Vegetable Fried Rice

My mom is a wonderful cook with an amazing level of patience. This blog is to you Mom for teaching me how to cook great food with a pinch of passion added to it!

Fried rice is one of my all time favourites and my mom used to pack this for lunch while I was studying and even after I pursued my career. This is a simple and easy vegetable fried rice which I adapted from her.

INGREDIENTS

BASMATI RICE ----- 1 CUP
ONION ----- 1
GREEN CHILLY ----- 2
VEGETABLES ----- 1 CUP
GINGER & GARLIC PASTE ---- 1TBSP
WHOLE SPICES(4 Cloves, 2 Cardamom, 1 Small bay leaf)
MINT AND CORIANDER LEAVES
PEPPER POWDER ----- A PINCH
GHEE, OIL
SALT

METHOD

• Wash and cook 1 cup rice with 2.5cups of water in a pressure cooker. After the first whistle put flame to sim and cook for 4 mins
• Put off the flame and let the cooker sit for a while until its easy to open the lid
• Now add 1tsp of ghee to the hot rice, mix lightly with a wooden ladle and keep it without covering.This helps rice not to stick together
• In a large pan add 1tsp ghee and 1tsp oil. Add the whole spices to the hot oil.
• Then add the sliced onion and saute until light brown. Add 1/2tsp salt at this stage
• Add the slit green chillies and saute. Now add ginger garlic paste and saute lightly
• Add vegetables whatever available. Thin strips of carrot, beans, pieces of cauliflower and frozen/fresh green peas. I reserve the slices of capsicum to be added later.
• Saute the vegetables for a minute. Cover the pan and let it cook a little in the steam with no water added. Not too soft but just tender
• Add the capsicum pieces now and saute a little. It cooks very fast
• Add a pinch of pepper powder, stir and put the flame to low. Mix the cooked rice with the vegetables and add the chopped mint and coriander leaves.
• Check for salt 
• Saute all this together for about 2mins.
• Serve with a raita

NOTE

For making it an egg fried rice, scramble two eggs with a little salt and pepper,add it to the fried rice and give it a good mix.