With an abundance of vegetables in my garden(last summer), it was only natural that I made this incredible vegetable fried rice when I came across some leftover rice in the fridge. I’m a huge fan of rice, that combined with the ability to put what I’ve grown into a dish, Uncle Chris was a very happy fella.
Wash and prep the vegetables. (watch the video below).
Heat the oil on medium flame in a wok or pot of your choice.
Add the onion, bodi and stems of the chard and kale as those are the more tough vegetables. Grate in the ginger, toss in the chili pepper (bird’s eye) and add the crushed garlic. Stir well.
Cook for 3-4 minutes then add the okra and sesame oil and stir well. Now add the leafy parts of the Chard and Kale. It may seem like a lot, but it will wilt down.
Add the Chinese Cooking Wine, Hoisin, dark Soy Sauce and light Soy Sauce. Mix!
As I’ve mentioned in past Fried Rice recipes, try to make sure the rice is cool or chilled (for a more grainy finish) . Fold in the rice, warm through and you’re done. Yes the rice was cooked in salted water, plus the 2 different soy sauces we used will be enough salt for me. Taste and adjust (add salt) if you wish.
A few days after Christmas 2016 I was joined by my good friend Marc, who you would have been introduced to some time ago. Marc (Chef Marc) is a fellow Trinbagonian who’s been knocking out the recipes and food-travel videos on his YouTube Channel “Chef Marc“. This time Marc will be putting the leftover ham and turkey from the Christmas holidays for (one of) his signature fried rice. Using ingredients we already had in the fridge, Marc blazed through this recipe in a few minutes.
You’ll Need…
4 cups cooked rice (Jasmine)
2 scallions (chopped)
1 bell pepper (diced)
2 cups cabbage (chopped)
3/4 cup frozen peas
2 cups ham (cubed)
2 cups turkey (chopped)
3-4 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon dark soy sauce *
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon sesame oil
2 bird pepper (bird’s eye)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic (fine dice)
IMPORTANT! If doing this recipe gluten free be sure to go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the soy sauce – regular soy sauce will have a gluten element to it.
Start by prepping all the ingredients as this recipe calls for high heat and fast cooking.
Heat a wok or wide pan on a med/high heat, then go in with two tablespoons of the olive oil and the bird’s eye pepper. Marc gave then each pepper a couple cuts to help release some of their ‘heat’. Immediately after he went in with the cubed ham as he wanted to render out some of the fat (for flavor) and the toast the edges.
After about 1 minute it’s time to go in with the chopped turkey and mix well. You may need to add another tablespoon of oil if the pan is getting too dry.
Also add the diced bell pepper and sliced cabbage, toss and mix well. Then go in with the black pepper and garlic (he mentioned that he likes to add his garlic late in the cooking process, as to not risk burning it). At this point you can add the salt and sesame oil, stir! It’s now time to add the rice and break up any clumps. TIP!Be sure to use day-old rice or rice that been cooked in salted water and chilled. This will give you a lovely grainy texture to the fried rice.
After the rice is heated through (about 1-2 minutes), add the frozen peas and drizzle on the soy sauce. Stir well.
You’re dun! Turn off the stove and enjoy. The key is to cook on a relatively high heat, have your ingredients prepped and to not be intimated. The recipe, cooking and being in the kitchen should be fun and we do hope you’ll put this recipe to the test and enjoy the time in the kitchen with your family.
I’d like to take a minute to hit Chef Marc a Massive THANKS and to invite him to pass though the CaribbeanPot.com kitchen whenever he feels like feeding us. With both delicious food and knowledge.
NO! Mommy didn’t make this for us as kids on the islands and to be quite honest, this was the first time my taste-buds were treated to such a colorful delight. Yes, the colors will play tricks on your mind, since the finished rice will look more like a holiday candy than fried rice. However I can assure you that this was very delicious and quite attractive served-up on a platter. For this recipe we’re joined by my friend Marc, who’s been rocking this recipe for a while now.
You’ll Need…
1 cup rice (leave plain white)
1 1/2 cup “red” rice
1 1/2 cup ‘green’ rice
5 teaspoon green food coloring
5 teaspoon red food coloring
1/2 teaspoon salt each (x 3) for cooking the rice
4 cups water (divided – for cooking the rice)
2 scallions (chopped)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion (diced)
1/2 red bell pepper (diced)
1/2 green bell pepper (diced)
2 cloves garlic (diced fine)
2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Note: The rice amounts mentioned above are uncooked. When cooked it will yield more.
IMPORTANT! Please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your gluten free and vegan dietary needs. Especially the soy sauce and food coloring.
For cooking the rice – place the rice in a pot with water (after you’ve washed it). Leave one plain white and the others add the food coloring. We did a 1-1 ratio of rice to water when cooking the rice. Basically place the rice, coloring and salt in a pot (with a lid), bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes (until tender and the water is absorbed). Then spread the rice onto a sheet pan to cool and air-dry.. to remove the moisture from the rice so you’ll have a grainy fried rice. Please watch the video below if you’re confused at any point.
