The Right Way to Make Tasty Nigerian Fried Rice

Recently, I made a steaming pot of Nigerian fried rice. It tasted so good that we all went for second servings. The next day, hungry while at work, I remembered we had leftovers, and quickly heated the fried rice. It tasted just as good as it had the previous evening. We can argue about my biased judgment, but one thing is true: the fried rice I prepared was ten times better than the first fried rice I ever had.

I still remember the Eleganza flask with which my friend brought the fried rice. This was over a decade ago, well before Twitter became ubiquitous. Had I had access to Twitter then, I’d have voiced a similar concern as the one below.

The good news is, you can take your fried rice game from 0 to 100 in no time. In this article, I’ll cover the most essential steps to making Nigerian fried rice that leaves your guests wanting more. I’ll also review some need-to-knows when making Nigerian fried rice.

• Ingredients for making fried rice
• Steps to making fried rice
• Notes on making fried rice

Making Nigerian Fried Rice: Recipes & Steps

When making yummy fried rice, you can vary your recipe to suit your taste, style, or dietary preferences, as long as you keep to the basic ingredients.

Ingredients for Making Fried Rice:

• Rice (parboiled)
• Chicken stock
• Vegetable oil.
• 1 onion bulb (diced)
• Beef liver (cubed or diced)
• Scallions
• Veggies: green beans, sweet peas, and carrots.
• Sweet corn
• Bell peppers (green, red, and yellow)
• Salt
• Bullion cubes.
• Curry powder (optional)
• Thyme (optional)

Steps to Making Fried Rice

For yummy Nigerian fried rice, you need a garnished portion of chicken stock. You can prepare this in advance and refrigerate it or wait until you’re ready to cook.

For your chicken stock:

• Place your rinsed chicken pieces in a pot. Add some chopped onions, garlic, and ginger. Add 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, ½ tablespoon of thyme and curry powder.
• Cover the pot and leave to boil for up to 30 minutes (or until the chicken is tender).
• Remove the chicken pieces and drain the liquid in a bowl for your chicken stock.

To prepare the main dish:

1. Measure your desired cups of rice into a bowl. Wash thoroughly under running water twice or thrice; doing this removes excess starch and prevents the grains from sticking together.
2. In a pot, add a few tablespoons of oil. Pour the washed rice into the oil and stir on low heat for about a minute. Then, gradually add the chicken stock, ensuring the rice completely absorbs the stock. Leave to cook until the rice is tender.
3. Prep the liver by seasoning with a pinch of salt and boiling until it’s cooked. Once cool, dice it into small bite-sized pieces.
4. Dice the carrots, scallions, and green beans, and chop the bell peppers. Also keep the sweet corn and green peas ready, rinsing if necessary.
5. Heat 1-2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a frying pan (or skillet). Add the diced onions and saute for a minute.
6. Toss in the diced liver, veggies (green beans, peas, and carrots), and bell peppers in turns. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes.
7. Toss in the sweet corn and scallions and fry for an additional 2 minutes to obtain a crisp texture. Set the entire palate aside.
8. In the same pan, add the rice and spread. Then add the stir-fried veggies in scoops. Stir together as you add, mixing everything together gently so you don’t break the rice grains. You can do this in batches if your pan isn’t large enough, or if you’re making a 
9. Allow the fried rice to steam on low heat for 3–5 minutes to blend flavors. Turn off the heat.

Your yummy, delectable Nigerian fried rice is now ready to be served.

Guide to making Nigerian fried rice, by Tspices Kitchen

Notes on Making Nigerian Fried Rice

The recipe we’ve shared above looks easy to follow. If it’s that simple, how come many folks – including restaurants and event caterers – still struggle with the outcome? The reason is that yummy Nigerian fried rice leans on a set of “principles”, and guidelines to note while at it. 

Here are some of them:

1. Fried rice isn’t a native dish. Aside from Nigerian fried rice, fried rice variations include Hawaiian fried rice, Chicken teriyaki fried rice, Chinese fried rice, Kimchi fried rice, and at least a dozen more. If your goal is to make Nigerian fried rice, then you should adopt a recipe tailored for Nigerians, like the one shared above.
2. Curry isn’t the secret ingredient to mouthwatering Nigerian fried rice. You don’t have to add curry powder, and your fried rice doesn’t have to be as green as shrubs.
3. Chicken broth elevates your meal. The quality of the broth strongly affects the final results.
4. You can use either freshly cooked rice or leftover rice. For freshly cooked rice, let it cool for some minutes before you add the veggies. 
5. Don’t underwash or overcook the rice. Underwashing can make the fried rice sticky, and overcooking in chicken broth can make it soggy.
6. Apart from the veggies, you can vary other ingredients. For example, you can replace beef liver with shrimp. You can also add some cayenne pepper powder for spice.
7. When stirring your veggies, aim for a crisp texture. Don’t overcook the veggies. The crisper it is, the more crunchy your meal.

These are seven necessary tips for making delicious Nigerian fried rice. You can print this out and paste it on your kitchen wall so you know what to do the next time you set out to make Nigerian fried rice.

Before We Go…

Would you be trying out this recipe this festive season? (Christmas is only four weeks away!). You can practice ahead by inviting friends over for dinner and making a few servings. Now that you know the right way to do it, keep an eye out to know if your favorite eatery has been serving below-par fried rice. Feel free to mention this post to them if you find one or two issues with their meal. Don’t worry, we don’t judge.