Are you having guests and don’t have time to cook something fancy? Or do you have a lot of tomatoes that are about to go bad? Well, here is the answer: Tomato Rice! It is very easy to prepare and it will definitely look like you put in a lot of effort to make this. Serve it with some onion raita, and your guests will be impressed. Some of the spices used in this dish are cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cumin, bay leaves, and fennel. Hence, the tomato rice is very aromatic and refreshing, but not necessarily spicy! The tangy taste of the tomato will disappear if you add a lot of chili powder but, you can always spice it up and make this dish your own.
Happy cooking!
Tomato Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups Basmati Rice (Please refer notes)
- 2tbsp Oil Use any oil that you prefer
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp fennel
- 5 Green cardamom
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- 1-2 large Dried Bay leaf
- 6 cloves
- 1 Star anise
- 2 large Onions finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste please refer recipe notes to learn how to make ginger-garlic paste at home
- 1 tsp Chili powder Add more or less, its up to you!
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 3 large Tomatoes pureed (approximately 2 cups)
- 10 fresh Mint leaves
- A handful of fresh Coriander leaves
- Salt As required
- 2 1/4 cup Water (Please refer notes)
Instructions
- Rinse 2 cups of Basmati rice under water. Soak it in water for up to 20 minutes.
- Chop the onions finely and puree the tomatoes
- Heat oil in a large pot (medium-high heat)
- Once the oil is hot add cumin, fennel, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, and star anise. Let them splutter for 5-10 seconds
- Now add the onion to the spices and sauté everything for 10 minutes
- Add 1tbsp of ginger-garlic paste to the onions and sauté for another 5 minutes or till the onions turn golden brown
- Now add turmeric powder and chili powder
- Sauté for a minute or two until the raw smell of chili powder dissipates
- Add the tomato puree to the onions and stir until everything comes together. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes
- Add mint leaves and coriander leaves now
- Now add the soaked basmati rice to the onion-tomato mixture. Mix everything thoroughly
- Add salt and give it a stir
- Now add2 1/4 cups of water to the rice. Stir everything and give it a taste. Now is the time to add more salt or chili powder (if required). Let it come to a boil.
- Turn the heat down to your lowest setting and place a lid on it. Let the rice cook. Give it a stir after 20 minutes. Open the lid and check after 25 minutes. Do not over cook the rice (it might become mushy) For me, it took 35 minutes for the rice to cook (Please refer notes).
Notes
- I used approximately 2 cups of tomato puree and that is why I used only 2 1/4 cups of water to cook the basmati rice. If you are using freshly diced tomatoes, add 4 cups of water to cook 2 cups of basmati rice.
- The basmati rice cooks really quick and its cooking time varies depending on the pot you are using. I used a large and thick (metal) pot and it takes a little longer to cook.
- How to make ginger-garlic paste? Add equal amounts of ginger (peeled) and garlic to a small mixer. Grind it for 15 seconds or so; and then add a tbsp of water (or as required), continue to grind until you see a thick and smooth paste. Use and save the rest (in the refrigerator to be used another day).
Directions with pictures
1.Rinse 2 cups of Basmati rice under water. Soak it in water for up to 20 minutes.
2. Chop the onions finely and puree the tomatoes
3. Heat oil in a large pot (medium-high heat). Gather all the required spice while the oil is heating
4. Once the oil is hot add cumin, fennel, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, and star anise. Let them splutter for 5-10 seconds
5. Now add the onion to the spices and sauté everything for 10 minutes
6. Add 1tbsp of ginger-garlic paste to the onions and sauté for another 5 minutes or until the onions turn golden brown
7. Now add turmeric powder and chili powder
8. Sauté for a minute or two until the raw smell of chili powder dissipates
9. Add the tomato puree to the onions and stir until everything comes together. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes
10. Add mint leaves and coriander leaves now
11. Now add the soaked basmati rice to the onion-tomato mixture. Mix everything thoroughly
12. Add salt and give it a stir
13. Now add2 1/4 cups of water to the rice. Stir everything and give it a taste. Now is the time to add more salt or chili powder (if required). Let it come to a boil.
14. Turn the heat down to your lowest setting and place a lid on it. Let the rice cook. Give it a stir after 20 minutes. Open the lid and check after 25 minutes. Do not over cook the rice (it might become mushy) For me, it took 35 minutes for the rice to cook.
I tried the tomato rice recipe at home.Thank u it was very tasty☺ and I want u to post some more recipes
looks tasty, and great idea, as these are the ingredients i always have at home.