Bengali Style Fried Rice ( Ghee Bhat )

Every family has their very own heirloom recipes that have been handed over from one to another generation. Today I will share a recipe that is our family favorites from my grandmother’s time. Whether it’s someone's birthday celebration or an anniversary get together, the recipe was always a big hit at our home.

This is a mildly sweet and fragrant rice dish, loaded with some vegetables, dry fruits and ghee. This is not an elaborate dish rather it’s a very simple, and quick to prepare. In this recipe, an assortment of spices, veggies, and dry fruits are first sautéed in oil and ghee. Then cooked rice is added to the mixture of vegetables and dry fruits. After few minutes, add salt and sugar to the rice and it’s ready to serve. It pairs well with a rich dish like Kasha Mangsho - chicken or  Mutton cooked on the slow fire, in the Bengali way. 

Recipe of Bengali Style Fried Rice:

Ingredient:

Rice: 2 cups, good quality Basmati or Deradhun Rice
Carrots: one cups, chopped into small cubes. 
Green Capsicum/bell pepper: 1/2 cup, chopped into small cubes
French beans: chopped, 1/2 cup
Frozen or fresh Green peas: 1/2 cup

Ghee (clarified butter): 3 tablespoons
Oil: 1 tablespoons
Bay leaves: 2 
Green Cardamoms: 3 
Cinnamon sticks: 1-inch piece
Cloves: 3 
Cashew nuts: one handful
Golden raisins: 2-3 tablespoons

Green Chilis: slit, one or two
Salt: to taste
Sugar: 3 tablespoons or to taste 

Method: 


1. Cook the rice in a big pot. Add salt to it. Once the rice is 90% cooked drain the water from the rice. Spread the rice on a flat surface and let it come to the room temperature. This helps to prevent your rice from being sticky.

2.  Soak the cashew and raisins in a cup of water separately. Take a big pan, add oil to it. Fry the cashew until they are golden brown. Once they are done, take it out of the pan and set it aside. Add raisins to the pan, and fry for a few seconds. Be careful, they burn so fast. Once they puff up, take it out of the pan and keep it aside. 

3. In the same pan add 2 tablespoons of ghee. Add the whole spices, like green cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves and add the bay leaves. Once the aroma comes up, add the vegetables. Stir it and cook for a couple of minutes. Add salt to it and keep stirring. Add the green chilies. Once the vegetables are just cooked, add the rice. Stir it to mix it well. Add the remaining ghee. Add salt to taste and add the sugar. Again mix it well. Taste it to check the salt and sugar. It will be mildly sweet. The balance of sugar and salt is the important part of this dish. Once you are happy with the taste. Switch off the gas and serve it hot with a Chicken Curry, or Mutton Curry or with a veg dish like Aloo r Dom, Malai Kofta or Sahi Panner.