Vegetarian Fried Rice

In this simple recipe, cooked rice is fried with vegetables and cashew nuts. It can either be eaten on its own or served as an accompaniment.

Generous 3/4 cup long-grain rice
1/2 cup cashew nuts
1 carrot
1/2 English cucumber
1 yellow bell pepper
2 scallions
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
3/4 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt
cilantro leaves, to garnish

• Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add the rice and simmer for 15 minutes. Tip the rice into a strainer and rinse: drain thoroughly.
• Heat a wok or large skillet. Add the cashew nuts and dry-fry until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
• Cut the carrot in half along the length, then slice thinly into semi-circles. Halve the cucumber and remove the seeds, using a teaspoon; dice the cucumber. Slice the bell pepper and chop the scallions.
• Hat the oil in the woke or large skillet. Add the prepared vegetables and the garlic. Stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the rice, peas, soy sauce, and salt. Continue to stir-fry until well mixed and thoroughly heated.
• Stir in the reserved cashew nuts and serve garnished with cilantro leaves.

Serves 2-4

Last-Minute Meal:
You can replace any of the vegetables in this recipe with others suitable for a stir-fry, and using leftover rice makes this a perfect last-minute meal.