Simple Fried Rice

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 2 cups

Onions - 2 medium or 1 large - cut thinly lengthwise

Green chilies - 3-4 chopped or red dry chilies - 2-3 break into small pieces.

Curry leaves - 1 branch (about 10-15 leaves)

Cilantro - 1 handful leaves chopped finely

fresh grated coconut (optional)

Salt to taste

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1/2 lemon or about 2 Tb

Peanut oil - 4-5 Tb  , black mustard seeds, hing powder, turmeric for  Oil Tempering. 

Recipe:

Separate rice grains with a fork or use your fingers.

Prepare Oil Tempering. 

Add chilies, curry leaves and stir well.  

Add onions and cook them till lightly brown.   

Add rice and mix well with onions.   Add salt to taste.  Add sugar. Add half the cilantro leaves.  Mix well and cover and let it steam for 2-3 minutes.  Remove lid.  Add lemon juice and mix well.  Serve immediately with fresh coconut and cilantro.

Notes:

1) I sometimes add 1 chopped tomato to cooked onions and stir well and then add rice.

2) You can add eggplant instead of onions and follow recipe. Cut eggplant into cubes and soak them in water. Add 1/2 tsp salt and let it sit for a few minutes. Remove water and then cook in oil tempering. Don't forget hing powder (1/8th tsp) as it acts as anti gas.
3) When you cannot eat green chilies, add dried red chilies into oil tempering. You can see them and remove them before serving.
4) You can add 1/2 cup green peas to cooked onions.
5) You can add 1/4 cup raw peanuts before adding onions and cook them with onions. They will add nice crunch to the rice.
6) You can add broccoli (cut into small florets and steamed in microwave for 4 minutes) instead of onions. This is one of my favorite rice dish.
7) I like to add fresh or dry grated coconut to such recipes as coconut adds lot of fibers and it also helps improve memory.
8) I usually add lemon juice after I turn the heat off as lemon juice does not taste very well after getting cooked.  It can makes things bitter to taste.
9) I usually use left over rice for this recipe.
10) You can also add 1 tsp chana dal and 1 tsp urad dal (wash and soaked in water for at least 10 minutes, then remove water and add to oil tempering before chilies. Cook until lightly brown).

Each variation will give a bit different taste to the rice.