This Chinese-inspired mushroom fried rice is an easy, delicious dish with umami flavors made with rice, mushrooms, soy sauce, onions and black pepper. It’s an easy vegan recipe that comes together in 40 minutes.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 25 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Chinese, World

Ingredients

  • 1 cup basmati rice (or long grained rice - 190 grams)
  • 5 cups water (for cooking rice)
  • salt (as required)
  • few drops of oil
  • 250 grams white button mushrooms (- rinsed and chopped)
  • ½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic (or 3 small to medium garlic cloves)
  • ½ cup finely chopped onions (or 1 medium-sized or 2 to 3 small to medium spring onions)
  • ½ tablespoon chopped celery
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce (- naturally brewed, add as required)
  • 3 tablespoon oil (- any neutral oil or toasted sesame oil)
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
  • salt (as required)

Method

Cooking rice

  1. First rinse the rice till the water runs clear of the starch.
  2. Then in a pot or pan cook the rice in 5 cups of water with a few drops of oil and some salt as required.
  3. The rice should be cooked al dente or just about cooked.
  4. Don't cook the rice till it becomes mushy or too soft. Drain the rice in a colander and keep aside.
  5. After the initial steam passes from the rice, cover the colander with a lid.
  6. Let the rice cool completely before you add it to the mushrooms.

Making mushroom fried rice

  1. Heat oil in a wok or kadai. Add the garlic and onions first and stir fry for 2 minutes on a medium to high heat stirring often.
  2. Then add the chopped mushrooms and stir fry for 5 to 6 minutes or more on a high flame till the mushrooms begins to get lightly browned from the edges.
  3. First the whole mixture will become watery as mushrooms will release water and slowly slowly the water will evaporate and you will see oil in the mixture.
  4. When the mushrooms start to become lightly browned or light golden, then add the celery and stir fry for a minute.
  5. Add soy sauce, black pepper and salt as required.
  6. Stir and then add the rice. Stir gently but briskly. Stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
  7. Serve the mushroom fried rice hot garnished with celery or spring onion greens with a side Indo Chinese vegetable dish like veg balls in hot garlic sauce, sweet and sour vegetables, veg manchurian.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.