Tomato rice Indian style

Growing up in my home town of Bengaluru in Southern India, we would always have a range of rice dishes on rotation through the week. One of my favorites(they are all favorites btw ;)) is this tomato rice which we make in a Southern Indian style. Over the years, my family has tried different iterations and this is our favorite version. Fresh tomatoes, spices and tomato puree comes together to make this delicious vegan/vegetarian meal. Enjoy this as a main or a side dish.

Other rice dishes that you might enjoy - Pudina pulao(Mint Pilaf), Paneer Tikka Masala Rice, Sweet Pongal(Sweet rice and lentils), Chettinad Mushroom Biryani, Vegetable Biryani with Potatoes and Cauliflower, Tomato Risotto, Jeera Rice, Savory Pongal, Greek Spinach Rice, Thai Basil Fried Rice, Mushroom Sticky Rice.

What rice do we use for southern Indian style tomato rice?

Rice is the staple grain in Southern India and other parts as well like the Eastern states. There are many varieties used depending on the dish, region etc and usually none of them are basmati. Here in the US and in the west, I feel like Indian rice dishes have been pushed in to the Basmati box. So, I wanted to just add a little blurb here talking about the various rice types that can be used like sona masoori, kolam, ponni, seeraga samba, matta just to name a few.

I prefer using sona masoori or seeraga samba for tomato rice.You can easily found these in most Indian stores, including some Costco stores. You can of course use any medium grain rice you have on hand.

Ingredients

Tomatoes - If you can, I would highly recommend homegrown or fresh ones from the farmers market. Trust me, it makes a big difference! However, it's not always possible to get homegrown tomatoes even during growing season. So, definitely feel free to use store bought tomatoes.

Onions - I use red onions when I am cooking Indian food. You can also use yellow or white onions if you don't have access to red onions.

Rice - I used sona masoori which is a medium long grain grown in Southern India. It is widely available outside India as well especially here in the US. You can use any medium grain rice.

For tempering

Split chickpea and black lentils - These lentils go by different names in the various Indian languages. The Hindi names are chana and urad dal, kadale and uddina bele in Kannada, kadalai paruppu and ulutham paruppu in Tamil. We use it during initial tempering to add some crunch and texture to the dish.

Mustard Seeds - We use black mustard seeds as the first ingredient for the tempering. It is added for flavor and also quickly helps us check when the oil is hot enough for tempering.

Curry Leaves - We use curry leaves in a variety of We use curry leaves because it adds wonderful flavor to the entire dish.

Fresh Ginger - Ginger is an important aromatic ingredient and adds great flavor to the tomato rice.

Green Chilis - Fresh green chilis add heat to the dish. I used bird eye chilis which tend to spicy. However, I would suggest chilis like jalapeños, Serranos etc which are less hot if you prefer that.

Tomato Puree - This is something we have been doing this at home to add an extra tomato punch to the tomato rice. The puree really bumps up the flavor in the final dish.

Spices - I used turmeric and sambar powder. Sambar is a staple Southern Indian stew that we eat in large parts of the region. A special blend of spices is used while cooking sambar that we also use in other dishes since it adds a real pop of flavor. You can choose to make it at home or use a store bought version as well.

Oil - I almost always use avocado oil for most of my cooking. Other neutral tasting oils like grapeseed, canola or sunflower seed oil will also work.

Process for making Indian tomato rice

Cooking the rice

You can either use leftover rice or make fresh rice to prepare the tomato rice. I prefer using freshly cooked rice and that is how I usually saw my family prepare this rice as well.

Rinse the rice well and place in the pressure cooker or the inner pot of the Instant pot. For cooking in a pressure cooker, the ratio of water to rice is 2:1. Insert the gasket in to the lid of the pressure cooker and close it until completely secure and locked. Switch on the gas or electric stove. When you see some steam escaping from the nozzle on the top, place the "weight" on the valve. Let the cooker "whistle" or let the steam escape 3 times before turning off the stove.

For the instant pot, the ratio of water to rice is 1.5:1. Close the lid and turn the valve to "closed" position. Select the pressure cook option and set the time to 9 minutes.

In both cases, let the steam escape naturally before opening the lid. Fluff the rice and keep it covered until ready to use.

Tempering

Heat a large kadai and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard. In a few seconds, you should see the mustard splutter due to the heat. Once you can see that, add the lentils and saute gently until golden brown. Don't let the lentils burn else they will taste bitter.

Add the curry leaves and let it wilt for 15-20 seconds. Add the onions and ginger. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes along with turmeric powder and green chilis. Add some salt and cook for another 5 minutes. Now add the tomato puree, sambar powder and more salt. Mix well and cook for another 5 minutes on low heat.

Bringing it together

Add the cooked rice to the pan and mix well until it is completely coated in the sauce. Season with more salt if required. You can top with chopped fresh cilantro if you would like and turn off the stove.

Serving, Storage and Reheating

Tomato rice is typically served with a side of chutney and some pacchadi. Pacchadi is a Southern Indian style of raita. We make it with yoghurt and other ingredients like cucumber, onions, tomatoes etc. We add a final tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves and red chilis on top. You can also just serve some yoghurt alongside. You can also serve vada(fried lentil/rice crackers) for some added crunch. Dont forget a cup of filter coffee to finish off the meal!

Store the tomato rice chilled in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or frozen up to 1 month.

Reheat in the microwave, using the reheat option in an Instant pot or in the conventional oven. Add a few spoons of water to the rice before reheating since the rice would have dried out.

For reheating from frozen, I would suggest letting the rice thaw out in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat as mentioned above after some water to the rice. You can also add 1-2 teaspoon of oil to mix in to the rice while reheating if the rice is very clumpy.

Let me know what you think about this delicious Tomato Rice if you gave it a try! Leave a comment, feedback or suggestion below in the comment section. You can also follow along on Facebook, Bluesky, Pinterest or Instagram.

Recipe