Nasi Goreng

What was initially a way of saving left-over rice has turned out to be a much sought after dish at restaurants and hawker stalls in Malaysia; the humble 'nasi goreng' literally means 'fried rice'. Rice is 'nasi' in Malay while 'goreng' simply means fried.
As many dishes from Malaysia, there are many versions of nasi goreng. From hot & spicy to vegetarian and very basic fried rice. This is my version of 'nasi goreng' when I want to clear out the fridge of bits and pieces of vegetables before my next round of grocery shopping!

Ingredients:

Boiled & cooled rice
(not necessarily left-overs...can be fresh as now people have nasi goreng at anytime of the day.
Shallots 2 small pieces
Garlic 1 piece
Cooking oil 1 tbsp
Dark soy sauce & salt
Vegetables (anything like carrots, capsicum, broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage) - cubed/chopped or shredded.
Frozen corn kernels or green peas (optional)
1 egg (or prawns or chicken fillet )
1 tbspn chilli paste ( if you fancy the hot & spicy option)

Method:
Heat oil in a wok (would be much easier than a saucepan)
Saute crushed shallots & garlic.
Add the chilli paste once onions are brown & continue to cook until a bit dry; stirring regularly.
At this point, the egg/chicken/prawns can be added in. For the vegetarian option , introduce the hard vegetables first, keep the leafy ones for later.
Mix in the rice and season with salt & soy sauce. Add leafy vegetables if desired.
The soy sauce will give a bit of colour which if preferred can be replaced by seasoning with pepper.
Mix well, cooking it for 3 minutes and serve.

ps: Frying rice or noodles is always a quick way of preparing food using a roaring flame (gas stove).
The whole cooking process should take you less than 10 minutes with about 20 minutes preparation time.