Indian Fried Rice with Peanuts, Chilies, & Cilantro
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Why I have never thought to dress leftover rice with something other than soy sauce, sesame oil, and a showering of scallions escapes me.
Indian. Fried. Rice. Where have you been my whole life?
To be clear: this isn’t exactly fried rice — there’s no frying of the leftover rice. And how nice, too? There’s nothing to stress over: Is the rice old/dry enough? Will it fry well enough? Will I have the patience to let it brown before I push it around?
Here, leftover rice is simply dressed with spices, herbs, acid, and fat. (Also: peanuts, caramelized onions and chilies). The balance of flavors, the textures, and, of course, the use of day-old rice evokes fried rice, but the process is different; easier, too.
Four Steps to Make Indian-Fried Rice
- Dress leftover rice with fresh lime juice and salt.
- Heat ghee (or olive oil) with mustard seed, curry leaf, and peanuts.
- Heat more ghee (or olive oil), with onions and chilies, till the onions begin to caramelize.
- Toss everything together with fresh cilantro.
The whole combination is completely irresistible. I find adjusting the flavor at the end with more lime and salt to taste to be essential — I like lots of each.
This dish is strikingly pretty and makes me want to invite people over for an Indian-ish meal, maybe starring these curried chickpeas with cauliflower and coconut milk or this cumin- and coriander-spiced sheet pan chicken.
Indian-ish:
This recipe comes from Priya Krishna’s Indian-ish, a book that has already taught me more about Indian cooking than any other. To be fair to other Indian cookbooks I own, I haven’t given them a great go; but to Indian-ish’s credit, no other has been as welcoming.
Indian-ish, which is part tribute to Priya’s mother, a software programmer and excellent home cook, and part primer in Indian (or Indian-ish) cooking, is cheerful and light. As you read it, you smile. As you cook from it, you feel OK leaving out a spice or substituting something else. It will be, “fiiiiine,” as Priya says in the FAQs on this matter.
Throughout the book there are helpful guides that demystify the many and often-used spices and lentils as well as charts simplifying cooking techniques like dal and chhonk — also known as tadka or tempering or, in Priya’s words, “the greatest Indian cooking technique ever.” (Chhonk is ghee or oil infused with spices, then poured over a finished dish. This fried rice recipe gets double chhonked: first with curry leaves and mustard seed; then with onions and chilies.)
I have only cooked a few dishes from Indian-ish, but I feel I already have a better grasp on how to cook a cuisine I have always loved and always found a little too daunting to tackle at home. I will be sure to keep you posted on all of my Indian-ish experiments, those chhonk-ified and otherwise.
Here’s the play-by-play: Gather your ingredients.
Dress day-old basmati rice with fresh lime juice and salt.
Heat ghee (or olive oil) with mustard seeds.
Add curry leaves.
Add peanuts.
Pour this mixture over the rice.
Return the pan to the stovetop and sauté a sliced onion with a few halved hot chilies.
Add the onions and chilies to the bowl of rice along with some chopped cilantro.
Toss. Taste. Add more lime and salt to taste.
Serve.
Such a fun book: Priya Krishna’s Indian-ish
Indian Fried Rice with Peanuts, Chilies, & Cilantro
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
Description
From Priya Krishna’s Indian-ish
Notes:
- The original recipe calls for 8 tablespoons of ghee total, but I think it’s equally delicious with 4 tablespoons. If you’re not afraid, use 8!
- Ghee: Inspired by the book, I made a batch of ghee. Unsalted butter or olive oil are fine substitutes.
- Curry leaves may require some hunting to track down. I bought mine at the Karam Asian Grocery & Halal Meat in Schenectady. If you don’t feel like searching for them, simply omit.
- Peanuts: I’ve been using Planters roasted and salted … it hasn’t been making the dish too salty.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked basmati rice or 1 cup dried basmati rice, rinsed
- kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice plus more to taste
- 4 to 8 tablespoons ghee or olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
- 10 fresh curry leaves
- 1 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
- 2 small hot chilies, halved lengthwise
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thinly
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or more to taste
Instructions
- If you need to cook the rice, here how: Instant Pot Method: Place the rice, 1 cup water, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt into the Instant Pot. Set the IP to: manual, high heat, 6 minutes, natural release 10 minutes (or more). Fluff with fork. Stovetop Method: Place the rice, 1.5 cups water, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt into a medium pot. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Reduce heat to low. Cook 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Let stand 10 minutes (or longer) before fluffing with a fork.
- If you have leftover basmati rice on hand, bravo—start here: In a large bowl combine the cooked rice, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and lime juice. Set aside.
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, warm 2 to 4 tablespoons of ghee or oil (depending on your preferences, see notes above). Once the ghee or oil begins to shimmer, add the mustard seed. As soon as they begin to pop and dance around in the oil, which will happen very quickly, remove the pan from the heat. Add the curry leaves, making sure they get fully coated in the oil. The leaves will immediately begin to crisp up.
