When I    think of some staples I  grew up eating, Vagharelo Bhaat is probably top of the list. Essentially it means fried rice and is made with leftover plain Basmati rice. The recipe is of course different from family to family but that’s the beauty in it! Growing up, my mom made hers with sliced bell peppers and peas- two staples in her fried rice and once I  got married I  learned to make my MIL’s version in which there is simply spices, onions and it is eaten with a ton of yogurt mixed in!

I’ve grown to love both versions and I  am super excited to share my MIL’s version with you today because its the one I  make the most, mainly because it requires the least effort lol. As for the rice, I    love to use Royal Basmati for beautiful long grain rice and ideally you want the rice to have been refrigerated at least for a day so it is a bit dryer and won’t be mushy when you are making this dish.

If you love fried rice as much as I do, here are some other great recipes:

Masala Fried Rice

Spicy Edamame and Broccoli Fried Rice

Haryali Fried Rice

Tandoori Fried Rice

Brown Rice with Shiitake Mushrooms

Kimchi Fried Rice 

Vagharelo Bhaat (Indian Fried Rice)

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Servings 4 People

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups leftover cooked Basmati Rice
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 serrano chilis, finely diced
  • 1/8 tsp hing powder (asafoteida)
  • 1 tsp red chili powder (lal mirch)
  • 3/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
  • 2 tbsp oil

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds. Once you can hear the mustard seeds start to pop, add the cumin seeds, green chilis and hing. Stir for a few seconds and then add the onions with a pinch of salt.
  • Cook the onions for about 4-5 minutes stirring as needed until the onions are transulcent, reduce heat to medium/low if necessary to keep the onions from burning.
  • Once the onions are cooked, add the rice to the pot along with the chili powder and turmeric powder and mix in the rice in a gentle folding manner so you don't break the rice up too much. Add the salt, cilantro and continue to stir until the spices are evenly distributed and rice is heated through.
  • Taste for salt, adjust as needed and serve with a large dollop of plain yogurt!