How to Cook Nigerian Fried Rice

Co-authored by JoAnna Minneci and Amber Crain

If you enjoy the flavor of traditional Nigerian cuisine, give Nigerian fried rice a try! Parboil the rice for a few minutes before you cook it in chicken stock. Then, fry the mixed vegetables in seasonings, stir the cooked rice into the vegetables, and fry the mixture for about 5 minutes. Serve the fried rice immediately for the best flavor and texture.

Ingredients

2 cups (356 g) of parboiled basmati, jasmine, or white rice
1/2 cup (118 ml) of chicken or turkey stock
Vegetable oil
1 onion (diced)
1 cup (128 g) of diced mixed vegetables
1 cup (128 g) of cubed beef liver (optional)
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) of thyme
1 teaspoon (5 g) of Nigerian or Jamaican curry powder
1 stock cube
Salt (to taste)
Chopped scallions to garnish

Makes 5 servings

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Making the Rice

1
Rinse the rice with cold water and pour it into a large pot. Place 1 cup (178 g) of dry rice into a fine mesh strainer. Run cold water over the rice and use your hands to gently rinse the rice. You can use basmati, white, or jasmine rice for this recipe.^{[1]
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- Traditionally, Nigerian fried rice is made with parboiled long grain rice.^{[2]
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- The recipe calls for 2 cups (356 g) of parboiled rice. 1 cup (178 g) of dry rice makes about 2 cups (356 g) of cooked rice.
2
Add 2 cups (473 ml) of water to the large pot. When parboiling, use twice as much water as you do rice. In this case, use 2 cups (473 ml) of water since you're parboiling 1 cup (178 g) of dry rice.^{[3]
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3
Boil the mixture over high heat for 5 minutes. Bring the water to a full rolling boil. Then, start your timer and let the rice boil for 5 minutes. Keep the lid off of the pot while the liquid heats up so it doesn't boil over.^{[4]
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4
Transfer the rice to a fine mesh strainer. Turn off the heat and hold a fine mesh strainer over your sink. Pour the mixture into the strainer to drain the water from the rice.^{[5]
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5
Place the strainer in a bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes. Fill a large bowl with cold water. Put the fine mesh strainer into the bowl of water so the rice can soak for several minutes.^{[6]
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6
Rinse off the rice with cold water. Take the strainer out of the bowl of water and rinse of the rice again with cold water from the faucet. At this point, your rice is parboiled and ready to use in this recipe!^{[7]
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7
Put 1/2 cup (118 ml) of stock in a large pot and bring it to a boil. Nigerian fried rice is traditionally made with chicken or turkey stock. Add 1/2 cup (118) of the stock to a large pot or saucepan. Let the liquid come to a full rolling boil.^{[8]
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- In traditional Nigerian recipes, rice is always cooked in meat stock (unlike the rice in Chinese fried rice, which is cooked in plain water).
- If you prefer, use beef or vegetable stock instead.
8
Add the parboiled rice and boil the mixture for 25 minutes. Carefully put the parboiled rice into the boiling stock. Boil the rice until it absorbs all of the stock, which usually takes around 25 minutes.^{[9]
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- Take the rice of the heat and fluff it with a fork after 5 minutes.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Frying the Veggies and Rice

1
Sauté the onions for 1-2 minutes. Pour 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of vegetable oil into a large skillet or wok and turn the heat to medium. Once the oil is hot and shimmers, add the diced onion and saute for a couple of minutes.^{[10]
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2
Stir in the mixed vegetables, stock cube, and seasonings. Add 1 cup (128 g) of diced mixed vegetables to the skillet. Then, stir in 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) of thyme, 1 teaspoon (5 g) of curry powder, and 1 stock cube.^{[11]
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- For an authentic Nigerian flavor, saute 1 cup (128 g) of cubed beef liver with the veggies.^{[12]
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- You can use frozen mixed vegetables straight from the bag while they're still frozen. If you prefer, chop and dice your own mixed vegetables. Try a mix of carrots, corn, green beans, and peas.
3
Fry the vegetables for 1-2 minutes. Stir and cook the vegetable mixture over medium heat until the vegetables are heated through. Avoid overcooking the vegetables or they'll lose their shape and vibrant color.^{[13]
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- If the vegetables stick to the skillet, add 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of cooking oil.
4
Add the rice and fry everything together for 3-5 minutes. Transfer the rice to the skillet with the seasoned vegetables and stir the mixture until it's combined. Stir-fry the mixture for 3-5 minutes, stirring continuously.^{[14]
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- Turn off the heat and serve the fried rice immediately for the best flavor.^{[15]
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- Put any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate it for 5-7 days.

Community Q&A

Question

How many hours does this take to prepare?

Qamar

Top Answerer

The entire process of cooking the rice, seasoning the vegetables and assembling the dish will likely take about 2 hours, including the waiting times and food preparation.
Question

Do I grind the fresh pepper or slice it for the fried rice?

Community Answer

It depends on what pepper you are referring to. You can grind fresh peppercorns for seasoning and you can use diced or sliced peppers as a garnish.
Question

Where should I put my spices

Adebanjo Deborah

Community Answer

You'll add them to the sauteed onions, immediately after adding your mixed vegetables.