Tangy Tomato Rice - Ready in half an Hour!

 
When I hear about tomato rice, I remember my school days. One of my Tamilian friends used to bring this frequently for lunch and we all used to lunge at it! Poor girl! But that is the thing with such types of rice preparations, be it tomato rice, lemon rice or spinach pulao. They are spicy and so fun to eat. They are also pretty filling I would say. No side dish needed for these if you ask me. Just get your plate-full and attack! Oh, and did I mention these are super easy to cook? Yep, it just takes 30 minutes to get this on your dining table. Lets get cracking!

Recipe customized from VahreVah.com

Ingredients

2 cups White Rice (such as Basmati/Sona Masoori)
2 large Tomatoes, chopped
Half an Onion, chopped
3 Green Chillies, chopped
1 Tsp Ginger Paste (or finely chopped ginger)
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
About 2 tbsps Chana Daal (optional)
About 2 tbsps chopped Cashew nuts
1 Tsp Urad daal (optional)
2-3 red chillies
1/2 Tsp Red Chilly Powder
1/2 Tsp Garam Masala
Salt to taste
Asafoetida (or Heeng) to taste
Curry Leaves and Coriander Leaves for seasoning

Steps

• Cook the rice (Microwave method - Add 4 cups of water and microwave for approximately 15 minutes)
• In a wide enough saucepan, heat oil and spurt mustard seeds then cumin seeds
• Add the red chillies, chana daal and urad daal. Saute till they slightly change colour
• Reduce heat to low and add the cashewnuts and roast till they are light brown
• Add the curry leaves, ginger paste, green chillies and onions and saute till onions are slightly cooked (not completely, as tomato rice needs to have a bit crunchy onion slices)
• Now, add the chopped tomatoes, sprinkle salt and asafoetida, stir well and close the lid. Let cook for about 5 minutes
• Open lid and add the chilly powder and garam masala. Again close lid and cook till the tomatoes are mushy and start leaving water.
• If tomato masala is cooked well, we can add the rice. Mix the rice in well
• Finally, season the top with coriander leaves and stir lightly

These steps took just 30 minutes for me overall. Supper was ready in a jiffy with no toiling in the kitchen at all. Perfect for those days when you know you are not upto being a "chef" in your kitchen but you (or your husband!) is craving something spicy!!