Fried Rice and Schezwan Shrimp Stir Fry

Long time no see! That clearly does not mean that I have not been cooking.. I have been cooking and Baking too! Yes Baking!!!... Today's post is not about baking, but an awesome dinner that I prepared tonight!  I follow Besty Life quite regularly and from Betsy Life stumbled upon Love Veggies and Yoga . and the name pulled me towards it..  Averie at Love Veggies and Yoga (LVAY) has the most awesome pictures. I will admit though, that I have never tried any of her recipes as they are mostly cookies or "sweet" dessert kind items.

However, two days ago, just as LVAY was loading, A came around and immediately got drawn into it and the first thing that he said was Wow-- Yeh Banao - Make this "  And what attracted him was a picture of Schezwan shrimp stir fry.. Yes... Bengali = Love for any kind of Fish!!!

So today a visit to the grocery store and I was all set.... I followed her recipe but like everytime added my twist.  I used thawed shrimp (Made me happy as it said "product of IndiaYeah!"), a spoon of ginger garlic paste, and an assortment of vegetables (Onion green and red, Carrots, corn, beans, bell peppers),  a drizzle of oil and extra spicy Schezwan sauce.  .  Yes, I order Spice level = 8/10 at restaurants!

However I dont eat Shrimp so I didnt try, but I got immense pleasure to see how the dinner plate was "licked" clean.

I have discovered my favorite  way to make Stir Fried Rice, Simple and Delicious.   Here is my recipe-

• Heat about 2 Tbs oil in a skillet/wok
• Add ginger garlic paste
• Add chopped vegetables (onion, bell peppers, Carrots, corn, whatever you fancy) 
• Saute on high for about 2 mins
• Move veggies to a side and add an egg (optional)
• Another 1-2 mins
• Add Cooked Rice (the older the rice the better, but ofcourse not 10 days old)
• Add Soya Sauce to taste
• and Chilly Sauce

Another 2 mins and done!!!

:Imported from my old blog: Rice Pulav/Rice Pilaaf

2 cups of rice should be enough for 3 people and a little leftover....
Wash them and keep aside.

You need vegetables such as -

Peas - a little
Sweet corn - almost same quantity as peas
(you may dip peas and sweet corn in a bowl of water when you start cooking. This way they would cook very well)
Capsicum - half - nicely cut into thin slices
Cottage cheese - about 5 - 7 small cubes
Potato - one medium sized - peeled and finely cut into nice small pieces
Carrot - about one long carrot - peeled and finely cut into thin slices
Onion - one medium sized - peeled and finely cut into thin slices
Cauliflower - few small lil florets


Some of these vegetables are seasonal and may not be available.. you may pick the ones that are most easily accessible and available. Simplest is with potato, peas and onions.

For the MASALA -

2 tbs cooking oil
3-5 cloves
Cinnamon stick - 2
Moti elaichi / black cardamom - 2
Black Peppercorns - 3- 5
Jawaitri - 1 (traditional indian herb- looking for the english word for this spice)
I clove of garlic
a little / 1/3rd tablespoon ginger paste
alternatively you may add 1/2 tbs ginger garlic paste
Salt - to taste
Red chilly powder - to taste
Garam Masala - a little (for fragrance)


Start by heating the oil in a dry pan. Take cottage cheese and fry a little. Once golden brown, take it out and spread on a tissue paper/newspaper for extra oil.

Now add everything under the MASALA section except salt , red chilly powder and garam masala to the oil and heat a little.

Now start by adding the hardest vegetables the first - start with potatoes and carrot . Toss it for 2 -3 minutes on medium flame.

Now add onions and capsicum, cauliflower and any other vegetable except corn and peas.
Toss them for about 3-5 minutes on medium flame.

Now add salt, red chilly powder and garam masala.

Add peas, sweet corn and fried cottage cheese... toss for a couple of minutes.....

Now add rice to the tossed vegetables. You may increase the flame to high. Stir all the mixture nicely for about a minute or till water has dried up..

Now add 4 cups of water (double the quantity as rice) and cook rice. Some people prefer to transfer the content to a rice cooker... go ahead and do that..

else continue on the cooking gas till water has dried up.
Please make sure that you leave rice in the pan with closed lid even after the water has dried.. it is called DUM and helps leave a brilliant aroma.....

I prefer eating hot rice with cold dahi... you may eat it plain, with dahi/curd/yogurt or with a gravy......

Happy eating!