Learn to make visually stunning rainbow fried rice in just 15 minutes

Fried rice is a familiar dish, but rainbow fried rice can still capture even the most picky eaters' attention at first glance thanks to its irresistible appeal.

Rainbow fried rice – A dish perfect for coaxing even the pickiest eaters

So, that day my husband took me and the kids to L'annam for a buffet. Normally, our little one is quite picky about food. He only eats what he likes, and it's hard to force him otherwise.

Yet, to our surprise, our little one behaved well throughout the meal and finished a plate of rainbow fried rice at L’annam without immediately rushing to the dessert counter… unlike other buffet outings.

Occasionally, when we manage to find time for a buffet outing, my spouse and I can actually focus on eating like we did that day...

One good thing about L’annam is their variety of seafood, so the rainbow fried rice that day was packed with flavor and nutrients, featuring eggs, shrimp, crab meat, Chinese sausage, hotdog, and assorted vegetables – dishes our little one usually dislikes – such as carrots, onions, and green beans...

When cooking rice at home, you can add some playful decorations like this for the kids

That day, with the little one behaving, my spouse and I finally had a peaceful seafood buffet, the best since the day... we had a child! Inspired by L’annam, I adapted the ingredients to something more affordable so that occasionally I can make this rainbow fried rice dish for my family. You should give it a try too!

Guide to making five-color fried rice with simple, inexpensive ingredients

Since it's hard to get ingredients like crab meat, shrimp, or seafood like at L’annam, I switched to more common, easy-to-find ingredients that are familiar in family kitchens such as: Chinese sausage/hotdog, corn kernels, eggs, red chili peppers (or substitute with carrots), onions, shallots, leeks, and cilantro.

You can switch the ingredients to easier-to-make dishes or ones your little one prefers

Also, don't forget to prepare plain rice (you can use leftover cold rice from previous meals) and seasoning like salt, fish sauce, etc.!

Cut the sausage into small pieces or dice it finely. Boil the Chinese sausage until cooked, then slice it diagonally or dice it finely. Peel the onion, remove seeds from the red chili pepper, both diced finely. Chop the cilantro. Peel and finely chop the shallots and dried onions. First of all, if you want to make delicious fried rice, choose sticky, fragrant rice and cook it slightly drier than usual. Fluff the rice and spread it out on a plate/tray to let it cool and separate.

Stir-fry half of the dried onions in a non-stick pan until fragrant, add the sausage and Chinese sausage to quickly sear the edges, season to taste, then set aside on a plate.

Stir-fry the vegetables, meat, sausage...

Next, add corn, bell pepper (or carrots), and onions and sauté until fully cooked, season to taste, then transfer to a separate dish.

Continue to sauté the dried onions until fragrant, then crack the eggs into the pan and quickly stir with chopsticks. Once the eggs are slightly set but still moist, add the cooled rice, quickly stir over high heat. Then add finely chopped green onions, stir thoroughly, season to taste. Add a splash of fish sauce to the pan, stir well to enhance the aroma.

If you've already seasoned the vegetables and sausage while sautéing, remember to reduce the seasoning by half when seasoning the rice to avoid it being too salty

When the rice grains start to firm up, add the mixed vegetables and sausage, as well as the separately sautéed Chinese sausage, stir well for about a minute more before turning off the heat.

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