Variety Rice
Variety rice is similar to Fried rice. Please note, this is not "varieties of rice". "Variety rice" are the words that restaurants started to use and we all picked up. "Variety rice" means different kinds of dish which we make using rice as base ingredient (like Fried rice) and adding vegetables or spice to get a unique taste.
In olden days, we made variety rice and carry with us during long distance travel. We called them "Kattu sooru" in Tamil language. "Kattu" is "Packed" in English and "Sooru" means steamed rice.
Due to the ingredients used and the cooking style, some variety rice will stay good for a day or two without the need for refrigeration.
While there are plenty of variety rice has come up these days, the following
Tamarind rice,
Lemon rice,
Coconut rice and
Curd rice
are considered the traditional four "kattu soru" for Tamils during travel and particularly for pilgrims.
You should check out briyani which is similar to variety rice but cooking style imported from Persians.