Tomato Rice

Usually in South India, there are quite a different varieties of rice dishes as rice is an inevitable part of a meal. Tomato Rice (Tomato Saadam, Tomato Bath) is a great dish in which rice blends in well with the tangy tomato and the exotic spices.

Cook Time:

20 Minutes

Yield:

4 Servings

Ease of Cooking:

Easy

What all you'll need?

• Long Grain Rice/Basmati Rice - 2 cups
• Tomatoes - 3 medium sized chopped into small pieces
• Onion - 1 small chopped into small pieces
• Ginger - 1" piece shopped into small pieces
• Garlic - 3 pods chopped into small pieces
• Green Chili - 3 chopped into small pieces
• Cinnamon Stick - 2 small sticks
• Bay leaf - 1
• Cloves - 2-3
• Green Cardamom - 2
• Black Pepper - 2 tablespoons
  
• Curry leaves - A bunch
• Cilantro - A bunch chopped
• Mint leaves - A bunch chopped
• Garam masala powder - 2 teaspoons
• Turmeric Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Coconut Oil - 3 tablespoons
• Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
• Chana Dal - 1 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Peanuts - 1 tablespoon
  
• Salt - to taste
• Water - 4 cups
  

Let's cook it!!

1. Add rice, whole spices (cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, cloves, cardamom, black pepper), salt, some cilantro and mint leaves to a rice cooker. Cook it with 4 cups of water (Add a drop of oil to the rice so that rice won't stick to each other).
   
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, cumin seeds, peanuts, curry leaves and mint leaves to the hot oil.
   
3. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add ginger, garlic, green chili, onion and salt to the pan. Saute until the onions are golden brown in color.
4. Add tomatoes, turmeric powder and garam masala powder to the pan. Saute until the tomatoes are mushy and the oil oozes out.
5. Turn off the stove and mix the tomato masala well with rice.
   

Garnish with cilantro and serve with raitha or yogurt/curd