Bengali Fried Rice | Bengali Vegetable Pulao
This is rich and delicious fried rice with vegetables that is very popular in Bengali weddings and celebrations.
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain basmati rice
- ½ cup ghee
- 3 nos tej patta dried bayleaf
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 4 nos green cardamom
- 5 nos cloves
- ¾ cup cashews
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup chopped carrots cut diagonally
- ½ cup chopped beans cut diagonally
- ½ cup green peas
- ⅓ cup small cauliflower florets optional
- 1 ½ tsp sugar
- salt to taste
- ½ tsp Bengali garam masala powder
Instructions
- Soak 1 cup of long-grain basmati rice in water for 30 minutes. Then wash the rice thoroughly and then cook it in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with enough water for the rice to double.
- The rice needs to be parboiled (up to 85 to 90 per cent). After that, drain the water and spread the rice on a large tray for it to cool down.
- Heat ghee in a frying pan or kadai, add bayleaf, cinnamon stick, green cardamoms and cloves.
- Stir them for a couple of seconds and add the cashews.
- Keep the heat at a minimum or else cashews burn quickly. Add chopped carrots, chopped cauliflowers and chopped beans (cut diagonally)
- Add a little salt and add half a cup of raisins and a handful of green peas.
- Keep frying these at medium heat till the vegetables have softened. If you are in a hurry, cook the vegetables in the microwave for 2- 3 minutes and then add them to the frying pan
- Finally add the rice very gently, without breaking the grains. Sprinkle salt to taste, sugar and Bengali garam masala.
- Mix everything very gently over minimum heat or take it off the heat and mix if that is convenient. Then cover and let it cook in steam for 5-8 minutes or until the rice has fully cooked
- Serve it with kosha mangsho or phulkopir roast and enjoy.