Tomato Rice Recipe | Tomato Rice South Indian | How To Make Tomato Rice

Now a days, rice recipe with vegetables are very trendy and south India is one of the best places where varieties of rice recipes veg are prepared every day in hundreds of restaurants. Lemon Rice, Tamarind Rice, Tomato Rice, Capsicum Rice, Brinjal Rice, Puliyogare, Pongal, Bisi Bele Bath are few of the immensely popular names of rice recipes Indian.

This Tomato with rice recipe can be a very healthy addition to our diet. Tomato Rice is a very light dish which is not only suitable for kids but also for people of all age groups. It does not contain any ingredients of high calories and does not require any sides too. It gets prepared with some specific spices which can be added as per your own preferable quantity. If you are cooking this dish specially for kids, then I would recommend that you either skip or add lesser quantity of chillies into the recipe for Tomato Rice.

I have a strong connection with the recipe Tomato Rice or Tomato pulao. When I was working in Bengaluru, South Indian Tomato Rice was one of the most prepared dishes for office lunch. I was not aware of the delectable rice recipe until one of my office colleagues took me to a vegetarian south Indian restaurant. It was there that I have saw the different ranges of rice dishes with incredible taste and flavour. Since then, I have fallen for the rice recipe vegeterian and Tomato rice is one of them.

Tomato Rice is a very simple and easy recipe. It requires very common and limited ingredients of our pantry to get prepared. The best part is it get prepared very quickly without investing much time and effort. Tomato rice Indian is a complete life saviour meal for busy working days.

Tomato Rice recipe has the essence of South India. My husband has never been to south India yet. When I told him about the rice recipe, he was very excited and insisted me to prepare it. When I served him after preparing the dish, he just loved the rice and devoured a large portion of it. Now this rice recipe vegetarian has become our family favourite lunch box meal.

Tomato Rice recipe with step by step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section. If you follow the steps carefully then you will get the exact fluffy and flavourful Tomato Rice.

What is Tomato Rice?

Tomato Rice is a flavoured rice recipe prepared with lots of tomatoes and common spices used in south India. It is mostly served with Raita and papad. It is mostly prepared with small grain rice like Sona Masoori. But now a days, it is prepared in many restaurants and thus many variations of this recipe have evolved. In many restaurant,s they prepare Tomato Rice with Basmati Rice too.

There is no hard and fast rule to prepare Tomato Rice south Indian. Tomato rice is prepared in almost every house of South India and it is prepared in different variations in every state. Normally, in tomato rice, no other vegetables are added other than tomato, onion, ginger and garlic.

Why Tomato Rice gets sticky?

Tomato Rice how to make fluffy and non-sticky is one of the most frequently asked questions. The whole trick in preparing fluffy Tomato rice recipe is the measurement of water and rice you are using. Secondly, the utensil in which are you cooking the recipe, whether it’s a pan or pressure cooker.

To get fluffy Tomato Rice, it is always better to wash the rice nicely until the water gets clear and soak it in water for half an hour and not more than that for the best result.

I have used Basmati Rice for the rice recipe, and I have soaked it in water for half an hour. I will explain the measurement of water refer to Basmati Rice.

Note: The most basic thing which most of the people overlook is that “The quantity of water to be used for cooking the soaked rice will be different from non-soaked rice.”

Tomato Rice cooked in pan

Tomato Rice cooked in a pan always takes a little bit longer time than pressure cooker. If the Rice is soaked in water for half an hour then use 1.75 cups of water for 1 cup of Basmati rice.

If the rice is not soaked, then add 2 cups of water for 1 cup of Basmati rice.

Tomato Rice cooked in pressure cooker

If the Rice is soaked in water for half an hour then use 1.5 cups of water for 1 cup of Basmati rice.

If the rice is not soaked, then add 1.75 cups of water for 1 cup of Basmati rice.

How to make Tomato Rice?

To prepare the Tomato rice south Indian style, first I have washed the rice nicely and soaked it for half an hour. Then I have chopped the vegetables like onion, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves or cilantro along with the tomatoes.

First, I have taken oil in a pan and tempered the whole spices. Then I have added onions, ginger and garlic, tomatoes one by one into the pan and cook it. I have added all the ground spices into the veggies before adding the soaked rice into the pan.

To make the Tomato rice fluffy, I have added hot water into the pan. It helps to get the rice cook quickly and prevent the rice to become soggy. I have used Basmati Rice for the Tomato Rice south Indian style recipe and it hardly takes 10-12 minutes to get cooked.

For the Tomato Rice recipe, I have tempered Channa Dal, Urad Dal, Dry red chillies, Curry leaves with Mustard seeds in oil which gives an extraordinary flavour to the dish. Other than these spices, I have used little bit of red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and Garam Masala powder in this preparation for better colour and flavouring.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Basmati Rice
• 1 cup Tomato, chopped
• 1 large Onion, thin sliced
• ½ tablespoon Ginger, finely chopped
• ½ tablespoon Garlic, finely chopped
• 3-4 tablespoon Cilantro or coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 3 Dry red chilli
• ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
• 10-12 Curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon Chana Dal
• 1 teaspoon Urad Dal
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon Garam masala powder
• 1 and ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1 and ¾ cup of hot Water
• 1 and ½ tablespoon Oil for cooking

1. Wash the Basmati rice and soak it in enough water for 30 minutes.
   

2. Then drain the water and keep it aside.
   

3. On the other hand, put a pan on flame.
   

4. Once the pan is completely dry, add oil into it.
   

5. Once the Oil is hot, add Chana dal, Urad dal and fry them in low flame until it turns a bit pinkish in colour.
   

6. Add dry red Chillies, Curry leaves, Mustard seeds in oil and let them crackle.
   

7. Add sliced onions and cook them in medium flame for 3-4 minutes until it becomes translucent.
   

8. Add finely chopped ginger, garlic into the pan and give a nice mix.
   

9. Cook it in medium flame for couple of minutes until the raw smell goes away.
10. Add tomatoes into the pan and give a nice mix.
    

11. Cook it in medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
12. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt into the pan and mix it nicely.
    

13. Cover the pan and cook it for 2-3 minutes in low flame until the tomatoes get tender and juicy.
14. Add cumin powder, coriander powder and mix it nicely.
    
    

15. Cook the masala in low flame for a minute in low flame.
16. Add the soaked rice (Step 2) into the pan and mix it delicately or else the rice may break.
    
    

17. Add 1 and ¾ cup of hot water into the pan and give a nice stir.
    

    Note: If you prefer soft rice then use 2 cups of water.
    

18. Add chopped cilantros, garam masala powder and mix it nicely.
    

19. Cover the pan and cook it in high flame for 3 minutes.
20. Put the flame in low and cook it for 7-8 minutes.
21. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.
    

1. After step 16 above, add 1 and ½ cup of hot water into the pressure cooker and give a nice mix.
2. Add chopped cilantros, garam masala powder and mix it nicely.
3. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook it in medium flame till 2 whistles.
4. Switch off the flame and put the cooker down. Let the pressure settle down. Take off the lid and fluff the rice with the help of a fork.