Indian Inspired Fried Rice

I'm not sure if I'm experiencing memory loss, or what is going on, but I am certainly craving Indian inspired cuisine, from humus to rice; I can't get enough turmeric or cumin these days. 

The trick with making fried rice is that you want the rice to be cold when you add it to your stir fry mixture. When you add the rice to the mix when it is cold it prevents it from becoming mushy. In an attempt to speed things along, do not refrigerate freshly cooked rice; it's a breeding ground for bacteria. 


**Also when storing left over rice make sure NEVER to put it in a shallow container. The more space between the rice, and the lid can create room for bacteria to grow, so keep the dish as small as possible, and pack it in tight. 


I used shrimp here because that's what I had in stock, but by all means you could serve this with curried chicken, fish,  or sub in tofu/lentils. 


Ingredients: 

• basmati rice 
• shrimp (cooked ideally) 
• tbs oil (canola) 
• onions (med)
• frozen veg (I love the Japanese mix and I add extra broccoli) 

• ground cloves (1/2 tsp is plenty) 
• ground cinnamon
• ground cumin/ or cumin seeds
• pinch red pepper chili flakes 
• pinch of onion salt 
• Garlic/ garlic powder 
• turmeric 
• ginger 

Directions: 


Cook rice, as directed. I use a rice cooker (works wonders)
When rice is done, but in a ice bath (set rice over a bowl of cold water and ice cubes: do not refrigerate). 


While rice is cooking combine spices in a small bowl (set aside). Gage your spices to the quantity of rice. I usually go with a 1/2 tsp for each ingredients, and double up on things I really like (like garlic, cumin and ginger). 


Once rice is cooled. Heat oil in a wok or deep frying pan. Add onions and saute until browned. 


Add spices into the oil, and mix (the spices should sizzle). Add veg and shrimp until cooked.


Once everything is cooked combined add in the rice, and stir until hot. 


Sorry for not adding the quantity of the spices; I just kind of eye balled it. It's hard to mess up, just start small and don't add to much oil, and you can always add more spice if it's not enough. 


Sincerely,
sp