PHODNICHA BHAAT / फोडणीचा भात

 Do you have some leftover rice and wondering what can you do with it? Try Phodnicha Bhaat Recipe . This Indian-style fried rice is one of the easy and tasty ways to use leftover rice. Phodnicha bhaat or Fodnicha bhat is a Maharashtrian-style seasoned rice recipe. Here “Phodni refers to tempering (tadka) and Bhaat (or Bhat) means cooked rice in Marathi. So Phodnicha Bhaat is spicy tempered rice, Tadka rice, or a very simple and basic Indian-style fried rice in English. 

Phodnicha Bhaat is an easy Maharashtrian-style seasoned rice recipe and a great way to use leftover rice. This delicious and simple Indian fried rice is made with leftover rice, onion, turmeric, and herbs. Every region, state, family in India have their own version of making tempered rice using leftover. Leftover rice recipes are quite popular in various cuisines – like Curd rice, Vagharelo Bhat, Jeera rice, Lemon rice to name a few. It gives the rice from last night a completely different flavor, taste, and beautiful yellow color. It is a simple yet delicious, quick meal that you can make in and also makes an excellent  lunchbox option that is ready in less than 20 mins. At my home this recipe is loved soo much that I often have to prepare the rice in advance just to make this recipe. Sometimes it is also one of those recipes which you can cook with an almost empty refrigerator- simple, delicious and satisfying!

 Traditionally phodnicha bhaat is made to use the leftover rice but you can still make it using freshly cooked rice. Just ensure the cooked rice is cooled properly before making this dish. Hot rice used will cause the rice granules to stick & become lumpy. You can make this rice with veggies of your choice but personally I just love simply with onions and tomatoes in this recipe. Adding veggies make it more nutritious, so you can add veggies like green peas, carrots, cauliflower, corn. Green chili can be replaced with red chili. That will change the flavor and color but still be delicious.

I always love simple delicious recipes that can be prepared quickly and easily at home to use leftover rice, zero wastage. This recipe is my ‘go to recipes’ for a busy weekday meal. This stir-fried leftover rice recipe is very versatile and can be easily adapted to your tastebuds and the ingredients available. This recipe is perfect to make for beginners & bachelor’s. It hardly requires any ingredients and the main one being plain leftover rice.

Hope you enjoy this Phodnicha Bhaat recipe !! If you give this recipe a try, please rate by clicking stars ⭐️ on the recipe card. Thank you ❤️! You can also follow me on Facebook / YouTube / Instagram to see @ Kalpana's La Cucina..!!!

📌📌 Watch the video recipe here 📌📌

INGREDIENTS : 

2 Cups cooked Rice/ Leftover Rice 

2 tablespoon Oil / Ghee

2 tablespoon Peanuts

1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds /Rai

1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds / Jeera

10-15 Curry Leaves

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 Tomato, chopped 

¼ cup green peas fresh or frozen ( optional ) ( see notes )

1-2 Green Chillies, finely chopped ( adjust to taste)

4-5 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped 

½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder 

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon lemon juice ( optional )

Coriander leaves, finely chopped

METHOD : 

STEP 1 - Heat oil in a wok or pan.

STEP 2 - Then add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them pop up.

STEP 3 - Add peanuts and let them fry for 2 minutes.

STEP 4 - Add the onions, curry leaves, chopped green chillies, chopped garlic cloves and mix well and cook until raw flavour vanishes and onion turns translucent.

STEP 5 - Add turmeric powder and salt and saute on low heat for a min or so.

 STEP 6 - Them add tomato, green peas or any other veggies of your choice. ( see notes ) Mix well and cook for 2-3 mins or until the peas are cooked.

STEP 7 - Once the veggies are cooked , add in the cooked rice,  mix gently until well combined. 

STEP 8 - Saute it , cover it and cook 3-4  minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid the rice sticking to the bottom of the pan.

STEP 9 -  Finally, squeeze in some lemon juice and add chopped coriander. Mix gently. 

STEP 10 - Phodnicha bhaat is ready! 

Serve hot with a side of yogurt or raita or pickle or your favorite curry/dal.

NOTES - * Traditionally phodnicha bhaat is made to use the leftover rice but you can still make it using freshly cooked rice. 

 * If you don’t have left over rice, then make fresh rice and let it cool down completely before tempering it.

* You can use type of rice for this recipe like basmati, brown rice, long grain rice all works well.

*Refrigerated rice tends to get dry over time so if you are using rice which a couple of days old, here are a few ways to bring back the moisture. Splash some water (tablespoon or two not more) over it while stir-frying or add a tablespoon of water to the rice and microwave for 30 seconds.

* This is a very basic simple recipe, you can add asafoetida, cashews , whole red chillies in the tempering if you wish.

* Adjust the spice levels to your choice by adding or reducing the number of green chilies. If you are making it for kids' lunch box, you can omit the green chili or make a slight slit and add for flavor.

* You can add 1/2 teaspoon sugar which helps to balance all the flavors. I don't like so I skipped.

* You can replace green chili with red chili. That will change the flavor and color but still delicious!!

* Add veggies of your choice to make it more nutritious like green peas, carrots, cauliflower, corn, etc.