Tomato Rice

Today was a pretty hectic day. The weekend is here, so wanted to get done with all the chores before then. Can't believe Easter break is almost over! Back to the grind from Monday :(

So, with all that was going on today, I was not in much of a mood for cooking. Thankfully, I had quite a bit of left over rice in the refrigerator. So, decided to use that and make something in a jiffy. Tomato rice was the answer.

This is a simple and quick dish that is wonderfully spicy, aromatic and delicious. In fact it was the "go to" dish for my mom, as in whenever she was short on time or out of ideas, she would make this and me and my sis would wolf it down with enthusiasm! I have stuck to her recipe, except that I did not use green chillies as I was going to share the meal with my little one. The one thing that stands out about this dish, as compared to how other people (whose cooking I have tasted) prepare it is that, my mom uses sambar powder instead of red chilli powder. This, I feel, enhances the flavor and takes it up a notch.

Preparation & Cooking: 20 minutes             Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 2 cups
Onion - 1 small, chopped
Tomatoes - 2, chopped
Ginger - a small bit, minced
Capsicum - ½, diced
Sambar Powder - 1 heaped teaspoon
Haldi/Turmeric Powder - ½ teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tablespoon

For Tempering:

Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon
Jeera/Cumin Seeds - ½ teaspoon
Urad Dal/Split Black Gram Dal - ½ teaspoon
Chana Dal/Bengal Gram Dal- ¼ teaspoon
Curry Leaves - a few
Hing/Asafoetida - a pinch
Red chillies - 1 or 2 broken

Method:

• Heat the oil and add the ingredients for tempering.
• Once the seeds splutter, add the onions and minced ginger and saute till the onions turn translucent.

•  Then add the tomatoes, capsicum and salt and cook till the tomatoes begin to soften and turn mushy.

Now add the sambar powder and turmeric powder and give it a good stir.

•  Finally add the rice and mix it thoroughly, taking care not to leave any lumps. 

Serve this hot with a dollop of yogurt and some fryums or papad.

Handy Tip: If using fresh cooked rice, spread it out and cool it before using so that the rice does not turn lumpy or mushy and the grains separate nicely.