How to make Nigerian fried rice with an easy to follow recipe and no fuss!

When it comes to Nigerian rice recipes, fried rice is at the top of the pecking order even though Nigerian jollof rice is more popular.  One of the main reasons I like this delicious delicacy is because it’s rich in nutrients and full of vegetables and even more perfect when served with fried/roasted chicken or fish. Like most of my recipes, I like to make it as healthy as possible, this means using less ingredients sometimes and still being able to make tasty recipes; I can assure you that this healthy Nigerian fried rice is also super tasty!

Ingredients in healthy Nigerian fried rice

I used most of the ingredients found in the traditional Nigerian fried rice recipe and avoided some unnecessary ingredients that contribute to fried rice getting spoilt so quickly. I used basmati rice, liver (cow/lamb), shrimps, chopped carrots, sweet corn, diced bell peppers (2-3 colours), olive oil, white pepper, rosemary, spring onions, garlic granules, mild curry powder, Knorr stock cubes and salt to taste. Another good thing about this recipe is that all ingredients can be easily sourced.

You can sub liver for hotdogs, and shrimps and liver can be subbed for tofu to make vegetarian Nigerian fried rice.

Preparation

To make the cooking run smoothly, it is good to prepare the ingredients so they are ready to use. The two ingredients to prepare are the liver and veggies.

Liver: Liver can be hard to get sometimes if you live abroad, so it’s good to do your shopping ahead and keep it in the freezer until you’re ready to cook. To prepare the liver, defrost it completely and rinse under cold water to get rid of excess blood. You can also cook liver directly without defrosting. Place the liver in a saucepan, season with stock cube and salt.

Cook for about 15-20mins. Let it cool down completely after cooking, dice and set aside. If you’re using hotdogs, just dice it and set aside. For nonmeat fried rice, see how to cook tofu here.

Veggies: I used bell peppers, carrots, sweet corn and spring onions in this recipe. You can use yellow, red, and green bell pepper or just two colours. Deseed the pepper and cut them into strips before dicing. You don’t have to use all the peppers, 1 ½ cups should be enough for 350grams of parboiled rice. Dice carrots and spring onions and set aside. You can buy ready-diced carrots to save some time.

Rice: Wash 3 cups of rice under cold water, drain the water, pour into a saucepan and cook until it is about 75% done. It is important not to overcook the rice so that the fried rice isn’t mushy and sticky. Sieve any excess water out and set aside.

How to make healthy Nigerian fried rice

• Pour ¼ cup of cooking oil in a non-stick saucepan, place on a hob over high-medium heat. Add shrimps and fry for 2-3mins; add diced liver and fry for 3-4mins; add vegetables (carrot, bell pepper and sweet corn) and stir-fry all together for another 2-mins. If you’re using frozen shrimps, let it defrost completely, and add it after the liver.
• Add 2 teaspoons of mild curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon of ground white pepper, 1 teaspoon of rosemary, 2 Knorr cubes, 1 teaspoon of garlic granules and 2 teaspoons of salt. Stir and add 350 grams of cooked rice (parboiled/75% cooked).
• Mix together gently and taste to see if the seasoning is perfect. Keep stir-frying it for another 5mins.
• Add chopped spring onions and reduce heat to low. Let it sit for another 5mins so that the flavours and aroma can blend together.
• Serve with fried chicken/fish, fried plantain and salad!

Why does Nigerian fried rice get spoilt so quickly?

There two major reasons why Nigerian fried rice spoils quickly: the first reason is because of the ingredients used; and the other reason is because rice generally contains spores of a micro-organism known as bacillus cereus, which can survive cooking. If cooked rice is kept at room temperature in a warm environment, the spores multiply quickly and makes the rice go sour and produce toxins.

How to preserve Nigerian fried rice

You can keep fried rice from spoiling by refrigerating or freezing. To refrigerate, let the rice cool down completely and store in a lidded plastic container. Keep the rice in the coolest part of the fridge for 3-5days. Freeze using a resealable bag or lidded plastic container and store for up to 3 months. The longer it’s frozen for the more it loses its taste and flavour. To serve, thaw and warm it in the microwave for 4mins on high heat.

Other Rice recipes

• Simple Nigerian Jollof Rice Recipe
• How to make Mexican Chicken and Rice Skillet 
• Delicious garlic chicken and rice recipe

Tools and utensils in this recipe

Saucepan/Wok pot, chopping board, spatula and knife (You can buy any of the items on Amazon by clicking the link. This opens a new tab on your browser so you will still remain on this page).

Let me know if yours came out well in the comment box below. Connect with me on my social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Pinterest @Daddysnom