A Cook @ Heart: JFI RICE

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

JFI- Rice - Fried Rice, Mumbai Shtyle!!

I grew up eating Maharashtrian, South Indian and Punjabi Food... Chinese food was something rare (gosh , I sound so ancient when I say that!.. ahem, just to set the record straight, I'm not THAT old!) My parents were not really into experimenting with Chinese cuisine, having notions that creepy crawlies were used in food, made them rather averse to it!!

With these mixed up ideas, finally in my F.Y.B.A, I scooped a forkful of dangling noodles and 'slooshed' them into my mouth... fully expecting to scream and choke and expire all over the floor. What happened instead was an explosion of hitherto unknown taste! I was hooked! I still remember, I ate Indianised Hakka -Noodles and Fried Rice everyday in that week, couldn't get enough!!.. Later I came to know that the Chinese food I eat in Mumbai is 'Indianised'.. loaded with spice to suit the Indian palette and that the original version is a lot healthier! Well, I'm sticking to my version!

So when Sharmi announced JFI-Rice I decided to make my version of Fried Rice, Mumbai Shtyle! Mumbai's landscape is dotted with restaurants catering to Chinese cuisine and in the street food category the red carts (with a multicolored dragon of an unknown breed breathing fire) stand out and make their presence felt. The food is redolent with ginger and garlic, smells so tempting that one is naturally drawn to it!

So without further ado, here is my recipe!!!
1 cup long grained Rice
2 cups mix vegetables- Steamed (Carrots and French Beans)
1/2 cup Spring Onion Greens
1 small Capsicum
1 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp. Butter
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
1 pc coal * (optional) for smokey flavour

Clean & wash the rice. Drain all water. Heat oil, add rice. Ensure that every grain of rice is coated with oil. Boil 2 cups of water, add salt. Add rice to the boiling water. Cook rice till almost done . Spread the rice in a plate and let it cool completely In a wok, heat butter, add chopped onion and capsicum. Add the steamed vegetbles. Add rice, soy sauce, salt if required. Mix with a light hand.

*for smokey flavor: Heat the piece of coal until it glows red.

Transfer it to a steel cup/ katori.
In the wok (which has the rice) make a small well/ depression, place the cup in it, pour 1 tsp. oil on the coal.Cover the wok IMMEDIATELY. Leave the lid on for a minute.

Iserved this fried rice with glazed Tofu , YUMMY!!