- Return the pan to medium-low heat and add the peanuts. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peanuts turn a medium shade of brown and become fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour the peanut-spice-oil mixture over the rice and toss gently to incorporate.
- In the same pan over medium heat, warm the remaining 2 to 4 tablespoons ghee or oil. Once it begins to shimmer, add the chilies and onions. Season with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion begins to caramelize, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir this mixture into the rice. Add the cilantro and toss to combine. Taste. Add more salt and lime to taste — go big with both; you won’t be disappointed.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
Keywords: Indian, fried rice, curry, mustard seed, cilantro, peanuts, chili
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
22 Comments on “Indian Fried Rice with Peanuts, Chilies, & Cilantro”
Are you sure those are fresh not dried? Hard to tell from pics. Also hard to find truly fresh, but seeing dried all over amazon. On the hunt…
I had the most amazing pork skewers in Vietnam that we’re layered with fresh curry leaves in between each piece. Outrageous. Obviously need to make this as well. Thanks for sharing!
They look like dried, but they’re fresh … not sure the name, but bought them at a local Asian market.
Those pork skewers sound amazing!! Jealous of your trip to Vietnam. It’s #1 on my list of places to visit.
We made the Malaysian Ramen from Indian-ish last night..loved it! 😁 Looking forward to making note from her book. 🤗
Ohhhh, I’ll have to check out that recipe! Thanks for the tip 🙂
A friend of mine (from India) used to make a dish like this all the time but it came from a box! I love this. I think I’ll sub tamarind for lime though. I’m a tamarind girl.
Nice! I would never think to make that substitution … tamarind is something I am not very familiar with but coincidentally just bought a bag of tamarind paste at the Asian market. I’ll have to give it a go!
Hi this dish looks amazing! Am I right in saying it is served cold?
Dana one of your readers suggest using Tamarind as alternative to lime juice. Can I have a flavour profile on Tamarind, not tried it yet!
Cheri
Hi! I would say room temperature — the ghee hardens up when it sits too long, so I suggest serving it shortly after making it. That said, I find it completely delicious cold from the fridge, too 🙂
Are the curry leaves a must? I haven’t been able to find them in these parts of town, but don’t want to miss out on the flavor as this looks amazing!
I think you could omit them! They add a unique flavor, but there is so much other flavor here, I think you’ll find it tasty enough without the curry leaves.
We cannot get fresh curry leaves in our tiny town. I see from one comment that you can omit them, but I’m wondering if some curry powder would lend some of that flavor? What do you think? Can’t wait to try this – we are big fans of Indian food!
Cheers!
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Go for it! The curry powder will lend a different flavor, but it will be delicious. Curry leaves have their own, unique flavor — and yes, they are SO hard to find.
Trying it today. Thinking of substituting basil leaves since I can’t find curry leaves. Opinion?
Basil will be delicious! But, I would wait to add the basil till the end instead of trying to fry it … I’m probably too late here. How did it turn out?
Loved this, Alexandra! My husband cleared his plate and said, “Please make this again.” I served with a marinated, pan-fried paneer. Made for a great lunch!
Re: tamarind (even though the comments are from last year). I made a crave-worthy pad thai last week. https://food52.com/recipes/6386-shrimp-pad-thai
Hope you’re doing well. 🙂
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Thanks for sending this, Lisa!! I love Pad Thai and cannot wait to give this one a go. Thanks!! So happy to hear this re Indian fried rice 😍😍😍😍
What can I sub for black mustard seeds & curry leaves? Or where can I purchase them?
Hi Helene! I find black mustard seeds at my Asian market. Fresh curry leaves are much, much harder to find. I would just omit them and not worry about replacing them, or if you have an Indian or Southeast Asian or even Middle Eastern market nearby, they might carry them. You can also order mustard seeds online. Some grocery stores will carry them, but call ahead so that you don’t find yourself running from store to store.
I know your comment was almost a year ago, but I just made this & I didn’t have black mustard seeds or curry leaves, either. I was going to sub yellow mustard seeds, but was out of those, too, so I added a pinch of dry mustard powder & a teaspoon of Dijon. I googled substitutes for curry leaves & used the zest of 2 limes & 2 bay leaves. It was absolutely delicious & I look forward to making it again with the listed ingredients to see how close my flavor profile was. It seems like a pretty forgiving recipe & was still fantastic!
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Wonderful to hear this, Ellen! I haven’t made this one in ages, but I whenever I do, I find it very forgiving and totally delicious. So glad you were able to find substitutes for the ingredients and that you had great results using them. Thanks for writing!
Ali, you were right. Indian fried rice where have you been? I cooked the rice today and it was delicious. Let me tell you more: my husband and 3 teenage kids also loved it!!!😍 I got fresh curry leaves from Amazon-thanks for the tip. This dish will stay forever in our home. Thank you Ali. I really appreciate your website and recipes. I will be back for more!
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Great to hear all of this, Ewelina! Thanks so much for writing and sharing. Nothing better than hearing (and seeing) 3 teenage kids gobble something up!!