Bhat Biran, translated as Fried Rice in English, is a comfort food and staple in every Bangladeshi household. Growing up it was the one dish that could easily be thrown together for breakfast or teatime, because being Bengali meant there was always a never ending supply of cooked rice at home!

My mum used to work magic when she cooked Bhat Biran for us in the morning; the aroma of smokey dried chillies being fried with onions would waft through the house and greet us in our sleep, almost calling us to wake up. And it worked too, we would drag ourselves out of our beds to be greeted by hot bowls of deliciousness! The aroma could be smelt miles away and would tantalise anyone’s taste buds.

I often cook this for my children as a breakfast dish when I have surplus rice and also for teatime when my children come in from school hungry and need something filling. Because there aren’t many ingredients involved, it’s quick and easy to throw together and you can be sure their bowls will come back empty.

There’s no reason why you can’t prepare this dish as a main meal; throw in some vegetables, chicken strips or even sausages (as in my Sausage Stir Fried Rice) and you have an easy and tasty dinner, within minutes. It’s such a versatile dish and can be adapted to your taste and preference easily.

The key to a tasty Bhat Biran, and not everyone knows this, is to brown the onions in the pan BEFORE adding any salt. Saute the onions in oil till they look golden and brown all over, THEN ADD the salt and you will notice a huge difference in taste and colour. Eggs aren’t essential to the dish itself and are entirely optional, leave them out if you prefer.

Use green chillies in place of dried ones if you  don’t have these to hand, add them along with the coriander towards the end of cooking.I hope this becomes a staple in your household once you give it a try, because Bhat Biran is in my opinion the next best thing to sliced bread, seriously!

Serves  4 – 6

You will need: for Bhat Biran Bangladeshi Fried Rice

3 medium onions
oil
5 – 6 dried red chillies
1 – 2 tsp salt (adjust to your taste)
2 eggs (optional)
6 – 8 cups of cooked rice (this should be cooked beforehand)
fresh chopped coriander

Method:

Start by peeling and slicing 3 medium onions.

Heat a generous amount of oil in a wok.

Once the oil is hot add 6 dried chillies and allow them to fry over a medium heat until dark and no longer wrinkly (this is an indication the chillies are cooked).

Remove the fried chillies from the pan using a slotted spoon.

In the same oil add the 3 sliced onions and saute over a high flame until the onions are brown all over. This can take up to 8 minutes, stir frequently to prevent the onions burning.

Once the onions are brown add 1 – 2 tsp of salt (adjust to your taste) and mix.

Next push the onions to one side of the wok and crack in the eggs on the other side and scramble them using a wooden spoon.

Once the eggs are solid, you may add the cooked rice.

Add the cooked rice and fry over a high heat, stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Chop some fresh coriander to garnish the rice with after frying.

I like to let parts of the rice at the very bottom of the pan brown a little more, so that they get nice and crispy as in this photo (bottom right). To do this don’t mix the rice too often and allow it to fry over a high heat but be careful not to burn the rice.

Once the rice starts to look a golden brown colour all over, it’s ready to be served.

Garnish with coriander and serve with the fried dried chillies from earlier.

Enjoy this with a hot cup of tea and savour one of the simplest but tastiest Bangladeshi recipes you’ll have the pleasure of tasting!

Bon Appetit!

3.5.3226

If you like the recipe please share with friends and family, also follow me on Facebook and Instagram. Questions? Leave a comment below or message me on Facebook.