Tomato Rice

Tomato rice is the most favorite rice item in our house. It not only appears colorful, but tastes great too. It has the perfect blend of vegetables and spices.

Let’s check what we need to make this:

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 5 or 6 tomatoes
• 4 or 5 green chilies
• 1 medium onion
• 1 potato
• A handful of green peas
• 2 tbsp oil

For Masala:

• Garlic and Ginger pieces or paste
• 1 tsp Cinnamon powder
• 4 or 5 cloves
• 2 or 3 Bay Leaves
• Some curry leaves
• Some cardamom seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric

O.K. Now we have everything. So let’s start making it.

Wash the basmati rice well and soak it in water for 30 minutes. Chop all the vegetables into small pieces. Gather all the spices. I use the whole spices without grinding them. I like it that way. We can also grind all of them into smooth paste. The amount of spices can be increased or decreased depending on one’s taste.

Heat oil in the pan and add all the spices. Fry them for a while, and then add the chopped vegetables. A spoon of tomato paste (available in cans) can also be to the vegetables to make them look more reddish. But that is just optional. When the vegetables become soft add the soaked basmati rice after draining all the water. Fry till the mixture becomes little dry.

Then transfer all the contents into a rice cooker, add salt and cook till done. Serve hot with plain yogurt or raita.