I am really thrilled to share this Chinese Special Fried Rice recipe with you, not because I’m going to go all cheesy and says it’s the BEST EVER Special Fried Rice (it probably isn’t) or that my Special Fried Rice brings all the boys to yard, and damn right, it’s better than your’s … because that’s probably not true either!
I am thrilled to share this Chinese Fried Rice recipe with you because my 14 year old son Lewis makes it every Monday. He’s going to hate me for writing this but darling, I’m doing it because I’m so proud. Lewis has high functioning autism (was known as Asperger’s), you can read about our journey here in 10 Reasons why I know my son has Autism. Getting Lewis to do certain tasks can be challenging but he has embraced this routine and last week I said I would post the recipe that was originally mine but he’s developed it further.
Massive proud mummy moment!
Can this Special Fried Rice be made Vegan?
Absolutely, we use the left-over meat from the previous days Sunday Roast so this is an excellent way to make one slightly more expensive meal stretch over two days. I appreciate that many people who come to my site are vegan, but just to explain here that I cannot tolerate eggs or dairy hence the reason my baking tends to be vegan so that I can enjoy it too.
To make this a vegan special fried rice simply omit the meat and add Quorn, or Jackfruit and marinade this in the same way you would the meat.
What rice do you use to make Chinese Special Fried Rice?
This is simple, you can use any standard rice dinner rice (not Arborio rice, leave this for your Risotto). We’ve used easy cook rice, long grain rice, extra long grain rice! You could even cheat a little and use microwave plain rice. Use whatever you are comfortable with.
What vegetables can you add to a Chinese Special Fried Rice?
As this recipe is for not one but two young people on the spectrum (yep, Bethany is autistic too), we stick to simple veggies. It’s a major breakthrough that I’ve managed to convince them to have peppers in it to add some much-needed colour. We use the following;
- Red, yellow and green pepper (bell pepper)
- Sweetcorn (frozen is perfect)
- Red onion
What I personally would also love to add is;
- Courgette (zucchini)
- Sweet Chilli (the larger variety)
- Bamboo shoots (you can buy these in tins)
- Water Chestnuts (also found in tins)
What could I use instead of sesame oil?
This is certainly not a low FODMAP recipe with the addition of garlic, onion and peppers and I appreciate that you may not be able to eat sesame for allergy reasons so if this is the case do not worry, simply swap the sesame oil for your normal oil. The idea of adding oil is two-fold, to prevent the meat from sticking to the wok and also add a depth in flavour.
What Is the Difference between Teriyaki Sauce and Soy Sauce?
I am aware that you can get gluten free Teriyaki and Soy Sauce but I’ll be honest that the Teriyaki is harder to come by. This is why we use soy sauce, garlic and maple syrup in this gluten free special fried rice.
Teriyaki Sauce – a simple sauce is made up of four ingredients; soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger
Soy Sauce – the base ingredient for teriyaki sauce made from fermented soy beans, wheat and salt so not normally gluten free, however gluten free soy sauce if often widely available in good stores.
If you do have gluten free Teriyaki sauce to hand then I would encourage you to use this and omit the garlic and maple syrup.
How do I make homemade Chinese 5 Spice Powder?
Chinese five spice is readily available in most supermarkets but if you fancy making your own you will need (surprise-surprise) 5 spices; Star Anise, Cinnamon, Fennel, Black Pepper and Clove. To get the quantities right I recommend you pop over to the Feasting at Home website for the quantities and method – Chinese Five Spice Recipe
How long can I keep my Chinese Special Fried Rice?
Remember that rice can be a breeding ground for harmful bacteria so if you plan to keep your rice and eat it another day you need to follow these important rules to avoid food poisoning. This advice was taken from the NHS website.
Tips on serving rice safely
Ideally, serve rice as soon as it has been cooked.
If that is not possible, cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within 1 hour).
Keep rice in the fridge for no more than 1 day until reheating.
When you reheat rice, always check that it’s steaming hot all the way through.
Do not reheat rice more than once.
If you like my Gluten Free Chinese Special Fried Rice, you may want to check out some other quick and easy dinner ideas
If you like the sound of this Chinese Special Fried Rice, then this Chilli Con Carne is another firm family favourite with hidden veggies, and we all love to get stuck into my Gluten Free BBQ Pulled Pork. However, if you’re looking for quick and simple dinners for one then you’ll love my 5 Free From Simple Soups for One. Last but by no means least how about my recent round up The Best Gluten Free Pizza Bases you can buy
Chilli con Carne 
Butternut Soup 
BBQ Pulled Pork 
Roast Parsnip Soup 
Curried Parsnip Soup 
Roast Pepper and Tomato Soup
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Chinese Special Fried Rice Recipe
- 2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp garlic puree or garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sesame oil or your normal oil of choice
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp Chinese 5 Spice powder
- 2 cups or rice ½ cup of rice per person
- Left over meat; pork beef, chicken, lamb. All work equally well.
- 1 red onion finely diced
- ½ red pepper chopped
- ½ yellow pepper chopped
- ½ green pepper chopped
- 1 cup of frozen sweetcorn
- Black pepper to taste
- 2-3 tbsp additional soy sauce to flavour/colour the fried rice.
- Make the Chinese 5 Spice marinade by adding all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk together to combine.
- Add your leftover meat (or drained Jackfruit/Quorn) to the marinade, cover and leave on the side or in the fridge if you plan to marinade for longer.
- Measure your rice rinse under running water and add water to the pan/steamer.
- Top Tip: dip your index finger into the water so the tip of your finger touches to the top of the rice, the correct amount of water will come up to the 1st knuckle joint in your finger (approx. 2cm deep). This measurement works for me every time.
- Cook the rice in the steamer for 7mins and leave for 10mins or boil on the hob for 7mins, cover with a lid, remove from heat and leave for 10mins, after which simply run a knife through the rice to fluff it up.
- Now you can start to cut and prep the vegetables you plan to use in your fried rice.
- Heat up your wok or large frying pan and add the marinade meat, cook for 5 mins until the marinade darkens and begins to reduce.
- Add the onions and cook for a further 2-3mins to soften and then add the rice which should now be fluffy and light with no excess liquid.
- Keep turning the rice and marinade to combine and finally add the peppers and sweetcorn (doing this last will help the vegetable to retain their vibrant colours).
- At this stage you can add 2-3tbsp of soy sauce if you feel the rice needs more flavour and colour. Do this a tablespoon at a time and taste test.
- Serve immediately and eat on its own or as a side dish. This is enough for 4 large bowls of Special Fried Rice.
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And one last thing! I’ve linked my Chinese Special Fried Rice with these other awesome Foodies websites, go check them out
Cook Blog Share | Fiesta Friday | Friday Favourites | Over the Moon | Handmade Monday
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Fried rice is my pallet for leftovers, it’s like pizza crust…anything goes. Thank you for bringing it to Fiesta Friday.
I totally agree Liz, in fact, I’ve even had rice with pie recently!