Tomato Rice Recipe | Quick Thakkali Sadam
This speedy and delightful Tomato Rice recipe holds a special place among the culinary favorites of South India's Tamil Nadu region. Recognized as Thakkali Sadam, this single-pot marvel is not only scrumptious and nutritious but also an ideal option for packing into a lunch tiffin for those on the move.
Ingredients
For Soaking Rice
- 1 heaped cup basmati rice or any regular rice
- water as required
More Ingredients
- 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes (tightly packed) or 3 medium to large tomatoes or 200 grams
- ⅓ cup finely chopped onions or 1 medium-sized onion
- 1.5 teaspoons Ginger Garlic Paste or 1 inch ginger + 5 to 6 small to medium garlic crushed in mortar-pestle
- ½ teaspoon chopped green chilli or serrano pepper or 1 green chilli
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 4 to 5 fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) – optional
- ½ inch true cinnamon
- 2 green cardamoms
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 6 to 7 curry leaves (medium-sized)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder or crushed black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin)
- ½ tablespoon chopped mint leaves
- ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
- 1.5 to 1.75 cups water or add as required
- 2 tablespoons oil – any neutral oil
- salt as required
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse basmati rice or any regular rice for a couple of times in water.
- Then soak the rice in water for 20 to 30 minutes. Later drain the rice and keep aside.
- Chop the tomatoes, onions and green chillies finely. Peel and crush the ginger-garlic in a mortar pestle. Also, chop the mint and coriander leaves
- Keep aside all the spices required for the rice.
Sautéing Onions, Tomatoes, Spices
- In a 3 litre pressure cooker, heat the oil. Keep the flame to a low and add mustard seeds and crackle them. Then add fenugreek seeds and just lightly fry for a couple of seconds without burning them.
- Then add finely chopped onions and cinnamon, cardamoms and cloves.
- Stir and sauté until the onions turn translucent and soften.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste, chopped green chilies and curry leaves.
- Stir and sauté for some seconds until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away
- Now add chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves.
- Stir and saute for a minute.
- Keep heat to a low or switch off the heat. Add the finely chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder, red chilli powder, black pepper powder or crushed black pepper, coriander powder and cumin powder.
- Mix very well and sauté the tomatoes until they soften and become pulpy with oil releasing from the sides.
Cooking Tomato Rice
- Add the soaked rice. Gently mix the rice with the tomato mixture very well. Sauté for a minute.
- Add 1.75 cups water. For a more softer consistency in the rice, you can also add 2 cups water.
- Season with salt as per taste.
- Cover and pressure cook tomato rice for 2 whistles on medium flame or about 10 to 11 minutes. To get a softer rice, you can also pressure cook for 3 whistles.
- When the pressure settles down on its own. Then remove the lid and gently fluff the tomato rice.
- Serve tomato rice with appalams or chips or with a side raita.
Nutrition
Calories: 121kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 2gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 26mgPotassium: 171mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 714IUVitamin C: 49mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg
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