cabbage… a vegetable that is rich in nutrients and can stay in your fridge up to a month. Cabbage poriyal is a standard side dish in any south indian vegetarian meal. I shall share that recipe in a different post. We are going to use in our fried rice, with paneer being the highlight, but prepared separately before adding to the fried rice.

you will need:

marinate the paneer:

* 1/2 cup of paneer cut into 1/2 inch cubes

* 1 tsp chilli chicken masala

or (1/2 tsp red chilli powder + 1/2 tsp coriander powder + 1/4 tsp garam masala)

* 1/4 tsp crushed black pepper

* 2 tsp of corn starch mixed with water

* 1/4 cup of all purpose flour

Mix everything in a bowl with 1/2 cup of water to make a thick paste, add the paneer cubes and mix them well, so it coats the cubes properly. Let it marinate for 20-30 mins.

ingredients for fried rice:

* 1 cup of day old cooked basmati rice or if using freshly cooked rice, once cooked, gently fork and let it cool for 20 mins in a wide plate; to get the grains separate, cook with 1:1.25 cups ratio of rice:water

* 1 cup shredded cabbage + carrot + peas + 1 white onion + 3 cloves of garlic cut finely

* 1 tsp green chilli sauce (Ching’s brand)

* 2 tsp soy sauce + 1/2 tsp fish sauce (optional)

* 1/2 tsp crushed chilli flakes (optional)

* 2-3 chopped spring onions for garnish

make it:

1) fried paneer – fry the marinating cubes of paneer in oil for 4-6 mins in batches on a medium flame and set aside. Keep the oil aside

2) In a wok, add 3 tsp of oil , add minced garlic, chopped onion and fry for 30 secs

3) Add all the vegetables one by one, starting with the firmer ones and finally adding the shredded cabbage; stir fry for 10-15 secs; turn the heat to medium-high

4) Add the sauces, green chilli sauce + soy sauce, mix in, add 1/2tsp of crushed red chilli flakes if you like it spicy or add crushed black pepper.

5) Add the rice, reduce the heat to medium and mix it in with the veggies so the sauces are coated evenly on the rice. Spread out the rice evenly in the pan, leave it for 30 secs and gently flip the rice so it is slightly browned/ fried. Once the rice has absorbed all the sauces, add the fried paneer cubes and garnish with spring onions and serve hot.