Schezwan Egg Fried Rice Recipe
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Spicy, tangy, and loaded with flavor, this Schezwan egg fried rice is quick, easy, and so delicious. Make this fuss-free Indo-Chinese favorite at home in just minutes.
Quick Look: Schezwan Egg Fried Rice
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: Approx. 340 per serving
Dietary Info: Contains eggs
Skill Level: Easy
Tools Needed: Wok or large non-stick pan, mixing spoon.
Table of Contents
What Is Schezwan Egg Fried Rice?
Schezwan egg fried rice is an Indo-Chinese dish in which cold-cooked rice is stir-fried over high heat with scrambled eggs, crunchy vegetables, and Schezwan sauce. Indo-Chinese means Chinese-style cooking made Indian-style, with extra chili and garlic. Schezwan is the Indian spelling of Sichuan (also written Szechuan), and the sauce is a fiery red paste that makes this the hotter version of regular vegetable fried rice.
Four spoons of Schezwan sauce go into my wok for three cups of rice. Yes, it is as hot as it sounds. Ten minutes later, every grain is red and glossy, and the whole kitchen smells of garlic.
In India, you will find this spicy egg fried rice everywhere, from Indo-Chinese restaurants to roadside stalls with one huge wok and a very loud flame.
I am a big fan of Chinese food, and my family loves Schezwan fried rice, so it is on our table at least twice a month. There is almost always a bottle of my homemade Schezwan sauce in the refrigerator, which does half the work. This is the version with eggs.
Making it at home also means I know what went into it, and I can turn the heat up or down depending on who is eating.
Ingredients
See the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Cooked Rice – Cold, leftover white rice (chawal) works best. I prefer long-grain basmati, but jasmine rice or sona masuri work great too.
- Eggs – Use organic, farm-fresh eggs for the best flavor.
- Schezwan Sauce – This is the star ingredient. I use my homemade Schezwan sauce, which tastes much better than store-bought and has no artificial colors or preservatives. Short on time? A bottle of Ching’s does the job.
- Vegetables – I used green bell pepper (shimla mirch), green beans (French beans), green cabbage (patta gobhi), and carrots (gajar), all finely chopped. You can also add red or yellow peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, or broccoli.
- Aromatics – You will need ginger (adrak), garlic (lahsun), green chilies (hari mirch), onion (pyaz), and a little celery. Celery adds that restaurant-style Indo-Chinese smell, but you can leave it out.
- Sesame Oil – Sesame oil (til ka tel) gives the rice a very authentic taste. Any other cooking oil works if you don’t have it. If your bottle says toasted sesame oil, cook in a neutral oil instead and stir a teaspoon of the toasted oil in at the end, the way I do in my vegetable fried rice.
- Sauces and Seasoning – Soy sauce, rice vinegar (sirka), chili oil, brown sugar, salt, and black pepper powder (kali mirch). White sugar is fine if you don’t have brown.
- Spring Onion Greens – The green tops of spring onions (hara pyaz), also sold as scallions, for the garnish.
Pro Tips By Neha
Chop and measure everything before you turn on the stove. The cooking moves fast on high heat, and there is no time to chop in between.
If you cook fresh rice, cool it completely before stir-frying; otherwise, it will get mushy. To speed up cooling, spread the warm rice on a baking tray and cover it with cling wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes.
Break up the lumps in cold rice with your fingers before it goes into the wok. It is much easier than doing it with a spatula over the flame.
Using a bottled Schezwan sauce? Brands differ a lot in salt and heat, so hold back the salt until you taste the rice in Step 11.
Doubling the recipe? Stir-fry the rice in two batches. A crowded wok steams the rice instead of frying it.
I make extra rice so I can turn it into fried rice the next day. Leaving it in the fridge overnight dries the grains out, and dry grains fry better.
How To Make Schezwan Egg Fried Rice
Step 1: Heat 2 tablespoons of sesame oil in a nonstick wok over high heat. Keep the heat high throughout. This fries the rice instead of steaming it.
Step 2: Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add the following ingredients.
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped celery
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped green chilies
Sauté for 10-12 seconds. That short time is enough. On high heat, garlic goes from golden to bitter very quickly.
Step 3: Add ½ cup of chopped onions and sauté for 30 seconds. Don’t wait for them to brown. They should stay a little crunchy.
