Fried Vegetable Rice (Vagharelo Bhaat)

Who wants to eat plain leftover rice? Here is a recipe to not waste leftovers and turn it into a delicious vegetable fried rice. It'll take you less than 15 minutes! Growing up this was my mom's go to recipe, and it's my brother's favorite. If you are a fan of yogurt then you can add the yogurt, and if you prefer a simple fried rice then don't add it. My brother loves it without the yogurt and I like it with it. The yogurt will give the rice a thicker texture and a tinge of sour taste. Some people don't add yogurt and add lemon at the end.

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (Jeera)

1/2 teaspoon black mustard seed (rai)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric (haladar)

1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1 dried chili

1 teaspoon oil

2-3 cups of left over rice (cold is fine, no need to microwave it)

1 finely chopped green pepper

1/2 cucumber, sliced

1/4 cup of frozen green peas (we always keep these in the freezer for quick recipes)

1/2 cup of cilantro without the stems

1 carrot, peeled and cut in small pieces

1/4 cup plain yogurt

salt to taste

1. Add the oil to the pan. Once the oil heats, add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start darkening and make a cracking noise, add the asafoetida. Then add the red chili, dried chili, cumin seeds, and turmeric. Lastly, add the carrots, green peas, and green pepper. Stir and cover the pan. Let the vegetables cook for about 10 minutes, and stir occasionally.

2. While the vegetables are cooking, if the rice is in chunks due to being in the refrigerator, use a spoon to make it even. Once the vegetables are cooked add the rice and stir. If you don't salt your plain rice, add salt as well. The rice should immediately become yellow while stirring. Add the yogurt. Cover the pan again. Let the rice heat up for about 5 minutes.

3. Once heated, it's done! Add the cucumbers and cilantro and enjoy!