It will take about 30 minutes or so for the rice to be ready (air dry), so during this time we can prep our vegetables.
Heat about 2 tablespoon of the olive oil on a med/high heat in a wok or wide non-stick pan. Then go in with the diced onions and sweet peppers. Toss and cook for about 1-2 minutes.
Toss in the salt and keep stirring. Add the black pepper and here’s where you’ll also add the garlic. Add the rest of the olive oil so you wont have the rice stick to the bottom of the pot when you add it shortly. By this time your onions and peppers will start to take on caramelized edges. Add the rice and stir well. Try to break up any clumps you may have.
Mix the rice well, (heat still on med/high), mix in the soy sauce and continue cooking until everything is mixed properly and heated through. Top with the diced scallions, turn off the stove and enjoy!
If you wanted to add some frozen peas, beans , corn or any of you fav vegetables, you can most certainly do so. Be sure to have all your ingredients prepped before you start, chilled or ‘old’ rice will work best and the higher the heat you can work with.. will all give you great results while ensuring the fried rice is fast!
Special thanks to Marc for sharing this somewhat unique rendition of a festive Christmas Fried Rice… which will certainly keep your guests guess what it is when they see it on the dinner table.
One of the things my parents instilled in us from an early age, was to NEVER waste food, so growing up you’d always find containers (usually old margarine containers) with leftover food in the fridge. I love rice (brown parboiled) in just about any way it can be cooked, so having leftover rice in the fridge is like seeing the pieces of puzzle waiting to be put together. Said puzzle does not have an after picture to follow, so it’s rare that my final fried rice is ever the same. This time I’m using some fresh Jamaican callaloo (called chorai bhagi or spinach in the rest of the Caribbean) from my garden.
You’ll Need…
2-3 cups cooked rice (chilled)
1 tablespoon veg oil
1 shallot (or small onion)
1 clove garlic
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon soy sauce (see note below)
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1/3 cup diced carrot
1 cup prepared Jamaican callaloo (trimmed)
2 okra
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Notes. Be sure to use gluten free soy sauce if doing this gluten friendly and if you want more of that vegetable – add about a cup more of the prepared Jamaican callaloo.
Tip! Make sure the rice is chilled so you’ll get a nice grainy fried rice at the end. Prepare all your ingredients in advance (chop/dice) as this recipe cooks very fast. Heat the veg oil on a medium flame in a wok or non-stick pan and add the garlic, shallot, diced peppers, carrot and black pepper. Cook for 2-3 mins.
Then add the prepared (chopped) Jamaican Callaloo and diced scotch bonnet pepper. Remember to wash your hands after handling the scotch bonnet, don’t use any of the seeds or white membrane surrounding the seeds and tailor the amount used to your own tolerance.
Now add the chopped okra, soy sauce (see note above about gluten free) and sesame oil and cook for another 2-3 minutes. The callaloo will wilt.
Basically all you have to do now is add the rice, mix well and warm though and you’re done. You’ll notice that I did not add any salt as my rice was cooked in salted water and the soy sauce will add that extra sodium element. For a bit more flavor you can always add a tiny bit of freshly grated ginger at the start.
A delightful way to make use of leftover rice and for the doubters who think vegetarian food is bland and boring – guess again! This is a superb way to enjoy a quick meal with fresh ingredients (except the rice) and truly comforting.
If you’re new to my website or Caribbean cuisine you’re probably wondering how does fried rice relate to the Caribbean. Our cuisine is heavily influenced by the many faces who make up our unique culture. With over 150 years of Chinese history in the Caribbean, our Chinese style food may be a bit different to what you’d find else where, but I assure you that we’ve been very busy over those years and (IMO) perfected many Chinese dishes. Ask any Tringbagonian, Guyanese or Jamaican (countries where there’s a heavy Chinese population) about this and they will only confirm what I’m saying
You’ll Need…
5 cups cooked rice (see note below)
1 lb chicken (chicken breast)
1 cup diced carrot
2 scallions (chopped finely)
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cloves of garlic crushed or grated
1 teaspoon grated ginger
3 tablespoon vegetable oil (divided)
3 tablespoon dark soy sauce *
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 large onion diced
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup bean sprouts
1 tablespoon shado beni (optional)
1/4 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper
Notes: I used white rice, which was cooked in salted boiling water. For best results place the cooked rice in the fridge to chill before using. This will give you a lovely grainy texture (no clumping) and remember when cooking the rice, stop the cooking process when it’s about 95% done, so it’s not soggy. Start off with 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, but depending on how dark you want the finished chicken fried rice, you may need to adjust. Please dice the scotch bonnet pepper very finely and don’t include any seeds. We simply don’t want the raw heat.
