A SIMPLE VEG FRIED RICE

{ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON :

7/26/09, 2:51 PM

India Standard Time}

Anything "fried" is delectable. My Doddappa used to say "even grass, fried with a dash of salt & oil would also taste good may be". But these days, with less nutritious food that we intake & no exercise, fried food may prove unhealthy. Kya Kare????? Kaash (क्या करे ????? काश) we could do something about our taste buds. May be if we did not have them, we would have eaten only a healthy diet. Atleast me, I can hardly resist all these fried snacks & stuff. I know & understand very well that they are not good, but in vain.

Rice is prepared in many delicious ways. When I get sick & tired of being veggie veggie (veg gravies & dry, side dishes with rice), I think of just relishing on a "only rice, without side dish" preparation. I know eating veg, is good for you, but I love all those stuff that is not good for me. That is how I am !!! While on road, some days earlier, I came across this veggie slogan on a car.



"BE KIND TO ANIMALS,GO VEG" How true, but how boring!!!!!

Okay so I was speaking about "YUMMY!!! ONLY RICE" preparation without any veggie side dish. So then, I prepare some Pulao, or some Biryani or a Fried Rice of anything (vegetable) that I have at home. And it takes very less time to prepare. Hence one day I prepared this simple, very easy & yum veg fried rice.





Ingredients:

White Basmati Rice (Long Grain rice) - 2 cups
Carrots - 1 medium, chopped thin, one and a half inch in length
Round Beans - 4-5, chopped into any shape & size of an inch
Fresh Peas or frozen - 1tbsp, washed
Green Chilli - 2-3, chopped to any shape
Onions - 1 medium, Chopped length wise
Cashew Nuts - 1 tbsp
Salt to Taste
Ghee - 2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Ajinomoto - Essence of taste, a pinch (optional)



Method:

Wash & soak the rice in water for 5-10 minutes. Now cook the rice either in a cooker or by boiling it in water in a vessel. But remember, we need the rice to be grainy & not over cooked. If you prepare it in a cooker, just add a bit of salt to taste & 2 tsp ghee, with water, a little less than normal. That helps it to cook without being overcooked & grains looking grainy. Once cooked, transfer the rice into a deep bottomed, wide mouthed vessel, which would help in mixing.

Meanwhile par boil all the chopped vegetables, except green chilli & onions, in another vessel.
Once done drain the water & keep it aside.

Now in a pan fry the cashews till golden brown with a little oil & empty it into the vessel with rice.



Now saute all the par boiled veggies with a tsp of oil, salt & the optional ajinomoto, on high flame. Do not burn them off.



When it looks glossy empty the veggies into the vessel with rice.



Now saute the green chilli & onions, one after another, with a dash of salt & oil, on medium flame. Empty them to the vessel with rice.





Now lightly blend all the ingredients, with care not to break the rice grains.



You can use forks to toss them all together.





Serve hot either with a raitha (curd mixture) or it is good to be relished by itself.