Garlic Swiss Chard Fried Rice

As a kid, red amarathan was my favorite green. In fact, it was a magical green for me. Like most kids, I was not a big fan of greens but this magical green, when stir-fried and mixed with cooked rice, would turn into this gorgeous hue of pink. Pretty amazing! My aunt’s backyard was filled with red amarathan and a visit to her house meant helping aunt pick those leaves and then patiently waiting for lunchtime. It was quite a happy moment for my Mom because both my brother and I were super picky eaters. I find the taste of swiss chard quite similar to red amarathan and although stir-fried amarathan cannot be compared with this garlic and swiss chard fried rice, I could still find some lost taste and it took me back to my aunt’s house.

I love a good dose of garlic in my fried rice and to get that extreme flavor of garlic, I always drop the sliced garlic in cold oil and then, turn on the heat to medium. That way, as the oil heats up, the garlic starts to brown slowly releasing that utmost garlic flavor. You have to be careful to not burn the garlic. So, don’t leave the pan unattended.

The fried rice dish happened without much planning. There was left over rice, which was ready for fried rice makeover loaded with garlic and soya sauce. But then, there were a few swiss chard leaves waiting to be used and in went those too. The leaves are tender and it cooks super-fast. The taste goes so well with garlic. We Indians love stir-fried green (saag) and this fried rice gives a similar taste. With perfectly cooked fried eggs on top, it was the quick meal for busy weeknights.

Here is a video to show you how easy it is!

Garlic Swiss Chard Fried Rice

Kankana Saxena

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

 

• 8 big (35 g garlic cloves)
• 3 cups tightly packed chopped swiss chard
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon soya sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 to 4 cups cooked and cooled rice
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro (for garnish)
• 2 eggs

Instructions

 

• Clean the swiss chard leaves and chop it finely.
• Peel the garlic and then, thinly slice it using a sharp knife.
• Take a big wok or a 9-inch deep saucepan and pour 1 tablespoon of oil along with the sliced garlic. Place the pan at medium heat on the stove. The oil will heat up slowly and the garlic will turn golden brown. Keep stirring in between. Take off ¼ of the fried garlic from the pan to a separate bowl. This would be used later for garnish.
• Once the garlic is fried, drop the chopped swiss chard and sprinkle salt. Stir for 5 minutes and then, add the chili sauce and soya sauce.
• Scatter the cooked cooled rice and mix it properly so the sauce gets coated evenly with the rice. Cook for a couple of minutes and check for salt. Add any, if required.
• Take off the pan from the stove and pour fried rice in a serving dish.
• Put the same pan or a different one on medium heat and crack two eggs carefully. In about two minutes, the white will completely set and the yolk would still be runny. Using the spatula, carefully place the fried eggs on top of the fried rice.
• Sprinkle the fried garlic that was kept aside along with chopped cilantro.
• Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serves 3