Tomato Rice

5 from 5 votes

This south Indian tomato rice needs just 15 minutes and a handful of ingredients. You can brown bag it for lunch, add it to a veggie bowl, serve it as a side, or serve on its own with poppadum or raita for a delicious and easy dinner.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Main, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 290kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Equipment

Wok or large skillet

Ingredients

3 cups cooked basmati rice
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon urad dal (black gram lentils)
¼ teaspoon asafetida or hing (optional)
2 green chili peppers (minced. Outside India you can use any spicy pepper like serrano, jalapeno, arbol. Use only 1 if sensitive to heat, and be sure to deseed the peppers.)
¼ cup raw cashews (or cashew pieces. Skip if nut-free and use a tablespoon of urad dal instead)
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
2 pounds tomatoes (finely chopped)
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 heaping tbsp sambar powder (or curry powder)
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat coconut oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Add to it the mustard seeds and as soon as they begin to crackle, add the asafetida, if using, urad dal, chili peppers, cashews and curry leaves.
Saute until the curry leaves begin to get crisp and the urad dal and cashews are lightly golden, about a minute or two. Add the onion and saute for a couple of minutes until translucent.
Add in the tomatoes along with the turmeric and sambar powder and mix. Cook the tomatoes until they have expressed all their juices but don't wait for the juices to evaporate. You want that goodness to soak into the rice and you also want the tomatoes to retain their sweetness, not turn too tangy, as they would if they cook down further.
Add the rice to the wok or skillet and mix gently, making sure all rice grains are coated with the tomato juices. Cover the wok and turn heat to the lowest setting. Cook for five minutes, undisturbed, so the rice absorbs the amazing flavors of the spiced tomato juices.
Turn off the heat and let the rice stand undisturbed for another 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Notes

Ingredient notes

Rice. I love basmati rice for this recipe although any long-grain variety will work just fine. A cup of dried rice will yield three cups of cooked rice.
Oil. Unrefined coconut oil has the perfect flavor for this dish but you can substitute with any other neutral oil.
Green chili peppers. Use serrano, jalapeno or green arbol peppers, depending on availability and your preference for heat. Use only one pepper if sensitive to heat, and be sure to remove the seeds. You can also use red chili powder, like cayenne, instead of fresh chili peppers.
Nuts. Peanuts or cashew nuts will both work for this recipe.

Nutrition