Thursday, June 18, 2009

Tomato Rice - Lalitha's recipe

Tomato rice is one of the most voted dishes at our home.I have collected about a dozen recipes for tomato rice alone. The very first being my mom's longtime maid's to the most recent from Anupama's blog. Meantime, my friend Lalitha makes this yummy rice. Each recipe is unique. I simply love all of them for the variety.

Yesterday was my husband's star birthday. I had wanted to send something special for his lunch. Breakfast is always lowkey as he leaves for work at 6 in the morning. I was planning Bhel puri for evening to be followed by very light dinner. So I set out to make a proper lunch. I made this tomato rice, mixed vegetable raitha and aloo pudina chaat. I shall post this Aloo recipe sometime soon, because I want all of you to enjoy the tomato rice.



Ingredients:
Raw rice - 2 cups (best to use normal rice than aromatic )
Tomato paste -150 grams (I pureed few tomatoes as I didn't have tomato paste)
Tomatoes - 2 medium (chopped)
Onions - 2 medium (chopped)
Green chillies -2 (slit and deseeded)
Ginger - 1"piece (chopped)
Cinnamon -1"stick
Cloves - 4 pieces
Bay leaf - 1 small leaf
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala powder - 1 teaspoon
Jaggery -2 teaspoons (powdered)
Curry leaves and coriander leaves - for garnish
Ghee 2 -3 tablespoons
Salt - to taste





Wash rice, cook in a heavy pan or pressure cooker adding some ghee and salt.( I tossed it in ghee few minutes prior to cooking). Cook till rice is tender but grains retain shape. Keep aside to cool.
You might cook rice adding the spices too as they will impart their flavour to the rice.
Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a pan, add the spices (if you omitted in the rice), chillies, ginger and onion. Toss these for a few minutes until onions are translucent.
Add chopped tomatoes and cook further till ghee separates.
Pour the tomato paste with 1/2 cup of water in the pan.
Add salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder and the garam masala powder. Let it simmer for a few minutes. Add the jaggery.
When the gravy has been well blended add rice. Stirring occassionally cover and cook for ten minutes until rice is well coated red and looks glossy.
Add the remaining ghee and take off the stove.
Garnish with curryleaves and coriander.
Serve with raitha.







9 comments:

  1. I too make it the same way..Colorful!!

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  2. Yet another variety of tomato rice!!!! Will try it soon :-)

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  3. Looks yummy! Nice presentation!

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  4. I love tomato rice but arun is very particular about it not being too tomatoey but still with a tang and so on... it's a bit weird... so i end up adding more onions and less tomatoes and it's hard to land on the version he likes. Will try this version and see if it works :)
    Birthday wishes to uncle - didn't realize he was a fellow Gemini.

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  5. Looks so yummy, and so does the upma kozhukkattai.

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  6. Thank you Anu and Malar.And Laav,I know what you mean about stuff being somewhere in between...ha, I do it most times. and FYI he is not gemini da. It was his star yesterday as per hindu calendar. He is THE hard core Cancer--all traits detailed by Lynda Goodman!!!

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  7. looks like that lunch would have surely made appa's day! :) looks really yum! nicely done ma!

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  8. wow thats wonderful platter.... i love tomato rice..pass me the bowl

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  9. Yes Pavithra I would willingly pass you the bowl if I could :) And Niki needless to say Appa was thrilled...and why won't he with some potatoes sitting in the lunch box.

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