Cilantro Vegetable Fried Rice

Vegetable based flavored rice dishes are some of the most common and often-resorted-to meals in a busy household with not enough time to make two or three separate dishes. We are constantly looking for ways to combine all the dishes to make one filling dish. So, if there is a way to combine vegetables and rice to make a flavorful meal, why not?

So, in this dish left over rice / or fresh rice (or quinoa) is tossed together in fried/sauteed vegetables, similar to Asian fried rice and vegetables. Since herbs such as cilantro/coriander leaves and mint add so much flavorful to dishes, they are commonly used in Indian cooking. We make cilantro rice and pudina (mint) rice, both of which are really delicious. Borrowing from that, I make cilantro based pulao and mint & cilantro pulao. Even spicy Biryanis have mint in them. They easily enhance the taste of the dish with so little effort. 

Along those lines, this dish is not ground-breakingly different. The only difference is that this fried rice has milder spices and lets the flavors of the herbs shine through. Despite adding a little mint, this dish mainly highlights the flavor of cilantro. It's a homey, hearty dish and faster to prepare, especially if you have some left over rice lying around and you want to quickly make something with it. 

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

1. 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
2. 1 medium sized red onion, finely chopped
3. 2 bell-peppers (the sweet, colored ones, if possible), chopped
4. 3 carrots, peeled and diced
5. 2 cups, packed cilantro
6. 1 tablespoon dried mint leaves (or 1/2 cup mint leaves)
7. 1.25 cups uncooked rice (any type of rice or even quinoa)
8. 1 teaspoon jeera / cumin seeds
9. 2 teaspoons Tava Fry Masala / curry powder / vegetable subzi powder
10. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil / olive oil
11. 2 teaspoons salt or as required

Preparation:

1. Grind the cilantro and mint with a little less than 1/4 cup of water to a smooth paste. Transfer the herb paste to a bowl, and reserve the water from rinsing the blender (use drinking water to rinse the blender). Do not discard the herbilicious water. You can add the rinsed water (plus some more if needed) to cook the rice to infuse some subtle flavor.
2. If you have some cooked rice, perfect! Else, cook the rice with 1 teaspoon salt and as much as water (from above) as required, depending on the type of rice being used, and the instructions on the package (if any). I use regular white rice (ponni/sona-masuri) and add 2.5 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice and cook it in a rice cooker. When the rice is cooked, fluff it and cool it completely
3. In a wide pan, heat oil. When hot, add cumin seeds and wait for it to sizzle. Add onion and saute until translucent.
4. Next add the vegetables and remaining salt, and fry/saute on medium heat for 10 minutes. Then, sprinkle the tava fry masala/curry powder, and cook the vegetables. When the vegetables are almost cooked, crank up the heat and fry the vegetables till they get a bit of char. 
5. Reduce the heat, add the ground coriander-mint paste and toss with the vegetables for a minute.
6. Then add the cooked and cooled rice and fry with the vegetables for about 5 minutes. Keep tossing and turning the rice until evenly coated.

Remove from heat and serve.

This is yet another versatile dish. A basic structure can be customized with any kind of vegetables and spices!