The main ingredients for Nigerian fried rice

Nigerian fried rice is a dish that is made with meats, mixed veggies (carrots, peas, sweet corn, green beans, fresh pepper), and species, it is a party favorite. Most times Nigerian party food is served as half portion fried rice and half portion jollof rice thereby giving people options to eat the one they prefer or have the best of both. If you are a Nigerian probably you must have been used to liver fried rice. Fried rice is a quick and delicious way to transform leftovers into something delicious! Though we sometimes think of certain ingredients being typical (eggs, garlic) the only thing you need to make fried rice is heat, rice, and oil. Anything else you add is up to you. Fried rice eventually became a favorite dish on its own, no party is complete without Nigerian fried rice. It is a favorite go-to meal for social occasions. Our Nigerian rice is super delicious because of the ingredients used for the preparation such as liver which serves as a protein and other veggies which makes it more nutritious. Fried rice can be served with chicken, salad, Moi-Moi, and fish. Etc. This article will be talking about ingredients for Nigerian fried rice.

¿Which are the main ingredients?

The main ingredients are:

Protein: The type of protein you will use is your choice, though beef liver adds a rich savory flavor, but it's not necessary. You can use fish, chicken, shrimp, etc.

Veggies: Just like protein, personal preference and availability play a great part in vegetables to use for fried rice. The most common veggies used for Nigerian fried rice include peas, green beans, onions, carrots, sweet corn, and bell peppers.

Spices and Oil: Curry powder, salt, thyme, garlic, and a little bit of oil for crisping the veggies and rice.

Rice: You have to be selective about the type of rice. It is very important for this particular dish, most people prefer to have distinct and well-separated grains, so it is advised you go for long-grain rice, though you can use any other type of rice. If you do, just ensure to reduce the parboiling time as well as the amount of stock used so you do not end up with soggy rice.

¿Which are the steps to prepare the Nigerian Fried Rice?

• If you are using fresh vegetables, wash and dice them ready. If frozen, dissolve the vegetables. Mind you, all ingredients for Nigerian fried rice should be washed well after purchasing from the market, especially the fresh vegetables.
• Wash rice with warm water 3 times or till the water runs clear. Drain and set aside.
• Grease the pot with little vegetable oil and put on heat. Use just enough to grease the pot like you will grease a cake pan.
• Pour rice into the greased pot and stir fry for about 1-2 minutes.
• Add stock cubes, thyme and half of chopped onions and stir for about another minute.
• Add Chicken broth (like spiced meat water) and water then cover the pot tightly and leave to cook on low heat.
• Don’t add curry to the rice at this stage. Curry determines the final colour of fried rice and the more you put, the more coloured your fried rice would be. Chicken broth is usually slightly coloured by the curry used in boiling it so what you do is wait to see the shade it gives the rice before adding any additional curry.
• While the rice is cooking, put a frying pan or pot on a burner and add the remaining vegetable oil. When the vegetable oil is heated, add these other ingredients for Nigerian fried rice, pepper, and the remaining onions mixed vegetables and leave to fry. Add stock cubes, salt and curry powder. Add curry to the vegetables as by now you would have noted the shade of the rice and adjust curry accordingly. Allow the vegetables to be a little bit wet when going in the oil so the onions cook and fry and not just outright crunchy.
• When the mixture is fried, add the fried liver, butter and mix. Adjust salt and seasoning.
• Add vegetable mixture to the rice and mix very well, then allow to steam for 5 minutes.

Wow, your delicious fried rice is done.

¿How can you make a vegan fried rice?

Like vegan jollof rice, fried rice is another Nigerian recipe that can be easily ‘Veganized’. You can easily swap out the liver in this recipe for any vegan meat substitute you like. Mushrooms, Jackfruit, or tofu would work perfectly.

Another way to make this a delicious vegan meal is the use of vegetable stock and vegetable bouillon instead of the meat stock and chicken bouillon used in this recipe

¿Which is our conclution?

Fried rice is one major food eaten on a daily basis, and the ingredients for Nigerian fried rice is very rich and affordable. Gone are the days when fried rice was eaten only on special occasions. One can easily prepare fried rice based on your budget and it will still come out nice. The Ingredients enriched in this food made it a nutritious and a complete meal, hence anybody can eat it, even those on a diet plan.