Healthy Fried Rice

Wanting to lose weight and get fit? You need to start eating better and smarter every day. Exercising regularly will also create a conducive environment for you to lose weight, gain muscle, and get in shape.

You just need to tweak some dishes and meals to make them healthy and hearty. Fried rice is one of the unhealthiest dishes, full of oil, salt, and fat. But there is a way to make fried rice healthy, tasty, and nutritious.

Getting takeout or delivery is an easy and cheap option than preparing your own healthy meals at home. However, these meals can cause diseases like obesity, heart attack, diabetes, stroke, and high blood pressure. Chinese takeout such as fried rice contains excess sodium, fats, meats, and oil that leads to weight gain, bloating, upset stomach, and poor digestion. If you are in the mood for fried rice, why don’t you try our healthy version of fried rice? It’s low in calories, full of real and fresh ingredients, and extremely nutritious.

The rice needs to be cold and ideally one day old. When the rice cools it lets out some of the excess moisture which makes it easier and better for frying. Cooking rice and immediately using it to make fried rice can turn it soggy or lumpy. The taste remains the same but texture matters a lot while cooking healthy fried rice. You can use leftover rice or prepare rice a day before for making fried rice. Another tip to keep in mind is to keep the pan/wok really hot. It needs to be sweltering to add the flavors and taste in the fried rice. Fried rice needs to be cooked constantly and quickly, stirred repeatedly, and tossed to avoid burning. A secret to making amazing healthy fried rice is to cook your eggs first. Many people make the mistake of adding the eggs after the veggies and sauce. Unless you are an expert chef, the egg will become soggy, and not fry properly. Fry the egg separately or first before adding veggies, meat, and sauces.

Ensure your rice is cooked at room temperature or cold if you desire crispy, fresh, and fried rice. Adding warm or hot rice to the dish makes it difficult to get a crisp and sharp texture of fried rice. For healthy versions of the fried rice, you can use brown rice, red rice, black rice, quinoa, farro, or cauliflower rice. Note that all these varieties have their own textures, they will need different cooking times, and temperatures. A great way to add cold rice is to buy pre-cooked rice from the frozen section of your grocery store. To make fried rice healthy, add as many veggies as you can. Common ingredients include beans, spring onions, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, peas, bell peppers, lettuce, spinach, onions, tomatoes, and garlic. You can purchase frozen mix vegetables, coleslaw mixes, or ready Asian meal mixes.

Your choice of protein determines the healthy quotient of the fried rice. Pick lean proteins like chicken instead of red meats or fish. For vegetarians, you can add tofu, paneer, or mushrooms. Cook chicken or meat separately by boiling them and frying them with salt and pepper. You can use seafood like prawns, mussels, or fish.

The sauces contain high levels of sodium which can make it unhealthy and damaging for your body. Choose low-sodium soy sauces, sugar-free sauces, or low-calorie versions of the sauces. Balance the protein, rice, veggies, and sauces to create a healthy dish.

INGREDIENTS-

• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 tsp vegetable oil, divided
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 5 scallions, chopped
• 2 cups green cabbage, shredded
• 1 carrot, grated
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos for GF)

INSTRUCTIONS- Heat your pan over medium-high heat. Whisk together the egg and egg white and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 tsp of vegetable oil to the pan. Add the eggs and cook until just scrambled. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the remaining vegetable oil and sesame oil to the hot pan. Add the scallions, cabbage, carrot, garlic, ginger, and any other veggies you like. Cook for 1-2 minutes until they just begin to soften. Add the rice and cook for 2-4 more minutes, stirring constantly, until the rice begins to crisp up. Add the soy sauce and egg. Stir together and cook for 1 more minute.

You can use a wok, skillet, or heavy-bottomed pan for this recipe. Coconut aminos are a soy replacement for people interested in gluten-free or low-carb options. Soy is an essential flavor for fried rice and needs to be included in some form. You also get gluten-free soy sauces in the market if you want to stick to the original taste.