Spiced Tomato Rice/ South Indian Thakkali Sadam

Tomato rice is simple and easy to make at home. It is irresistibly delicious, packed with flavor, and made with simple ingredients. It is comfort food and reminds us of our childhood. It was a favorite school lunch box recipe. If you are from South India, then this tangy aromatic rice needs no introduction. The rice is stir-fried with tomatoes to create a spicy, mildly sweet, savory, and aromatic rice. Sometimes best of the flavors can be achieved with simple ingredients, and tomato rice is a perfect example of an easy-to-put-together comforting rice dish. If you have the rice pre-cooked, this one-skillet rice will be ready in under 20 minutes. It is a filling meal by itself and is perfect for any occasion.

Tomato rice has so many variations. Tomatoes are added to spruce up the rice in many cuisines. In this South Indian style, tomato rice ghee, sesame oil, ginger, asafoetida, curry leaves, and toasted nuts add layers of flavor. Tomatoes have a natural acidity the aromatic spice blend and fluffy rice make it the perfect main dish for get-together. It goes well with any curry, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian.

If you go through the recipe, you will notice that it is like fried rice. So I highly recommend chilled cooked rice. It is best to use leftover rice chilled in the refrigerator. If you do not have any leftover rice, cook a batch of rice, and spread it on a large baking sheet. Let the rice come to room temperature before making tomato rice. You can make a large batch of tomato paste and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. Bottle it in glass jars and use it as required.

Tomato rice is delicious and comforting. I am sure you'll love them too! Go ahead then and give it a try. Happy cooking!

Spiced Tomato Rice/ South Indian Thakkali Sadam Recipe

Ingredients
Cooked Basmathi rice- 3 cups
Tomato -3 chopped
Tomato puree- 1 cup
Onion - 1 medium
Urad dal- 1/2 tsp
Roasted chana dal- 1 tbs
Peanut- 1/4 cup
Cashew nuts- 10-12
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Ginger sliced- 1 inch thick
Green chilly slit- 3
Dry red chilly-2
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
Chilly powder- 1 tsp
Hing or asafoetida 1/3 tsp
Ghee- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Sugar- 1/2 tsp
Gingerly oil- 2 tbs
Curry leaves- a few

To cook the rice
Soak two cups of rice for half an hour, drain and set aside. In a large pan, add 4 cups of water and salt. When it comes to a boil, add the rice and cover it with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook till all the water evaporates, and the rice gets cooked. Switch off the flame, and using a fork, make the rice fluffy. Let the rice cool down completely.
It is best to use leftover rice chilled in the refrigerator. If you don’t have any leftover rice, cook a batch of rice, and spread it on a large baking sheet. Let the rice come to room temperature.

To make the spiced tomato masala.
Heat a pan and add ghee, and roast peanuts and cashew nuts till golden brown and keep aside.
In the same pan, add oil (preferably gingerly oil) and add mustard seeds, and when they splutter, add curry leaves, dry red chilly, chana dal, and urad dal. Fry till slightly brown.
Saute onion till golden brown and add turmeric, chilly powder, salt, sugar, and hing. Saute for a few seconds, add ginger, slit green chilly, and fry till there is a nice aroma of ginger. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute till soft. Mix in and saute for two minutes or till the raw flavor disappears. Cover a cook till oil separates.
Mix the rice, toasted nuts, mix the rice, and sauce till well combined. Stir fry in high flame for one or two minutes. Serve with pickle and papad.