really high heat and top with spring onions before serving
Top Tips To Make The Best Chilli Garlic Fried Rice
I would highly recommend using leftover rice that’s been refrigerated at least for a few hours but preferably overnight for this recipe. That’s because freshly made rice wouldn’t be able to hold shape and give you mushy fried rice instead of firm, separate grains. You can add a protein of your choice like paneer, tofu, chicken, prawns, or sausages to make it into a wholesome, complete meal. This recipe is quite spicy, so make sure to adjust the spice levels to suit your personal tolerance levels, especially if you are making it for kids. Make sure to chop all the veggies finely as this will help them cook faster and more evenly. Keep everything prepped and ready before you start cooking as this recipe moves pretty quickly. You won’t have time to chop or prep anything once the heat is turned on.
This spicy, chilli garlic fried rice has been a total favourite of anyone who’s ever tried it! While this dish tastes lovely on its own, you can serve it with my easy Chinese Chilli Chicken Dry, Szechuan Chicken, Veg Manchurian or this Street style Chilli Paneer. Oh and don’t forget to make extras, because this one disappears pretty fast!
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