Enthaligai: AN EASY COMFORT MEAL - VEGETABLE FRIED RICE IN INDIAN STYLE

Last week, one of my colleagues was complaining about her kids not taking vegetables. I insisted her to try out different dishes, mostly colorful so that it would attract the kids to try it out. We had a lengthy chat of how veggies can be incorporated in various dishes. I suggested her to try out this simple recipe and she was so surprised without addition of sauces. She was saying that for her, fried rice is prepared with sauces and she does not like to use sauces in her home. I replied her it is same with me, I try to minimize the usage of sauces in my kitchen. Also I told her there is no restrictions and straight-cut rule in cooking that any dish has to be prepared like this. Next day, I prepared this dish and had her tasted this and she was very much delighted upon the outcome and was more willing to prepare this at home for her kids.

For Jr.H, I always make sure that he eats at least one fruit and one vegetable a day. The school lunches would always be composed of rice mixed majorly with any vegetable and snacks will be filled with nuts and fruits.

This dish, I learnt from a neighborhood chat place which majorly serves the north Indian chat varieties. I once tasted this when my cousin ordered this simple meal. I could make out the ingredients and tried at home immediately. Jr. H is very much fond of this meal and he says his school friends too liked it. I am so happy that my cooking serves a purpose; providing healthy and nutritious food to my people.

Ingredients:

Cooked Basmati Rice - 2 cups

Mixed vegetables of choice - 2 cups (Preferably cabbage, carrot, capsicum, beans, onion/spring onion)

Crushed garlic - 4 pods

Salt - To taste

Pepper powder - 3 tsp

Ghee - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Cinnamon stick - 1"

Preparation:

1. Cook Basmati rice with 1:2 water, adding a tsp of olive oil/cooking oil. Adding a tsp of oil will separate the grains. Let it cool for half an hour.

2. Cut the vegetables as shown below.

3. In a wide bottomed pan (i used my pressure cooker as i had to prepare in larger quantity), add oil. When the oil is hot, throw in a piece of cinnamon stick. Add onions immediately after that. It is better to use spring onions for fried rice, but I could not find spring onions in market place, hence used the normal ones. If you are using spring onions, add the base as an alternate to regular onions.

4. Once the onions have become brown, throw in the crushed garlic pods and vegetables. Make sure the flame is on higher end. Add salt and mix well. In 5-7 minutes, the vegetables would have crunchy cooked. If you are using spring onion, add the greenish stem part now and keep in flame for minutes. Lastly, add the pepper powder at last and mix well.