Street-Style Indo Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice

Love Indo-Chinese food, make street-style Indo Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice to your table. Quick, easy and flavorful recipe. Full of wok-fried goodness and lots of vegetables. Don't be surprised if this becomes your new family favorite.

Recipe Navigation

• What is Indo-Chinese Fried Rice?
• Origin Story: How Indo-Chinese Fried Rice is Different from Chinese Fried Rice
• Ingredients to make Veg. Fried Rice
• Instructions
• Common Mistakes to Avoid
• Serving Suggestions and Pairing Ideas
• Final Thoughts
• Pairing
• Street-Style Indo-Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice

What is Indo-Chinese Fried Rice?

If you have had the pleasure of tasting Indo-Chinese fried Rice, then you definitely know it's not completely Indian not completely Chinese, but a perfect medley of both. It's made with cold leftover rice or you can cook rice ahead of time and allow it to cool. It's stir-fried in the wok with lots of veggies, aromatics and some sauces. It's quick, crunchy, and full of flavor.

Origin Story: How Indo-Chinese Fried Rice is Different from Chinese Fried Rice

Did you know Indo-Chinese food was actually born in India? Yep not in China - but right in the bustling city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). In the early 1900's many Chinese families from the Hakka Community migrated to Kolkatta. They carried their amazing cooking traditions with them. So they began to marry some of the Chinese cooking techniques such as wok frying and flavors like soy sauce with Indian flavor profiles (think green chilies, garlic, vinegar etc). And this is how Indo-Chinese food became a cuisine, bridging both cultures.

I first tasted Indo-Chinese Veg. Fried Rice in India, when I was in college at a road-side stall just outside our campus. I still remember my first bite and how I was in love with the crunchy textures and bold flavors. That street side stall soon became our Friday lunch favorite.

Ingredients to make Veg. Fried Rice

Here is a gist of ingredients to make Indo-Chinese Veg. Fried Rice. See recipe card for details.

Instructions

1. Cook and Cool Your Rice: Boil water with ½ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon oil, then add rice. Cook until 80% done (al-dente). Strain, rinse under cold water, drain well, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before stir-frying
2. Get Your Veggies Ready: Chop everything before you start cooking. It makes the cooking process much smoother. I chop everything the size of a pea. You can even choose to julienne your veggies. Finely chop the garlic, ginger, green onions and green chilies.
3. Heat Your Wok: Make your wok very hot, then add oil and swirl it around.
4. Cook the Flavorful Stuff: Fry the garlic, ginger, green chilies first and part of the spring onions. It smells amazing!
5. Add the Veggies: On high heat cook the carrots first before adding bell peppers, green beans and cabbage (if using). Cook everything for 2-3 minutes. Keep them crunchy.
6. Add Flavors: Put in soy sauce, vinegar, green chili sauce, and black pepper. Mix well.
7. Add the Rice: Gently mix in the cooled rice. Make sure each grain gets some sauce.
8. Finish and Serve: Top with fresh spring onion greens and a bit of lemon juice if you like.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake	What Happens	How to Fix It
Using fresh rice	Rice becomes too soft	Use day-old cold rice for better texture
Cooking veggies too long	Veggies become soft and mushy	Cook on high heat for just a few minutes
Not preparing ingredients beforehand	You might burn food or rush	Get everything ready before you start cooking
Putting too much in the wok	Food steams instead of frying	Cook in smaller amounts if needed
Using too much sauce	Rice becomes too wet	Use small amounts of sauce for flavor

Serving Suggestions and Pairing Ideas

• If you want use this for an Indo Chinese meal, it goes well with Veg Manchurian, Crispy Gobi Manchurian, Hakka Noodles, Sweet Corn Soup, Manchow Soup.
• Add toasted sesame seeds on top for extra crunch.
• Serve with spicy schezwan sauce if you like it hot!
• My son loves taking it for his school lunch as is.

Final Thoughts

Honestly, for me Veg. Fried Rice is a dish that always feels like a celebration when I make it even on a normal day. I love the crunchy veggies, smoky wok flavors, and the kick from the chili sauce, it's everything you need in one bite.

If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear how it turned out. Don't forget to to come back and leave a comment or take a pic and tag us on social media. Follow for more easy recipes.

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with fried rice.