Fried Rice, Desi Style

There's nothing specifically Indian about this but this is pretty much what we get when we go to a Chinese restaurant in India and order fried rice. Indianized chinese food is heavenly.

Ingredients:

Carrots - peeled and chopped finely [into tiny cubes]
Zucchini- Chopped finely
Green Beans- Chopped finely
Green Bell pepper- Chopped finely
Button (white) mushrooms - thinly sliced
Celery- chopped finely
Spring Onions- finely chopped
Red onions - 1 medium sized one, finely chopped.

Ginger: about 2 thin slices (about 1 cm in breadth), DO NOT FINELY CHOP, not much fun to eat this. Remove before serving.
Optional: add other colored peppers, sprouts, spinach!, etc. Don't add eggplant, potato, sweet potato, etc.

Basmati Rice- 1 or 2 cups. [ will serve 2-4 people]

Vegetable cooking oil
Optional: a few drops of sesame oil for aroma.

Salt to taste.
Pepper to taste.
Soy Sauce (totally optional. I prefer it without)

Procedure:

Step 1: Cook the Rice.
I own a rice cooker and use it to make rice. However, if you don't own one then general rule of thumb for cooking rice.: 1rice:2water.
For every cup of rice, add 1.75-2 cups of water to cook it.

Once it is cooked, take it out of the cooker or pot and spread it out on a large plate so it can cool down and separate.

Step 2: Cook the veggies:

In a large pot, put some oil to coat the bottom. If it's a non stick pan then just add a little bit. To it add onions, ginger, carrots, and celery. Saute for about 2 minutes. then add green beans, zuccini, green peppers. Saute for a minute. then add mushrooms (takes the least time to cook) and the spring onions. Keep saute-ing until the veggies are semi-ccoked. i.e. they should remain crunchy when you taste it but at the same time cooked.

Step 3:
Once it is at this stage, add the rice. Also at this point add salt and pepper and soy sauce (if you want, but I don't) and also 1/2 tsp of sesame oil . Mix thoroughly for about 2-4 minutes on the stove and you are done!!!

Notes:
I purposely have not specified how much of each veggie since it depends on if you want more rice or more veggies.

Optional variations:
To make Chicken fried rice:
Buy boneless chicken, preferably chicken breast (white meat):
cut into manageable pieces and marinate for about 30 minutes with ginger and soy sauce. Saute separately and get it cooked.
Once cooked, chop finely and add it to the veggie mixture when you add the rice.

To make Egg fried rice:
On the side scramble an egg or two. Once your fried rice is ready, plate it up and then top it off with the scrambled egg.
Another option is to make fluffly omelette's (properly cooked) and then to chop it up into cubes/squares/rectangles and to top off the rice with it.
Enjoy!!