How To Make Nigerian Fried Rice: Best Recipe Ever (2024)

FAQs

What are some secrets for perfect fried rice? ›

Cooking bits of chopped vegetables, seasoning, soy sauce, and oil, seems easy enough. However, when making fried rice at home, there's one ingredient you may be overlooking: Sugar.

The base of a Nigerian style fried rice is typically long grain rice cooked in stock, either a meat stock (most commonly used) or a vegetable stock (making it inclusive for vegetarians). Then a combination of vibrant vegetables are fried, then tossed together with the cooked rice.

To give your dish that signature fried rice taste, you'll need to drizzle in sesame oil and soy sauce, but feel free to use as much or as little as you wish. You can even mix in things like garlic powder, ginger root, or Sriracha sauce and chili pepper for a bit of a kick.

The answer: high heat, expert tosses, and something known as 'wok hei. ' As J. Kenji López-Alt writes for Serious Eats, expert cooking with a wok (and the gas range it requires) is one of the main reasons that fried rice from a Chinese restaurant tastes so much better than what you can make at home.

It is key to the authentic flavor of this dish. Peanut oil. this is another ingredient that adds authentic flavor to this recipe, but if you have a peanut allergy in your household you can substitute canola oil or additional sesame oil for the peanut oil. Minced Garlic.

To ensure that your rice is nicely fried, mix a bit of mayo in it before frying. The oil in the mayo will coat the rice so that it does not stick together.

Vinegar is one of the less used ingredient in a fried rice. You will not find vinegar in most Chinese fried rice recipes. But it really adds a slight tang to the rice and enhances the taste. Rice vinegar is used in Chinese cooking especially in stir fry, salad dressings etc.

But this ingredient makes such a difference in good fried rice, and a little goes a long way. So even if you're not into oysters, don't be scared of oyster sauce! Toasted sesame oil, on the other hand, is 100% non-negotiable. It is my favorite smelling ingredient in my kitchen, and tastes wonderful in fried rice.

The issue most people have with the Nigerian fried rice is how it goes bad easily. This is actually because of the high content of oil which makes it the perfect medium for growth of microorganisms that do not only spoil your food, but can cause food poisoning.

What is Nigerian rice called? ›

Jollof rice is a popular dish in West Africa. The name "jollof" originates from a Senegambian kingdom called the Jolof Empire. Many countries of the sub-continent have their own methods of preparation, but the ongoing feud between Nigeria and Ghana regarding whose jollof rice is better may never be resolved.

Although considerable variation exists, the basic profile for Nigerian jollof rice includes long-grain rice (including golden sella basmati rice), tomatoes and/or tomato paste, onions, pepper (chilli, scotch bonnet and bell pepper), vegetable oil, meat broth/stock and a various mixture of additional ingredients, ...

Substitutes for regular sesame oil include olive, grapeseed, walnut, avocado, and peanut oils.

Cook without peeking or stirring.

Cook until the water is absorbed, about 18 minutes. Try not to peek until the end of the cooking time so the steam doesn't escape. Whatever you do, don't mix the rice while it's cooking — this will lead to gummy rice.

Use High Heat and Frying Oil

Whether you're using freshly cooked or leftover rice, the vital element of cooking fried rice is the heat. If the heat is too low, you run the risk of steaming your rice instead of frying it. Fry the rice and veggies on high heat to achieve that slight brown look and crispy texture.