South Indian Tomato Rice is an easy One Pot Meal that does not require many special ingredients, yet they are palatable. Serve them with Potato Crisps, Salad and Raitha for a Hit Combination.
Very rarely I shoot pictures for a recipe unplanned. But today, after we came rushed home from our Sunday morning chaos, I had to cook & serve something super speedy in the next one hour before the Violin Lessons begin at home.
Scanning through my laser eyes, I was looking for super quick ingredients to make up for the family meal. Washed and Drained the rice. I picked a few tomatoes off the vine  and together I knew it’s going to be Tomato Rice. One pot meal with very minimal spices and basic ingredients from the pantry is all that is needed to make Tomato Rice. Served them with Salad, Onion Raitha & Chips.
My Boy has got some sort of weird mind block with Tomatoes. He doesn’t mind Ketchup, a curry, tomato based gravy but not tomatoes in pieces. While making Tomato rice today, my motive was to get the kiddos eat without being any grumpy. Â Sigh !! Can there be no traces of tomatoes in Tomato Rice? Impossible – kind off. Â He enjoyed his platter dunking the rice in lots of yoghurt and crisps, with carefully leaving little remanence of tomatoes at the edge of the plate.
Still feeling totally accomplished when a picky eater enjoys the platter rather than wooing. I have one more reason to work on this post unexpectedly 🙂 My new boards had to be shown off. For the last 10 days, it has been raining most of the time with a cast of grey clouds. I ended up painting this board to depicting my mood.  So so glad about the final outcome of the prop board. How do u guys like it? Do let me know .
For more Rice varities, check out my alternative recipe for Tomato Rice with Anjum Anand, Vegetable Biryani, Layered Veg Biryani, Veg Fried Rice, Pulao Rice and Mint-Coriander Pulao Rice
TOMATO RICE
Total Time Taken: 40 minutes | Serves 4-5
Ingredients
1.5 Cup of Basmati Rice
4 Small Tomatoes or 1 Cup of chopped tomatoes
1 Medium sized Onion finely chopped
1 Green Chilly finely chopped
3 Cloves of Garlic
1″ Ginger
2 Tb spn of finely chopped mint leaves
2 Tb spn of finely chopped coriander leaves
2.75 Cups of Water
1/2 Cup of Frozen Green Peas
1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 Tsp Coriander Powder
3/4 Tsp Black Pepper Powder
Salt as needed
Tempering
2 Tsp Oil
3/4 Tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 Tsp Fenugreek Seeds ( Methi Seeds)
1 Sprig of Curry Leaves
Garnish
Coriander leaves
Mint Leaves
Directions
Wash the rice, Drain and set it aside at least for 20 minutes.
In the meanwhile, prepare the base for Tomato Rice. Chop the tomatoes, onions, green chillies finely. Peel the Garlic cloves and make a paste of Garlic and Ginger together.
Heat 2 Tsp of Oil, add mustard seeds and allow it splutter. Add Fenugreek seeds followed by curry leaves. Saute for 30 seconds and add 1/2 of Ginger Garlic Paste and green chillies. Saute until the raw smell begins to eliminate.
Add onions along with a pinch of salt and saute until translucent. Add chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and saute again.
Add Tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and black pepper powder. Saute them all until the tomatoes get soft and the whole mixture begins to leave the side of the pan. Add the green peas and stir in well.
Add the Rice, remaining ginger garlic , water and allow the rice to cook in medium flame. Adjust salt to taste.Once all the water is nearly evaporated, cover the pot with a lid and cook for another 5 minutes in low flame. Turn off the gas and set aside.
Garnish with coriander leaves and mint leaves. Server with Onion Raitha, Chips and Salad.
Notes:
If you are cooking for kids or would like it less spicier, omit the green chillies and reduce the amount of red chilly powder.
Ingredients
- 1.5 Cup of Basmati Rice
- 4 Small Tomatoes or 1 Cup of chopped tomatoes
- 1 Medium sized Onion finely chopped
- 1 Green Chilly finely chopped
- 3 Cloves of Garlic
- 1 " Ginger
- 2 Tb spn of finely chopped mint leaves
- 2 Tb spn of finely chopped coriander leaves
- 2.75 Cups of Water
- 1/2 Cup of Frozen Green Peas
- 1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Coriander Powder
- 3/4 Tsp Black Pepper Powder
- Salt as needed
Tempering
- 2 Tsp Oil
- 3/4 Tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1/4 Tsp Fenugreek Seeds Methi Seeds
- 1 Sprig of Curry Leaves
Garnish
- Coriander leaves
- Mint Leaves
Instructions
- Wash the rice, Drain and set it aside at least for 20 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, prepare the base for Tomato Rice. Chop the tomatoes, onions, green chillies finely. Peel the Garlic cloves and make a paste of Garlic and Ginger together.
- Heat 2 Tsp of Oil, add mustard seeds and allow it splutter. Add Fenugreek seeds followed by curry leaves. Saute for 30 seconds and add 1/2 of Ginger Garlic Paste and green chillies. Saute until the raw smell begins to eliminate.
- Add onions along with a pinch of salt and saute until translucent. Add chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and saute again.
- Add Tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and black pepper powder. Saute them all until the tomatoes get soft and the whole mixture begins to leave the side of the pan. Add the green peas and stir in well.
- Add the Rice, remaining ginger garlic , water and allow the rice to cook in medium flame. Adjust salt to taste.Once all the water is nearly evaporated, cover the pot with a lid and cook for another 5 minutes in low flame. Turn off the gas and set aside.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and mint leaves. Server with Onion Raitha, Chips and Salad.
Tomato rice looks gorgeous!! I make this rice atleast once in a fortnight!! After seeing yours, I am wondering why I haven’t posted it myself. 😉
Thanks Nandita. Often we leave the comfort food for later… I will look forward to reading your post .
Beautiful clicks Sandy, I make this often, because it’s a quick meal to make as you said. But, me personally love all kind of rices. Funnily my twin daughter is just like your son!! She doesn’t like to Tomato pieces in anything. Most of the time I grind it.
Pass that bowl sandy.. I am a huge fan of tomato rice and potato chips..oooo i’m hungry now! 😛 New board – gorgeous!
Beautiful pics……! I ate tomato rice only during hostel days. Now I feel to make it one day and taste it as our home meal…… Ur tomato rice is tempting me to do that…. 🙂
Looks so amazing and that board <3 !!! pinned it!
I love tomato rice sandhya! light and comforting! Lovely clicks and the new prop board – simply beautiful!
Such pretty looking takkali sadam each grain is separate and everything is so crisp clear.
Picky eater’s moms woes hmm hear u.
The board is gorgeous.
We go for flavoured rice on most weekdays for lunch…I find it easy to bring in variety stuff for my toddler to feed on without any fuss. the tomato rice looks awesome… and pairing it with potato chips is one favorite combo here too…love the board..
So true Anupa. Flavoured rice is really easy without having so many sides tooo.
Thanks Meena…;)
Namaskaram Sandhya – beautiful post, as always and superb photos. I ‘envy’ you for your prop-board, this came out really well!! Did you sponge this?? The other thing is, that in all my 14 years now here in Kerala I never had Tomato Rice – but!!! this is going to change now (like: today!) 🙂
Thank you for putting this recipe up for us. Carina
Namaskaram Carina !! I really loved the greetings coming in Tamil. Tomato Rice is quite an adapted recipe by people in SOuth India to mix and match flavors to suit their palette. I hope you enjoy making this.
Coming to the Prop Board, yes its sponge dabbed 🙂