A savory, salty, nutty and tangy plate of tomato rice is true consolation meals. And it’s so simple to make! This south Indian fashion tomato rice wants just some substances and it comes collectively in about quarter-hour in a single pot with cooked basmati rice. Brown bag it, add it to a veggie bowl, make it a aspect, or serve by itself with poppadum or raita for a scrumptious dinner.
When you discover ways to make scrumptious rice primarily based dishes like lemon rice, turmeric rice, coconut rice, eggplant rice (vangi tub) and chickpea rice, you’re at all times simply minutes away from a straightforward, filling and nutritious dinner. This simple tomato rice (thakkali sadam in Tamil) is one among my favourite one-dish meals as a result of it is among the tastiest rice dishes I make.
Black mustard seeds, curry leaves, cashews and sambar powder (or use curry powder) add unbelievable, savory taste to the rice, together with the star ingredient: ripe, purple, juicy tomatoes. Cilantro. sprinkled over the rice on the finish of cooking, provides a pop of recent taste. All weeknight meals must be this simple and this scrumptious!
Why you will love this tomato rice recipe
- It’s so filled with taste. There’s spicy, tangy, candy and salty right here, and that little bit of umami for those who add the non-compulsory however extremely beneficial asafetida (hing), a resinous Indian spice.
- It’s wholesome. The tomato rice is made with basmati rice, which naturally has a decrease glycemic index than different white rice varieties. Add to it the recent tomatoes, a little bit of urad dal, spices and cashews, and it’s a full, balanced meal all by itself with good quantities of coronary heart wholesome protein.
- It is simple to make. When you have pre-cooked basmati rice, this recipe comes collectively in a single pot in beneath quarter-hour. The one work you might want to do is chop up the onions and tomatoes.
- It is pleasant to all diets. The tomato rice is gluten-free, soy-free, and you may skip the nuts if you’re nut-free. Rice is mild on the abdomen so this recipe works for everybody, and youngsters particularly like it.
Elements
- 3 cups cooked basmati rice (from 1 cup dried basmati rice). See my recipe for making the good basmati rice, which incorporates directions for making rice on the range, in an Immediate Pot, or within the microwave. You can too use retailer purchased pre-cooked lengthy grain rice of any selection, though you will not get the intensely fragrant taste of basmati within the ultimate dish.
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Or any vegetable oil, besides olive oil.
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (rai/kadagu)
- 1 tablespoon urad dal (ulutham paruppu). This provides extra protein and extra nutty taste.
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing/perungayam). That is non-compulsory, however pretty for genuine taste and successful of umami on this vegetarian dish.
- 2 inexperienced chili peppers. Use serrano, jalapeno or inexperienced arbol peppers, relying on availability and your desire for warmth. Use just one pepper if delicate to warmth, and you’ll want to take away the seeds. You should utilize any purple chilli powder, like cayenne, if you do not have inexperienced chilies. Use not more than ½ to 1 teaspoon except you need numerous warmth within the dish.
- ¼ cup uncooked cashews or cashew items. You should utilize peanuts, that are used historically. I really like the softer cashews, however peanuts are simply as scrumptious on this tomato rice.
- 2 sprigs curry leaves. Curry leaves add very good taste to south Indian meals. Select recent curry leaves over dry, if doable.
- 1 medium onion
- 2 kilos ripe tomatoes (thakkali). Ripe and juicy tomatoes will add most taste.
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 heaping tablespoon sambar powder
- Salt to style.
- 2 tablespoons cilantro (coriander leaves). For garnish.
How you can make tomato rice (with step-by-step photographs)
- Warmth coconut oil in a wok or giant skillet over medium excessive warmth. Add to it the mustard seeds and as quickly as they start to crackle, add the asafetida, if utilizing, urad dal, chili peppers, cashews and curry leaves.
- Saute till the curry leaves start to get crisp and the urad dal and cashews are frivolously golden, a couple of minute or two. Add the onion and saute for a few minutes till translucent.
- Add the diced tomatoes together with the turmeric and sambar powder and blend. Cook dinner the tomatoes till they’ve expressed all their juices however do not await the juices to evaporate. You need that goodness to soak into the rice and also you additionally need the tomatoes to retain their sweetness, not flip too tangy, as they might in the event that they cook dinner down additional.
