Tomato Rice

I learned a lot of different ways to cook rice after I moved to the neighborhood I live in. My neighbor, who is from the southern part of India whom I always call a RICE QUEEN, cooks the best rice dishes. I do a lot of recipe exchange with her and this recipe is a total inspiration from her tomato rice recipe. Although I was not able to develop the same flavors as hers, I was quite happy with the outcome of this dish.

A good tomato rice almost doesn’t have any water added to it during the cooking process. The juice of the tomatoes is reasonably enough to cook the rice, but I added a little water to allow the rice to become fluffy and a little sticky to be able to crust the bottom layer. To me, that's the best part of the dish. I’m always scraping up the delicious crust!

This Recipe serves 2-3 people.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 6 curry leaves
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 3-4 cloves garlic, diced
• 4 medium tomatoes (1lb) chopped fine (about 2 cups when chopped)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika 
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder (adjust according to taste)
• 1/2 tsp sugar, optional
• 2 cup basmati rice
• 2 cups water (use more if needed)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (adjust according to taste)

Method:

1. Use a 10 inch non-stick skillet that's about 1 1/2 inches deep and has a lid.
2. Heat oil in the skillet, and add mustard seeds, when they pop, add cumin seeds and let sizzle for a few seconds.
3. Then add curry leaves and chopped onion. Cook on medium heat till the onion is lightly brown.
4. Add garlic to the oil, and stir for about a minute. Don't let the garlic brown.
5. Now add chopped tomatoes, turmeric and chili powders to the skillet. Add sugar if using slightly unripe tomatoes (I like to use a little sugar if the tomatoes are too sour).
6. Cook on medium high heat, stirring occasionally, till most of the liquid is gone, the tomatoes have broken down, and the sauce reduces to about half its original volume. This will take 10-15 minutes. You will end up with just over one cup of tomato-onion sauce.
7. To the reduced sauce, add rice, and salt. Stir on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes.
8. Add water to the rice and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat, cover the skillet and simmer for about 15 minutes, or till the rice is cooked and fluffy. Start checking the rice after 12 minutes to ensure it doesn't over cook.
9. When the rice is done, increase the heat to high. Let the rice sit on high heat for about one minute. This will form a tasty rice crust on the bottom, much like in a paella.

Serve tomato rice with raita.

*Optional garnishes for tomato rice: roasted cashews, roasted peanuts, crispy fried onions, or chopped cilantro.