Last week when we were bored of eating the same combinations of food daily, I decided to make this tomato rice. It’s a fairly easy recipe and does not take long to make. This is also a good one pot meal as well as something you can rustle up for a packed lunch.

Tomato Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes, washed, drained and kept aside
• 4 medium sized tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 4-5 fresh red chillies (if you can’t get fresh red chillies, substitute with 2-3 dried red chillies)
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Grind the ginger, garlic and chilli to a fine paste and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and when warm, add in the cumin seeds and let it splutter.
• Then add the chopped onions and let them fry for a few seconds.
• Now add the ground ginger-garlic-chilli paste and let it cook for a couple of minutes
• When the onions become translucent, add the chopped tomatoes and spices and cook till the tomatoes become soft and mushy.
• Now add the rice and cook for a few minutes.
• If you are using a rice cooker, transfer the rice and tomato mixture to it and add 1.75 cups of water. Check for seasoning and let it cook.
• If you plan to cook it on the stovetop, then add the water and check for seasoning and cover and cook it it is done. You may need to check it while it is cooking to ensure the rice does not over cook.
• Serve hot with a raita of your choice.