Last updated on April 10th, 2021 at 04:36 pm
This quick and easy vegan fried rice is one of those perfect mid-week meals that all the family will love. PLUS, it's super versatile so you can get creative and make it your own.
Round up those random vegetables from the crisper and let's get dinner on the table in fifteen-minutes.
Serve your rice on its own or with my easy kimchi with cabbage or tofu yakitori.
Why We Love This Fried Rice
Fried rice is one of those universally loved dishes that most of us have a version of. My Mum made hers with eggs and peas while others I've tried had Chinese sausage or bacon. That was BIWV (before I went vegan).
This vegan fried rice is a mid-week favourite around here. It's such a handy back-pocket recipe. It's:
- a perfect way to use up vegetables,
- adaptable to your taste
- naturally gluten-fre
- ready in around 15-minutes
- is super easy AND thanks to a secret ingredient has the silkiness of the egg versions.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Silky tofu and kala namak: the secret ingredient to making this vegan fried rice taste "not-vegan" is silky tofu with kala namak (or kamal namak) stirred through. Kala namak is Indian black salt and has a high sulphur content giving it a really eggy quality. You can read more about it in my How To Stock A Vegan Pantry post.
Vegetables: I've used fresh vegetables here - other than my peas - but frozen will save you even more time! Today I've used a combination of finely sliced cauliflower and broccoli, diced carrots, peas and spring onions. Choosing vegetables with a similar cook time works best here.
How To Make Vegan Fried Rice
Step 1: Sauté flavour base – Start your vegan fried rice by sautéing the French shallot (or onion), garlic and ginger
Add the Chinese rice wine - cook it for around 30 seconds
Step 2: Add the vegetables - cook for 2 minutes
Step 3: Add cooked cold rice, soy sauce and sesame oil
Step 4: Create a well in the middle of the rice and add the silken tofu - stir it in to combine
Add the spring onions (scallions) and toss it all together and serve.
Tips to Making the Perfect Fried Rice
Honestly, making fried rice couldn't be easier.
- Like regular fried rice, vegan fried rice is best with rice cooked at least the day before. Older rice is dryer and reduces the chance of you ending up with goopy fried rice. Rice cooked the day before is good but rice that is two or three days old is best. Cook a batch as part of your food-prep on a Sunday. It will be perfect by Tuesday. I cooked up 2 cups of uncooked rice and had enough for dinner that night plus the 4 cups for this dish.
- Long grain rice works best in fried rice but medium grain, basmati and jasmine work too. You can even use brown rice. I've used medium grain here because that's what I had in the pantry.
- Do your mise en plus - that's chef speak for measuring out your ingredients and chopping the vegetables ready to go.
- Use a good seasoned pan and get it hot!
- Keep it moving.
FAQs
Nope. I use my cast iron skillet all the time. Your pan just needs to be able to tolerate high heat.
No worries - add the tofu for its silky texture, it just won't be "eggy". I would highly recommend finding kala namak. It is available at health food stores or Indian grocers.
Totally! We are talking perfect world scenarios here where cold rice cooked a few days earlier is best. If you don't have cold rice you can cook up some rice and fry it up on the same day- it will have a wetter texture but it will still be delicious. Cook up your rice, allow it to cool and pop it in the fridge if you have time.
Want something to go with that vegan fried rice? Try these other inspired Asian recipes:
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Vegan Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 220 grams silken tofu that's 1 x 300g packet, drained
- ½ tsp kala namak
- 2 tbsp peanut oil or vegetable oil, divided
- 1 French shallot peeled and finely sliced; or ¼ of an onion
- 1 tbsp ginger finely grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 carrot peeled and diced
- ¾ cup broccoli thinly sliced
- ¾ cup cauliflower thinly sliced
- 4 cups cooked rice
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2-3 scallions finely cut on the bias/angle
- ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
- ¼ cup kimchi optional
Instructions
- Drain the silken tofu and transfer it to a bowl. Add the kala namak and stir it through. Set aside.
- Heat the peanut or vegetable oil in a wok or skillet over high heat until smoking
- Add the French shallot, garlic and ginger and cook for a minute.
- Add the Chinese rice wine and cook for another 30-seconds. Keep everything moving.
- Add your vegetables and cook for 2-minutes.
- Add in the cold rice and break it up with a spoon if needed. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil and stir well.
- Make a well in the middle of the rice and add the silken tofu. Stir it through and add the sliced spring onions (scallions).
- Season with a touch of salt if needed and add chilli flakes (completely optional)
- Remove from the heat and serve with kimchi or on its own.
Notes
- Make fried rice with rice cooked at least the day before. Older rice is dryer and reduces the chance of you ending up with goopy fried rice. Rice cooked the day before is good but rice that is two or three days old is best. Make cooking a batch a part of your food-prepping on a Sunday. It will be perfect by Tuesday.
- Long grain rice works best in fried rice but medium grain, basmati and jasmine work too. You can even use brown rice. I've used medium grain here because that's what I had in the pantry.
- Do your mise en plus - that's chef talk for measuring out your ingredients and chopping the vegetables ready to go.
- Use a good seasoned pan and get it hot!
- Keep it moving.
Nutrition
It's called kala namak. Kala meaning black and namak meaning salt in hindi
And I know this. I have no idea why I wrote kama...I even wrote it on another page! I am a goose. Thank you for pointing it out. I have a brand in Australia that has Kamal Namak on the label - it is black salt, but do you think it is the same thing? Is it known by any other name, that you know of? I'd love your advice. Thanks again.