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Fried Rice

Also known as Fried Rice (Nigerian Christmas / New Year Party)

Christmas and New Year Fried Rice is the most abundantly prepared and eagerly anticipated version of Nigerian Fried Rice — made in the largest quantities of the year for the most important household celebration. Nigerian families begin preparing Christmas Fried Rice on Christmas Eve — washing and parboiling enormous quantities of rice, sourcing the full complement of vegetables, procuring the best chicken, turkey and assorted seafood.

Fried Rice, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 8 big cups of parboiled long-grain rice
  • 5 big carrots, peeled and finely diced
  • 2 big tins of sweet corn, drained
  • 2 big tins of green peas, drained
  • 3 big cups of green beans, finely sliced
  • 3 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 2 big green bell peppers, diced
  • 2 big red bell peppers, diced
  • 1 whole chicken liver and kidney, finely diced and seasoned
  • a big piece of fresh prawns, deveined
  • 4 cooking spoons of vegetable oil
  • 3 big tablespoons of soy sauce
  • 2 big tablespoons of curry powder
  • 4 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • 3 big glasses of well-seasoned chicken stock
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 01

    Parboiling and Drying the Rice. Wash rice and parboil in seasoned stock for exactly 8 minutes — half-cooked only. Drain and spread on trays to dry completely. Dry rice is essential for the Christmas Fried Rice's characteristic separated grains.

  2. 02

    Cooking the Rice in Stock. Bring the remaining stock to a boil in a large pot. Add the half-cooked rice, curry and seasoning. Cover tightly and cook on low heat for 15 minutes until stock is absorbed and rice is fully cooked. Cool completely.

  3. 03

    Christmas-Scale Stir-Frying. At Christmas scale, use 2 to 3 large woks working simultaneously. Heat oil to smoking. Stir-fry the liver and kidney for 3 minutes. Add carrots and green beans (firm vegetables first). Stir-fry 3 minutes. Add corn, peas and both peppers. Stir-fry 2 minutes.

  4. 04

    Adding the Rice. Add the fully cooled rice in large batches. Add soy sauce, remaining seasoning. Toss vigorously over maximum heat for 5 to 6 minutes until every grain is evenly coated and heated through.

  5. 05

    Adding the Prawns. Add the prawns in the final 3 minutes. Add spring onions. Toss for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. The Christmas Fried Rice should be multi-coloured, fragrant and deeply satisfying.

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