Schezwan fried rice recipe with chockfull of vegetables and quick homemade schezwan sauce. This is a vegan recipe and can be easily made gluten free too.

Schezwan fried rice is super easy to make at home and it takes less than 15 minutes to make if you cooked rice & sauce ready. Making schezwan sauce is also super easy & it is absolutely delicious with hot, sweet and sour tastes. If you have leftover rice, this recipe can be done in minutes!

Here I am sharing this delicious and popular yet easy Indo Chinese recipe with detailed step by step photos, tips & variations.

Schezwan fried rice is my top favorite dish from Indo Chinese cuisine. It is spicy, flavorful, perfectly seasoned and full of umami. I mostly have a jar of homemade sauce handy for whipping up quick schezwan fried rice whenever craving strikes 🙂

If you have tasted this dish only in restaurants or never heard of it too, read on to get the super easy recipe and enjoy!

About Schezwan Fried Rice

Schezwan fried rice recipe is a delicious, easy & popular rice variety from Indo Chinese cuisine. Indo Chinese or Indian Chinese is the cuisine developed by Chinese community settled in Kolkata many centuries back.

The specialty of this cuisine is it combines the Indian style vegetables & spices along with delicious umami filled Chinese sauces.

Veg fried rice, veg manchurian, noodles, sweet & sour vegetables, manchow soup are few popular recipes from this cuisine along with this spicy schezwan fried rice.

This shcezewan fried rice is spicier & more flavorful than the regular fried rice in Indo Chinese restaurants. It is a real treat for all spicy food lovers. This rice is full of umami along

Szechuan fried rice recipe is made by sautéing stir fry vegetables, schezwan sauce and cooked rice in high flame in a broad pan or Chinese wok.

Schezwan sauce is very easily available in stores but those are obviously loaded with preservatives & fillers. We can easily make this sauce at home with simple pantry staple ingredients. Homemade schezwan sauce can be stored for 2 weeks in refrigerator.

I have already shared a detailed recipe for making schezwan sauce and here also I have included brief instructions. Sichuan peppers are usually used in this sauce but you can skip them if you don’t have.

The special flavor of this sauce comes from sichuan peppers. The store-bought sauces usually contain those but while making at home you can use fresh or dried ones if you have.

Next we will need vegetables like carrots, beans, cabbage, baby corn for this recipe. I have chopped them as batons as we like the crunch and texture of briefly cooked vegetables. You can also chop them finely if you like. I also like to add loads of spring onion greens for flavor and crunch.

Here I have used cooked and cooled basmati rice for making schezwan fried rice but you can use any type of rice. Just make sure the rice is cooked al dente rice & cooled with grains separate.

You can also use Thai jasmine rice or any short grain white rice or even brown rice for this recipe.

How To Make Schezwan Fried Rice Recipe

Preparing Rice

Skip this if you have cooked and cooled rice handy. If you have any leftover rice from another meal it is an ideal choice. Now to cook rice from scratch follow these steps.

Pick and rinse raw basmati rice gently once or twice.

Soak the rice in plenty of water for 30 minutes. Drain the rice and spread it on a plate for few minutes.

Next bring two cups of water to a rolling boil in a heavy pan. Add few drops of oil to the water.

Next add the rice and mix gently once.

Cook until all the water is absorbed, it takes around 8-12 minutes.

Cool the rice completely before using in vegetable fried rice. make sure each rice grain is separate and full.

Spread the cooked rice on a plate and add few drops of oil. Cool thoroughly before stir frying. Set aside until use.

If you wish to cook rice for fried rice in instant pot then add 2.25 cups water for 1 cup raw rice, set the timer to 4 minutes in manual or pressure cooker mode. Let the pressure settle down for 5 minutes.

Making Sauce For Schezwan Fried Rice

If you have readymade schezwan sauce handy use 3-4 tablespoons of it else you can make a quick version as mentioned below.

First soak 15 dried red chilies in a bowl of warm water for 20 minutes. Drain and grind to a fine paste along with 4 garlic cloves and 6 shallots. Add this chili paste to a small mixing bowl. To this add 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 3/4 tablespoon tomato ketchup, 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar & 1/2 tablespoon sugar. Mix well.

In the meanwhile get 3 cups chopped vegetables ready. I have used

1 large carrot

3/4 cup shredded cabbage

10 green beans

5 baby corns

1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 red bell pepper.

Making Veg Schezwan Fried Rice

Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a heavy pan or broad wok. Once the oil is hot fry 1 tablespoon minced ginger, 1 tablespoon minced garlic and 1/2 tablespoon red chili flakes for few seconds in medium heat. Next add 1/3 cup finely chopped onions and saute for another few seconds.

Next add the chopped vegetables and saute in high heat for a minute. You can also use spring onion whites.

Now add schezwan sauce or the sauce as prepared with the recipe above.

Also add salt to taste and 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper powder.

Mix everything well and saute in high heat for 6-7 minutes. The vegetables should get cooked without changing color and retain their crunch. This is the spicy sauce for fried rice.

Next add cooked rice to the stir fried vegetables. Add 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil too.

Mix and saute thoroughly in high heat for 2-3 minutes.

Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup chopped spring onion greens.

Serve schezwan fried rice hot with any Chinese side dish. It is one of the super easy and delicious fried rice recipes you will ever make.

Serving Suggestions

Serve schezwan fried rice hot as main dish with chili vinegar or any dip. This schezwan rice also goes well as side dish with any Asian spread along with gobi manchurian, veg manchurian, tofu stir fry, sweet and sour vegetables, braised tofu etc. Always serve hot for best taste.

Pro Tips

Rice– Rice you use for making schezwan fried rice should be cold with rice grains separate. If you have leftover cooked and cold rice it is ideal for this recipe.

If you are cooking rice fresh for this, make sure to cool it at least for an hour before using.

Use a broad oak or pan- For any Chinese fried rice recipe use a heavy or broad pan for best results. Restaurants typically use a heavy broad pan known as wok.

Cook in high heat- As with any Indo Chinese food, always stir fry the vegetables and rice in high heat to maintain crunch and flavor of vegetables. This adds a wonderful smoky aroma to the rice. Make sure you use a hot wok for best results.

To cook in high heat make sure to chop the vegetables with uniform thickness for proper cooking.

Variations– You can add protein like chopped mushrooms, extra firm tofu, paneer. You can also make this rice without vegetables. Just double the quantity of rice in that case.

Spice level– You can vary the quantity of chillies used as per taste.

Make Ahead & Storage

You can easily make the spicy schezwan sauce well ahead and make this recipe as you prefer. The sauce keeps well in a clean air tight jar for 2 weeks. If prefer you can also use store bought sauce off any super markets or Asian stores or online.

Leftover schezwan rice can be refrigerated for 2 days in airtight container. Reheat just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Fried Rice Recipes

Thai fried rice

Singapore fried rice

Broccoli fried rice

Best vegan fried rice

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