- Add the cooked rice to the wok or skillet and blend gently, ensuring all rice grains are coated with the tomato juices. Cowl the wok and switch warmth to the bottom setting. Cook dinner for 5 minutes, undisturbed, so the rice absorbs the superb flavors of the spiced tomato juices.
- Flip off the warmth and let the rice stand undisturbed for one more 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve scorching.
What to serve with tomato rice
- Tomato rice is a unbelievable and filling meal by itself. To eat it as a south Indian would, serve it with simply poppadum for a light-weight lunch or dinner. Desi, my resident Tamilian, says his household would eat it with potato chips or banana chips.
- You may serve the tomato rice because the grain ingredient in a veggie bowl with Indian flavors, like this curried chickpeas bowl.
Storage and freezing
- Refrigerate: The tomato rice could be saved within the fridge for 3 days.
- Freeze: Unfold the tomato rice on a baking sheet and let it cool within the fridge. Then scoop right into a freezer protected bag or container and freeze for as much as three months.
- Reheat: The best approach to reheat cooked tomato rice is within the microwave. Add a tablespoon of water for every cup of rice and microwave on excessive for 2-5 minutes. If reheating in a saucepan or skillet add a tablespoon of water for every cup of rice, cowl and let the thawed rice steam over low warmth for 5 minutes. Stir it often because it reheats.
Often requested questions
Sure, cooked brown rice — particularly cooked basmati rice — will work very properly on this tomato rice recipe.
You should utilize an excellent south Indian fashion curry powder as an alternative of sambar powder. You should utilize garam masala if you do not have both, however the flavors will not be fairly as true to an genuine tomato rice.
Curry leaves add genuine taste to south Indian cooking, particularly when paired with coconut oil. They are often arduous to seek out outdoors India, nonetheless, except you may have a plant or an Indian grocery retailer close by. If you cannot use curry leaves, add 2 tablespoons cilantro as an alternative, along with the cilantro used for garnish.
Extra Indian tomato recipes
Tomato Rice
This south Indian fashion tomato rice wants just some substances and it comes collectively in about quarter-hour in a single pot with cooked basmati rice. Brown bag it, add it to a veggie bowl, make it a aspect, or serve by itself with poppadum or raita for a scrumptious dinner.
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Evaluation Recipe
Servings: 6 servings
Energy: 193kcal
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Directions
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Warmth coconut oil in a wok or giant skillet over medium excessive warmth. Add to it the mustard seeds and as quickly as they start to crackle, add the asafetida, if utilizing, urad dal, chili peppers, cashews and curry leaves.
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Saute till the curry leaves start to get crisp and the urad dal and cashews are frivolously golden, a couple of minute or two. Add the onion and saute for a few minutes till translucent.
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Add within the tomatoes together with the turmeric and sambar powder and blend. Cook dinner the tomatoes till they’ve expressed all their juices however do not await the juices to evaporate. You need that goodness to soak into the rice and also you additionally need the tomatoes to retain their sweetness, not flip too tangy, as they might in the event that they cook dinner down additional.
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Add the rice to the wok or skillet and blend gently, ensuring all rice grains are coated with the tomato juices. Cowl the wok and switch warmth to the bottom setting. Cook dinner for 5 minutes, undisturbed, so the rice absorbs the superb flavors of the spiced tomato juices.
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Flip off the warmth and let the rice stand undisturbed for one more 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve scorching.
Recipe notes
- You may eat the curry leaves, particularly for those who allow them to crisp up if you add them to the oil. You can too chop them into smaller items so they’re simpler to eat.
- If you’re nut-free, enhance the amount of urad dal to 1 tablespoon and skip the cashews. You can too add a tablespoon of chana dal as an alternative of the cashews. Be sure to saute the chana dal till golden-brown so it softens and turns into crunchy.
- If utilizing cilantro as an alternative of curry leaves add it to the wok or skillet concurrently you’ll add the curry leaves.
Vitamin
Energy: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 5g | Fats: 5g | Saturated Fats: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 2g | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 460mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1296IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg
