Ingredients
| 800g jasmine rice | |
| 1 large butternut squash, deseeded, peeled, cut into 1cm cubes | |
| 150ml neutral oil | |
| 200g butter | |
| 4cm-knob fresh turmeric root, grated or 1½ teaspoons dried turmeric | |
| 1 tablespoon ground cumin | |
| 1 tablespoon ground coriander | |
| 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds | |
| 1 tablespoon curry powder | |
| ½ tablespoon dried chilli flakes | |
| 4 tablespoons tamarind paste | |
| 600g silverbeet, washed, leaves and stalks cut into 2cm pieces | |
| ¼ cup chives, finely sliced | |
| ¼ cup garlic chives, finely sliced |
Stir fry is typically associated with East Asia but the reality is that wherever there is leftover rice, there is stir-fried rice. This recipe is based on South Indian puliyogare, but draws more from Fiji and is one of my favourites. You may need to fry the rice in batches so as not to overload the pan; the rice needs to fry gently. I stir fried this recipe in two batches using a 40cm paella pan.
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Instructions
| 1. | Place 700g jasmine rice in a sieve and rinse under cold water for 1-2 minutes. |
| 2. | Put into a large pot and cover with 1 litre cold water. |
| 3. | Bring rice to a gentle simmer and cover with a lid. |
| 4. | Cook for 12 minutes then remove from the heat. |
| 5. | Give the rice 2-3 good stirs, replace the lid and leave to stand for 10 minutes. |
| 6. | Spread the rice out on a baking tray until cool to the touch then put in the fridge overnight. |
| 7. | Toss the butternut in 50ml oil. |
| 8. | Bake at 200℃ for 15 minutes until the edges begin to soften. |
| 9. | Heat remaining oil in a large pot until you see see faint wisps of smoke. |
| 10. | Carefully add 100g rice and fry for 1½ minutes until fully puffed. |
| 11. | Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper. |
| 12. | Heat a large heavy-based pan over medium heat. |
| 13. | Heat the butter until foaming and add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, curry powder and chilli flakes. |
| 14. | Fry the spices for 1 minute until fragrant. |
| 15. | Add the tamarind paste and continue cooking for 1 minute. |
| 16. | Add the butternut and silverbeet and continue cooking over a moderate heat for 3 minutes until the silverbeet wilts. |
| 17. | Add the cooked rice and increase the heat to high, stirring regularly. |
| 18. | Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes until the rice is piping hot, keeping the heat high enough that you can hear a frying sound. |
| 19. | Remove rice from the heat and stir through puffed rice, chives and garlic chives. |
| 20. | Season with salt to taste. Serve immediately. |
Food styling, recipes & photography David Neville