FRIED RICE MEAL PREP

Imagine preparing such a huge pile of veggies in a way that you have them ready to re-heat in minutes. Properly stored in airtight containers this meal prep will last up to 5 days. First I cook a lot of basmati rice, and leave it in the fridge over night, to dry out. The next day I meal prep the spice base, consisting of onion, chilli, ginger and garlic. Then I prepare the veggies, the fried rice sauce and the sugar-free sweet chilli sauce as a topping. Leaving all these items in the fridge separately means you can assemble a meal in under 1 minute, to take to work or re-heat at home for dinner. I had at least 5 meals out of this-

THE BASE

I cook 2 cups of Basmati rice as per packet instructions, strain it and once it is cool, store it in the fridge
for the spice base I use lots of onion, ginger, chilli and garlic
for about 5 portions (depending on your hunger) I use:
30 gr freshly grated ginger
15 gr finely chopped garlic
200 gr onion, cut into small bits
1 small red chilli, de-seeded if you prefer. I use the whole lot-

TO AVOID TEARS I USE MY BLENDER :)

I cry every time I cut onions, so I either use swimming goggles or my blender
especially with bigger amounts

GINGER

I don't even peel the ginger, I just rinse it and cut off any odd looking parts
and grate it finely with my cheese grater

FRYING THE SPICE BASE

heat 1-2 TB (tablespoons) olive oil in your large frying pan
add all the chopped onion, ginger, garlic and chili and fry on medium until the onion is starting to become translucent
remove from pan and set aside to cool

VEGETABLES PREP

I use this combination of vegetables, but I suggest that you can use any vegetables you prefer
carrots: 250 gr (grams), or 2 medium to large ones, julienned
leek: 200 gr or 2 medium sized ones, sliced and washed
150 gr bok choy: 2 pieces, sliced and washed
150 gr mushrooms: finely sliced
100 gr baby spinach: washed
250 gr red capsicum: or 1 large one, chopped into small cubes

FRYING VEGGIES IN STAGES

add some olive oil to the pan and add julienned carrots, fry for about 2 minutes
add leek, fry for another 2 minutes
add bok choy and fry until all veggies have the consistency you like, say another 2 minutes
I fry the hardest ones first, the carrots, then the medium leek and last the soft bok choy
frying times depend on the size you cut, the veggies and the heat of the pan
I like mine still with a bit of crunch
when they are done, remove them from the pan to cool down on a plate

FRYING VEGGIES IN STAGES

in the same pan add more oil and your capsicum, fry for 2 minutes
add your sliced mushrooms and fry until they just start to brown a little
again do the taste test, you will know how you like your veggies cooked
when they are done, remove them from the pan to cool down on a plate

ADDING THE SPINACH

get a big mixing bowl and add all the cooked veggies, but only once they are cold, we do not want to wilt the spinach yet-
now add the raw spinach and mix well
store in an airtight container in the fridge until needed
do the same with the spice base, once it is cold, store it on its own in an airtight container
now we have 3 containers: rice, spice base and veggies
next are the sauces

STIR FRY SAUCE

this recipe makes one portion
I make the sauce fresh while re-heating the other ingredients in the pan
you can also prepare larger amounts of the sauce, make 5 portions and store in fridge until needed
amounts for 1 portion:
1 TB (tablespoon) sake, Japanese rice wine. I use sake and not mirin because I believe it has less sugar, but that needs to be confirmed-
1 TB gluten-free or normal (if you are not gluten intolerant) soy sauce
1/2 tea (teaspoon) sesame oil
1/2 -1 TB chilli jam, optional
shake all the ingredients in a lidded jar and add to the pan

RE-HEAT OR FRY

if you are frying it in a pan, just add some olive oil to the pan and add your required amounts of rice, spice mix and veggies
if you are using a microwave, heat it up to your desired level of heat
sprinkle with peanuts, sesame seeds and/or sweet chilli sauce

SWEET CHILLI SAUCE

I felt the urge to make my own sugar-free sweet chilli sauce
and it turns out it is possible to make a sweet and spicy sauce without actual sugar
I used 2 TB of sweet chilli sauce on my lunch and did not feel guilty
the main ingredients are dates, chilli jam, water and lemon
click here for the recipe

ASSEMBLY TIMING

I added a short video to show you how fast you can assemble the meal
the importance of this video is the timer-
it took just over 55 seconds to assemble this meal, plus 30 seconds to make the marinade
I like to add some chopped up peanuts or sesame seeds on top, which is optional
it is the perfect meal to take to work and eat it cold as a rice salad or warmed up
if you have a microwave at work or uni, heat it up for about 2 minutes
I prepared a take away container the night before and took it for lunch. Just quickly re-fry the ingredients to wilt the spinach, let it cool down and store in the fridge overnight
it fills me up for hours and I won't get afternoon cravings!
if you like it very spicy add some extra chilli jam or the home made sweet chilli sauce
I am always on the hunt to find ways of eating healthy food, so that you do not have to go for unhealthy shop bought options at lunch time. Meals like this are perfect for a filling and healthy lunch
if you don't want to eat the same meal 5 times, get your flat mate or partner to prepare another meal and swap them...
curries are perfect to meal prep too, here is my green curry for you to consider or the chili non carne

FRIED RICE MEAL PREP

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THE BASE

TO AVOID TEARS I USE MY BLENDER :)

GINGER

FRYING THE SPICE BASE

VEGETABLES PREP

FRYING VEGGIES IN STAGES

FRYING VEGGIES IN STAGES

ADDING THE SPINACH

STIR FRY SAUCE

RE-HEAT OR FRY

SWEET CHILLI SAUCE

ASSEMBLY TIMING