Tomatoes are abundantly available. Bought few kilos to prepare home made tomato sauce. I decided on tomato rice for lunch and prepared a flavorful rice dish that exudes the essence of tomatoes. A recipe I learnt from a Tamilian friend calls for roasted peanuts, a touch of asafoetida and a few roasted and coarsely powdered spices that include coriander seeds and bengal gram dal.
Tomato Rice
Prep & Cooking: 40 mts
Serves 4-5 persons
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2 cups raw rice (cook such that each grain is separate, add 2 tsps of oil to rice and combine)
4 ripe tomatoes, blanch, remove skin and puree
2 onions, finely sliced
1-2 green chillis, slit lengthwise
large pinch turmeric pwd
For spice pwd: Dry roast and make coarse pwd
4 dry red chillies, de-seed, tear
1 tbsp coriander seeds/dhaniyalu/dhania
1 tbsp bengal gram/senaga pappu/channa dal
1/2 tbsp urad dal/minapappapu/black gram dal
large pinch fenugreek seeds/methi/menthulu
1/4 tsp asafoetida/hing/inguvva
For seasoning/tadka/poppu:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
12-15 curry leaves
2 tbsp roasted peanuts
salt to taste
2 1/2 tbsps oil
1 Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan, add the tomato paste and cook till it forms a slightly thick paste (approx 10-12 mts).
2 Heat the remaining oil in a separate heavy bottomed vessel, add mustard seeds and once they splutter add the curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric pwd and stir fry for a few seconds. Add sliced onions and green chillis and stir fry for 6-8 mts.
3 Add the tomato paste to the sauteed onions and combine. Add salt to taste and combine well.
4 Reduce heat, add the cooked rice, combine, sprinkle the spice mixture. Add the roasted peanuts and combine with the rice.
5 Serve hot with any curry of your choice or with just pickle, yogurt and appadam.
