Rice is one of the oldest foods known to mankind, and Asia has been one of the largest cultivators of rice across the world. Be it Thai, Burmese, Indian, Indonesian or Korean cuisine, rice is an intrinsic part of all, with the most popular rice preparation being, you guessed it - Fried Rice. As the name suggests, it is just rice, fried in a wok but with a bunch of veggies, sauces, meat, and pickles, etc. Almost every Asian country has its own specialty. Here are six that have our hearts.
1. Kimchi Fried Rice
One of the crown jewels of South Korean cuisine, Kimchi Fried Rice, is a stir-fried rice dish comprising Kimchi (spicy pickled cabbage), rice, vegetables and/or meat. Kimchi Fried Rice also known as ‘Kimchi-Bokkeum-Bap’ is a variety of Bokkeum-Bap (Fried Rice) of South Korea. It can be paired with gravy, or can be had as it is.
2. Khao Pad
This Thai-style Fried Rice features rice, eggs, chicken soy sauce and a drizzle of lemon juice. With their migration around 1400 years ago, the Chinese population also brought with them their stir-frying and deep-frying techniques too, and to date, Khao Pad is a highlight of every major Thai feast.
3. Bibimbap (Mixed Rice Pot)
The name Bibimbap is made up of two words, where ‘bibim’ means ‘mixing’ and ‘bap’ refers to cooked rice. The Korean rice dish is served as a bowl of white rice that is topped with kimchi, gochujang, soy sauce, or doenjang. Fried eggs and meat are also common additions.
4. Egg Fried Rice
The origins of egg fried rice are un clear, since fried pieces of eggs are used across many fried rice preparations across South and South-East Asia. In India, the rendition is simplified with fried egg chunks, soy sauce, garlic, green onions and basmati rice.
5. Schezwan Fried Rice
What if we tell you that this red, vibrant fried rice may have no real connections with China at all? Schezwan Fried Rice is an Indo-Chinese fried rice preparation rustled up with hot Schezwan sauce, chilli peppers, capsicum, onions, and rice, conceived in India.