Step 4: Add the following vegetables to the wok and sauté for 1 minute. Don’t overcook the veggies. They keep cooking through the next steps and should still have a bite in the finished rice.
- ¼ cup of finely cubed green bell pepper
- ¼ cup of finely chopped green beans
- ½ cup of finely shredded green cabbage
- ¼ cup of finely chopped carrots
You can blanch the carrots and beans before using them if you like them slightly cooked. To blanch, boil them for a minute or two and drain.
Step 5: Push the veggies to the side of the wok and add the remaining ½ tablespoon of sesame oil to the empty side, as shown in the photo below. The eggs will cook right there, next to the vegetables. They pick up the ginger and garlic left in the oil, and there is one less pan to wash.
Step 6: Add 3 whisked eggs to the oiled side.
Step 7: Scramble the eggs. Keep them on their own side until they are set, like in the photo below. If raw egg runs into the vegetables, it coats them and makes them soggy.
Step 8: Now mix everything together.
Step 9: Add the following ingredients and cook for a minute.
- 4 tablespoons Schezwan sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons chili oil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
The sauces go in before the rice for a reason. A minute on high heat cooks off their raw taste and thickens them a little, so they coat the grains instead of soaking into them.
Step 10: Add 3 cups cooked, cooled white rice and toss to coat with the sauce. Lift and fold from the bottom of the wok so the long grains don’t break. Keep going until the rice is evenly red and hot throughout.
Step 11: Check for salt, spiciness, and sourness. Adjust the sauces to taste. Garnish with 4 tablespoons of chopped spring onion greens and serve hot.
Variations
- Without egg: Leave out the eggs for a plain veg Schezwan fried rice.
- With paneer: Swap the eggs for paneer cubes, as in my Schezwan paneer fried rice.
- With chicken or shrimp: Add cooked, bite-size chicken or shrimp (prawns) along with the sauces.
- A different grain: Replace the white rice with cooked brown rice, quinoa, couscous, broken wheat (dalia), or cauliflower rice.
- Mild, for the lunch box: Use half the Schezwan sauce and leave out the chili oil and green chilies.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Schezwan egg rice on its own for a light meal. For a hearty brunch or dinner, pair it with a spicy Indo-Chinese gravy or stir-fry such as chili garlic chicken.
Storage Suggestions
Schezwan egg fried rice tastes best straight from the wok, while the vegetables are still crunchy. If you have leftovers, cool them quickly, pack them in an airtight container, and refrigerate within two hours. You can refrigerate it for 3 to 4 days, though the vegetables soften a little more each day.
To reheat, toss the rice in a hot wok or pan with a few drops of water until it is steaming hot. Skip the microwave, which heats unevenly and makes the eggs rubbery.
You can also freeze it in a freezer bag for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a hot wok. The vegetables will be softer than fresh.
Make-ahead tip: Cook the rice and chop the vegetables a day ahead, then refrigerate them separately. The next day, dinner takes 10 minutes in the wok.
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Schezwan Egg Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 and ½ tablespoons sesame oil (divided, or any other cooking oil)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped celery
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped green chilies
- ½ cup chopped onions
- ¼ cup finely cubed green bell peppers (capsicum)
- ¼ cup finely chopped green beans
- ½ cup finely shredded green cabbage
- ¼ cup finely chopped carrot
- 3 large eggs (whisked)
- 4 tablespoons Schezwan sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 3 teaspoons chili oil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 3 cups cooked and cooled white rice
- 4 tablespoons chopped spring onion greens
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil in a nonstick wok over high heat.
- Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add ginger, garlic, celery, and green chilies. Saute for 10-12 seconds.
- Add onions and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add bell peppers, beans, cabbage, and carrots to the wok and saute for a minute. Don't overcook the veggies.
- Push the veggies to the side of the wok and add the remaining ½ tablespoon of sesame oil.
- Add whisked eggs and scramble them.
- Now mix everything together.
- Add Schezwan sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, salt, chili oil, and black pepper powder, and cook for a minute.
- Now add rice and toss everything nicely to coat the rice with all the sauces.
- Check for salt, spiciness, and sourness. Adjust the sauces as per your taste.
- Garnish with spring onion greens and serve hot.
Hi Neha
this looks so tempting.
Which schezwan sauce did u use?
Love ur feed.
Thnx :).I used my homemade sauce but you can use Ching’s for this one.