Tip. To get the chicken sliced thin, when it’s still a little frozen use a sharp knife and you’ll be better able to get thin slices since it will be firm.
The first thing we need to do is to season the sliced chicken with the 5 spice powder and black pepper. Mix well and let it marinate for a few minutes. Heat your wok or non stick frying pan (you’ll need a large one) on med/high heat, add 2 tablespoons of the veg oil then add the seasoned chicken. Since we’re working with fairly high heat, remember to stir and it will cook in about 3-4 minutes. Now remove and set aside.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of veg oil to the wok, then add the diced onion and grate in the garlic and ginger. Let that cook for a minute, then add the diced carrots, bell peppers and celery. Cook for about 3-5 minutes. Now add the diced scotch bonnet pepper and soy sauce.. followed by the pre cooked chicken and sesame oil. It will go very dark… that will change soon.
Now it’s time to add the rice (make sure you chilled it a bit so we get that grainy texture) and stir well. Since the rice is already cooked, all we’re doing is heating it through and infusing it with the main flavors of the fried rice.
Now it’s time to add the remaining 3 ingredients. Add the bean sprouts and toss, then top with the finely chopped scallions and if you were able to source the shado beni (see West Indian, Asian or Latin grocery stores.. may also be called Culantro) and cook for a minute or 2. That’s it.. you’re done.
As you can tell this can be a one pot dish with all those lovely vegetables, chicken and the rice itself. With such a large batch it can easily feed 6-8 people and I assure you, they will all be satisfied. Remember to taste for salt, but the soy sauce should add enough sodium to make this ideal (but you can adjust if you want more). If you find that the rice is a bit too pale for your liking you can add a tablespoon more soy sauce to darken it up a bit. If you have some frozen peas you can also add a cup of that for extra vegetables. Speaking about vegetables, did you know that my vegetarian fried rice recipe video is one of the most popular on Youtube?
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
After striking gold with readers after posting the vegetable fried recipe earlier in the year, I knew I just had to post this shrimp fried rice recipe for you all. Not only is shrimp fried rice an excellent one pot meal on it’s own, it’s also a great way to use left-over rice you may have from a previous night’s dinner. I must confess that this was not a planned recipe as I would normally do… before setting up the cameras etc. There was some serious noise originating out of my belly and I knew I had to get some food down there before a fete broke out. It was then that I noticed that there was some cooked rice in the fridge.. one thing led to the next and I was enjoying a lovely lunch in the back yard within half hour. This shrimp fried rice takes less than 6 minutes to cook, but I had to wait for the shrimp to thaw or things would have been much faster.
You’ll Need…
1/4 cup small shrimp (cleaned/deveined)
1 medium onion
1 scallion
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced carrot
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 1/2 tablespoon soya sauce
1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon Sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups rice (cooked) * see note below
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
Notes: You can also add added flavor by adding a couple cloves of crushed garlic the same time you add the grated ginger. I used brown rice which I cooked in salted water and allowed to chill in the fridge (it was left over rice). It’s important that you use chilled rice to get that lovely grainy texture of good fried rice.
Clean, devein and wash your shrimp.. then pat dry. In a small bowl place the shrimp and season with the black pepper and 5 spice powder. Let that marinate as you prepare the other ingredients. If you don’t know how to clean and devein shrimp, watch this video: How To Clean And Devein Shrimp.
Chop the onion, scotch bonnet pepper and scallion, then cube the carrot and celery (try to maintain the same size for even cooking).
Place your wok or non stick frying pan on medium/high heat and add the vegetable oil. Now add the onion and grated ginger and give it a good stir. You’ll be amazed at the lovely aroma which will hit you smack in your face. Now add the cubed celery and carrot as they will need to cook a bit so you have a slight crunch as you enjoy this dish. Allow that to cook for a minute or two, then add the seasoned shrimp and stir. Here is where you would also add the chopped scotch bonnet pepper slices (gotta have that Caribbean sunshine).
Add the soy sauce, sesame oil and oyster sauce to the pan.. don’t get alarmed when it get the entire pot blackish, it will balance off once we add the rice. Let that warm through for about 30 seconds, then add the chilled rice and give it a good stir.
It’s very important that you stir this very well so the rice is coated in that lovely colour and flavor we built. It should take about 2-3 minutes for the rice to heat through and pick all those exciting flavors of this shrimp fried rice. Now top with the chopped scallion and stir well.
You will notice that we did not add any salt as the soy sauce will add the element for us, plus the rice was cooked with salt. If you find that the overall colour is not dark enough for you, you can certainly add more soy sauce as necessary. Do remember that the more you add, it will change the saltiness of the finished dish.
The idea is to have everything prepared as you want to cook on a relatively high heat..FAST!
It was a day of leftovers as I included a piece of wicked jerk chicken I made the day before when we had some friends over. If shrimp is not your thing, you can certainly use chicken (slice thin) for an amazing chicken fried rice.
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