Bengali Style Fried rice

This is my go to rice recipe for any formal meal. With the dry fruits and ghee this is festive enough to serve to guests as a fancy meal yet with a few pantry staples comes together really really quickly. What differentiate this dish to other fried rice recipe is it's mild sweetness and the restrained use of ghee as an aromat. Unlike the other pilaf or rice recipes this is not steeped in oil and doused with garam masala powder rather a very delicate recipe that pairs really well with rich gravy dishes.

This is my recipe, the way Maa tought me and the way my family adores it. You can make it with leftover rice but when you plan to serve it to your guests please cook the rice fresh as mentioned below. Thank me later but trust me this enhances the flavour and the taste.

For a weeknight quick dinner you can definitely use leftover rice and use as many veggies as you can like cauliflower, potato and broccoli.

Bengali fried rice

Ingredients:

Basmati/ Dehradun or other long grained rice: 2 cups 

Carrot: 1

French beans: 100 gms

Green peas: handful

Cashews: handful

Raisins: handful

White oil: 2 tbsp

Ghee: 2 tbsp

Bay leaf: 1

Cinnamon: 1" piece

Cloves: 4-5

Green cardamom: 2

Pepper: 6-7

Pepper powder: 1/2 tsp

Salt: as per taste

Sugar: 2 tbsps (Make a powder or use 21/2 tbsp castor sugar)

Garam masala powder: 1/2tsp

Method:

Take a big potful of water and bring it to a boil. Wash the rice and add to the boiling water with 1 tsp oil, fat pinch of garam masala powder and 1 tsp salt.

Cook the rice for 6-7 minutes or till its 80% cooked. that is it should have a bite to it, not totally soft. Properly drain the water from the rice and using a spatula spred the rice on big plates. This is to dry up every last bit of moisture from the rice to get a fluffy fried rice later. 

While the rice is cooling start preparing your veggies. Peel and chop the carrot in a fine matchstick style. Keep aside. Chop the beans very thinly and keep aside. Break the nut in bite sized pieces.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a big kadhai or pan and  fry the cashews on low till they take a golden brown hue. During the end of the cooking time add the raisins and fry for a few seconds. Be careful they burn very easily. Take them out once they start to puff up.

In the same pan add 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp ghee. Lightly pound the clove, cinnamon, pepper and cardamom to open them up and add to the oil along with the bay leaf. Stir so that they release the aroma. Now add the veggies and salt. Stir and cook on low for 2-3 minutes. Do not over cook and make them mushy. They should retain a crunch. Add some pepper powder and mix. Once the veggies are cooked add the rice 1/4 of it at a time. Ask someone to help pouring the rice so that you can stir it properly.

Once you have added all the rice in the pan stir and mix it very well. Now mix in the sugar, salt and pepper powder. Mix and taste and always start with less. Once you are happy with the taste add the 1 tbsp ghee and garam masala powder. Mix and switch of the flame.

Cover the pan for 5 minutes and then serve hot with some gravy dishes Like Mutton Kasha, Chicken curry, Chanar Kofta etc.