Tomato Rice Recipe (South Indian Thakkali Sadam)
User Reviews
4.8
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
20 mins
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Total Time
40 mins
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Servings
3
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Calories
121 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Indian
Tomato Rice Recipe (South Indian Thakkali Sadam)
Description
Tomato Rice Recipe (South Indian Thakkali Sadam) mixes basmati or regular rice with fresh tomatoes, onions, and a carefully selected set of spices including mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and curry leaves. The rice is first soaked to optimize texture and then cooked with sautéed onions and tomatoes combined with ground spices such as turmeric, chili powder, black pepper, coriander, and cumin. Fresh mint and coriander leaves add herbal freshness, while a measured amount of water ensures the rice cooks through with separate grains.
The flavor balances the natural sweetness and tanginess of tomatoes with warm spice notes and fresh herbs, typical of South Indian cuisine. The cooking involves tempering whole spices in oil, followed by sautéing aromatics and then combining all with rice and water to cook to perfection, producing a fragrant and colorful rice dish with a soft yet firm texture.
Tomato Rice pairs well with yogurt or simple sides and is well-suited for vegetarian meals. It is practical for preparing ahead or using leftover cooked rice stirred with the tomato masala. Adjusting water quantity lets you control rice softness and grain separation.
For best results, fresh tomatoes and properly soaked rice are recommended. The recipe can be adapted for stovetop or pressure cooker use, but ingredient proportions should be scaled carefully. To lessen spiciness, reduce amounts of ginger-garlic paste, black pepper, and chili powder.
Ingredients
For soaking rice
- 1 heaped cup basmati rice or any regular rice
- water as required
More ingredients
- 1 cup tomato tightly packed) or 3 medium to large tomatoes or 200 grams, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup onion or 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
- 1.5 teaspoons ginger garlic paste or 1 inch ginger + 5 to 6 small to medium garlic crushed in mortar-pestle
- ½ teaspoon green chili peppers or serrano pepper or 1 green chilli, chopped
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 4 to 5 fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) - optional
- ½ inch true cinnamon
- 2 green cardamom
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 6 to 7 curry leaves (medium-sized)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or crushed black pepper, powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin)
- ½ tablespoon mint leaves chopped
- ¼ cup Coriander leaves cilantro, chopped
- 1.5 to 1.75 cups water or add as required
- 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil any neutral oil, generic cooking 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.
Notes
- Leftover cooked rice can be mixed with the tomato masala instead of using raw rice; about 3½ to 4 cups cooked rice works well.
- Canned chopped tomatoes can substitute fresh tomatoes in equal quantity for convenience.
- Adjust the ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, and black pepper to reduce heat and pungency to taste.
- The amount of water needed depends on the rice quality; add from 1½ to 2 cups for softness or separate grains respectively.
- When cooking in a pan, start with 2 cups water, then add more if rice looks dry halfway through.
- For Instant Pot cooking, sauté first, then pressure cook on high for 6-8 minutes with natural release for about 10 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 3Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 121 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 121kcal | 6% |
| Carbohydrates | 7g | 2% |
| Protein | 2g | 4% |
| Fat | 10g | 15% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Sodium | 26mg | 1% |
| Potassium | 171mg | 4% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 2g | 4% |
| Vitamin A | 714IU | 14% |
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) | 1mg | |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 1mg | |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 23mg | |
| Vitamin B6 | 1mg | |
| Vitamin C | 49mg | 54% |
| Vitamin E | 4mg | |
| Vitamin K | 9µg | |
| Calcium | 33mg | 3% |
| Vitamin B9 (Folate) | 246µg | |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
| Magnesium | 19mg | 5% |
| Phosphorus | 25mg | |
| Zinc | 1mg |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
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