This Tamil style tomato rice or tomato bhath is a pretty fabulous go-to recipe for those evenings when you don't want to spend any more time in the kitchen than you absolutely have to.
Tomato rice is such a classic comfort dish in Tamil kitchens, it's hard to believe it is as easy as it is. It certainly tastes quite complex, with several layers of flavors that complement each other beautifully.
And believe me, you can make it in less than 20 minutes, tops. And most of that time would be for cooking the rice, so if you already have leftover boiled rice, you're already almost there.
I usually use fresh tomatoes to make tomato rice, but I used canned whole tomatoes this time because they were all I had on hand. It was a good organic variety, and I didn't notice any difference in taste.
I do hope that if you've never had Tomato Rice before, you will try it. It's a winner.
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Tomato Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice , cooked (you can substitute with brown)
- 4 medium tomatoes , chopped
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon urad dal (black gram lentils)
- 2 tablespoon raw cashews (optional)
- 1 medium onion , chopped
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon sambar powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek (methi) seeds, roasted until lightly browned and powdered in a spice grinder.
- 2-3 tablespoon coriander leaves , chopped
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a saucepan.
- Add the mustard seeds and when they sputter, add the udad dal and cashew pieces. Stir until lightly browned.
- Add the curry leaves and onions and saute until the onions are translucent and just beginning to turn brown.
- Add the tomatoes, sambar powder, chilli powder and turmeric.
- Saute and cook until the tomatoes darken.
- Add salt to taste.
- Turn the heat to low and add the rice. Stir in gently, taking care not to mash the rice, until the rice and tomato paste are well-mixed.
- Check salt. Stir in the methi powder. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with some microwaved papads.
- Enjoy!
Mansi
This looks so yummy...I often make this with leftover rice...you have a wonderful blog.
G.Pavani
ooh!it looks delicious and yummy
raaji
tomato bath looks so perfect for my meal....:)
Divya Vikram
Ultimate comford food isn't it..
Uma
Have something for ya! Check it out here:
Gita's Kitchen
I love tomato rice, will definitely try this differnt version. Your pets are so cute. Any puppies at home?
Priyanka
Have yet to give tomato rice a try...i guess the sambhar powder is what gives it that special flavor.
Sukanya Ramkumar
Hi...
This looks so good. Love the color of the bhath. YUM! Ur pets look so cute...
Uma
mouth-watering pic. who don't like tomato rice/bhat? just too delicious. Thanks for sharing your way of making it Vaishali! Your pets are tooooo cute.
Maya
Your tomato bhath looks great Vaishali..I make it once in a while too. Thanx for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. I have a lot to read here at leisure. I like the mango bread u have here. Looks a lot like cake.
anudivya
Canned tomatoes are a blessing... I use them all the time, but somehow I don't think they taste as good as the fresh ones, they all have an Italian tomato sauce taste to it. But for the ease of it I camouflage them with our Indian spices. Works well.
Anonymous
Tomato rice is relished at my home. Yours looks lovely. Loved the picture.
Meera/Enjoy Indian Food
Priya
Mouthwatering dish...i love any dishes with tomato..tomato bhath is really tempting..am drooling on rite now..
Shreya
hi Vaishali, what a lovely pic, mouth-watering. I make tomato bhath exactly the same way, usually with leftover rice, and my daughter just loves it. I omit the cashews but at times use groundnuts. We have it with some pickle or podi ending with buttermilk. Love that pic of your pets on the couch:-)
Divya Kudua
Tomato rice...Yummy!!never knew there was such an easy recipe for the same..gonna try it out your way..the tangy title itself is drool worthy;-)!!!
Cham
I made toma rice today, I don't add sambar powder,love the tangy taste bhath:)