Tempting Tomato Rice

A few weeks ago I saw bones, skulls, cob webs everywhere, but the onset of November has brought colorful lights, glittering ornaments and sweet scented candles to sight. The holiday season has set in and so has the cold weather. I have sent all my Capri's, tanks and flip flops for hibernation and the warm jackets, sweaters and boots that were in aestivation are brimming my wardrobe.

The skies have been gray with a heavy downpour. The cold weather gives me cuddle time with my little ones on my couch, watching their favorite shows "Handy Manny" and "Jungle Junction", which makes me fall in love with this weather.  I would ideally have them run and play outdoors but mother nature does not permit this year round. I guess it is her plan to give this mother more time for couch cuddling.  So I let their brains play with some educational cartoons during this time. The tools in Handy Manny ate all their vegetables and with my inquiry for their dinner choice, pop came the answer "Tomato". I browsed through my brain to search for recipes with tomato for dinner.  As my taste buds were also craving for something spicy and tangy "Tomato Rice" was the search result of brain browsing. 

The source of this recipe is Mallika Badrinath's "100 Rice Delights",  however I make it with my own tweaks.

Ingredients: 

1 cup basmati rice

1 cup chopped onions

3 cups tomatoes 

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 green bell pepper sliced

1/2 red bell pepper sliced

Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon urad Dal

1/2 teaspoon chana Dal

1 tablespoon broken cashew nuts 

For Grinding: 

1/2 cup grated fresh coconut

3/4 cup chopped onions

1/4 teaspoon turmeric 

1/2 teaspoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 inch cinnamon piece 

2 cardamoms

2 cloves

3 green chilies

Method:

Pressure cook 1 cup basmati rice with 1 1/2 cups of water.

Allow it to cool completely.

In a large pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil.

Add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and cashew nut pieces.

When the mustard seeds have spluttered, the dals and cashew nut pieces have turned golden add finely chopped onions.

Sauté the onions until transparent, then add finely chopped tomatoes. Close the lid and allow the tomatoes to become soft and pulpy.

Load the blender with grated coconut, onions, turmeric, ginger, garlic, cinnamon piece, cardamoms, cloves and green chillies.

Add very little water and turn the blender on. Keep adding water as necessary to make a smooth paste.

Now add the ground paste to the pulpy tomatoes and keep the lid open. 

The water evaporates and the mixture reduces to a thick consistency.

When the ground masala is added

After about 30 minutes

It takes about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in between to keep the mixture from sticking to the pan.

When all the water has evaporated, add cooked and cooled basmati rice.

Add salt to taste.  

Garnish with bell peppers and tomatoes.

This rice has so many flavors in itself, I serve it with plain non fat yogurt.

Denouement:

I cook, serve and savor this rice with mirth every time. The tanginess from the tomatoes and the flavor from the spices do linger for long on the taste buds. This is a satisfying main course for the winter months.

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