Do you know there are hundreds if not thousands of fried rice recipes around the world? From the Korean kimchi fried rice, to the Kenyan Pilau. Fried rice is a staple in many households for good reason. One of my favorite variations of fried rice however, is the Nigerian Fried Rice or as some would call it ‘Naija Fried Rice’. When prepared well, it has a lot of flavor and is delicious.
Some would argue that they prefer it’s more popular friend, Nigerian Jollof Rice. I think the flavors of these two dishes definitely complement each other and neither is better… but most people tend to have a preference.
How to make Nigerian Fried Rice
Nigerian Fried Rice is always served with some kind of meat, usually chicken or turkey. In fact, the typical Nigerian fried rice is made with stock from the chicken or turkey to add more depth and flavor to the overall dish. What differentiates this dish from most fried rice dishes across the world is its signature yellowish green curry color.
You start by preparing the chicken and frying it. Then boiling the rice in the chicken stock. After this, you will fry the al-dente rice in some oil, vegetables and liver chunks and season it with some seasoning cubes, curry and thyme. Some people add fried egg but I personally prefer not to.
Nigerian Fried Rice Ingredients
- Long Grain White Rice: This is a key ingredient for this recipe. If you use basmati rice, it will come out great but any kind of long grain white rice will do.
- Chicken or turkey: I like to use chicken. You can use any part of the chicken including the breast and thighs. I’ve also made this dish with turkey and it tasted just as good.
- Curry Powder
- Thyme
- Seasoning (to taste)
- Carrots
- Sweet corn: A lot of people skip this part and I don’t recommend it. It adds so much flavor to the overall dish and breaks up the savory dish with a little sweetness.
- Green Peas
- Green Bell Peppers
- Green Onions
- White or red onions: Depending on your taste. I like to use both. Red onions tend to be sweeter.
- Green Beans
- Cooked Liver
- Salt (to season)
- Vegetable Oil/ Any oil of your choice
Why Nigerian Fried Rice?
Nigerian fried rice was inspired by Asian cuisine and it’s a staple in many homes today. In parties or ‘owambes’, it is served alongside Jollof rice and chicken or meat. It is delicious, nutritious and easy to make.
Nigerian Fried Rice
Course: MainCuisine: African, NigerianDifficulty: Easy6
servings15
minutes50
minutes645
kcal56g
40g
26g
Ingredients
3 cups of Long Grain White Rice (uncooked)
1 cup of Liver
Chicken or Turkey (6 pieces)
3 large Carrots
1.5 cups of Sweet Corn
Ginger
Garlic
Curry Powder
Thyme
Seasoning Cubes (3-4 cubes or to taste)
One cup of Green Peas
One cup of chopped Green Onions
One large onion
One cup of chopped Green Beans
Salt
5 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Directions
- In a large pan, add washed the chicken, some chopped onions, one or two seasoning cubes, salt, curry and dried thyme to taste.
- Let it steam on high heat for 5-7 minutes, then add water to cover the chicken and let it cook.
- In a separate pan, cook your liver with salt and some seasoning cube. Once done, chop the liver into bite sized pieces.
- While the chicken cooks, dice your vegetables. You can used pre-diced or mixed vegetables if you want. The amount of vegetables you use completely depends on you.
- Once the chicken is done, fry the chicken in a pan of hot oil until golden brown. Alternatively, you can fry it in an air fryer.
- Meanwhile, wash your rice until the water turns clear.
- Sieve your chicken broth and combine your washed rice with the clear broth in a pot. Then, add enough water to cook the rice.
- Add some curry powder, one seasoning cube and salt to the rice to taste. Add the curry one teaspoon at a time until you get your desired color.
- Once cooked to al dente, let the rice cool on the counter or in the fridge.
- In a large wok or frying pan, add vegetable oil and fry your chopped liver until it bubbles.
- Then, add some onions, ginger and garlic and sauté until aromatic.
- Then add your vegetables one at a time starting with the carrots and green beans. Add seasoning cube and salt to taste
- When the vegetables are almost soft, add your cooled rice to the vegetables one spoon at a time so as to avoid overcrowding the pan
- Add seasoning cube and salt to taste if needed
- Plate your food and top it off with the fried chicken
Notes
- You can adjust the amount of vegetables based on your preference.
- The calories are inclusive of the chicken. Note that the chicken is air fried in this recipe.
Tips and Variations
Make it Healthier
This dish is already pretty healthy if you ask me. But air frying the seasoned boiled chicken in an air fryer will help reduce the calories and help you use less oil. Also, this dish should not be too rice heavy or too vegetable heavy. A healthy balance is always the goal.
Chill your Rice
To be honest, my method of making fried rice can be a little tedious. I like to go the extra step of cooling my rice in the fridge before frying to achieve the perfect moisture level for me while frying. I just don’t like mushy fried rice. But you can skip this step if your rice is boiled to al-dente perfection. You can also ensure to prep your ingredients beforehand and Fry the rice when it has cooled down.
Type of Rice to use for Nigerian Fried Rice
Always use long grain white rice. It is simply the best rice for Nigerian Fried Rice. That is not to say that this dish won’t work with other types of rice. It’s just better when it is long grain. In fact, I would argue that the longer the grain, the better. I’ve made this dish with basmati rice and it was extra delicious.
Rinse your Rice
I find it strange that some people don’t rinse their rice. For this dish, you want as little starch as possible. So, ensure to rinse your rice and
Do not overcook your rice
The best type of fried rice is the one that has a nice firm, perfectly done texture. The second you overcook your rice, it will become mushy. You want it to be al dente because frying will cook it even further.
Make it Vegan
Cook the rice in some veggie stock and skip the chicken and liver. For your protein options, you can add fried tofu on the side, but I won’t recommend adding it to the dish itself as it changes the overall texture and flavor profile of the dish.
Don’t Overcrowd the Pan while frying
One of the worst things to do is overcrowding your pan while frying. It will lead to overcooking of the rice and uneven frying of the rice and vegetables. Try to do it in batches if you must.
Vegetables to Use for Nigerian Fried Rice
The vegetables that are used are Carrots, Sweet corn, Green Peas, Green Onions, White or red onions, and Green Beans. Sometimes, black beans are also used. Do not add cabbage to this dish because it changes the flavor and it can add extra moisture to the food which we’re trying to prevent. You can use other vegetables like bell peppers. I also wouldn’t add chickpeas to this dish.
FAQs
- Is it a main dish or a side dish? It can honestly be both. However, it is served mostly as a main dish with protein like chicken or turkey.
- How long does it last? If your family is anything like mine, 10 minutes. On a serious note, fried rice is known for going bad super fast but if it is properly fried, it can be stored in the fridge for two to three days and reheated or refried and it will taste just as good.
- How to stop fried rice from going bad? Fry it well. What causes the fried rice to go bad quickly is excess moisture. You should avoid excess moisture at all costs before, during and after frying. Ensure your rice doesn’t have moisture before you fry as it will lead to mushy rice that tends to go bad.
- My fried rice is too oily, what do I do? Oil clings to mushy rice so if your rice is mushy, this method might not help you. But if you did everything right and you find that your rice is oily, you can serve the rice on a paper towel and let the towel absorb the excess oil. Then, you can serve the dish, without the paper towel of course.
- I overcooked my rice? Put it in the fridge till it’s firm.
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