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Tomato Rice Recipe (South Indian Thakkali Sadam)

This quick, delicious Tomato Rice recipe is a favorite dish from the Tamil Nadu state of South India. Also known as Thakkali Sadam, this one pot wonder is tasty, healthy and perfect to pack in a tiffin for lunch on the go.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 3
Calories: 121 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian

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
    Cup of Yum
  1. Rinse basmati rice or any regular rice for a couple of times in water.
  2. Then soak the rice in water for 20 to 30 minutes. Later drain the rice and keep aside.
  3. 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
  4. Keep aside all the spices required for the rice.
Sautéing onions, tomatoes, spices
  1. 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.
  2. Then add finely chopped onions and cinnamon, cardamoms and cloves.
  3. Stir and sauté until the onions turn translucent and soften.
  4. Add the ginger-garlic paste, chopped green chilies and curry leaves.
  5. Stir and sauté for some seconds until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away
  6. Now add chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves.
  7. Stir and saute for a minute.
  8. 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.
  9. Mix very well and sauté the tomatoes until they soften and become pulpy with oil releasing from the sides.
Cooking tomato rice
  1. Add the soaked rice. Gently mix the rice with the tomato mixture very well. Sauté for a minute.
  2. Add 1.75 cups water. For a more softer consistency in the rice, you can also add 2 cups water.
  3. Season with salt as per taste.
  4. 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.
  5. When the pressure settles down on its own. Then remove the lid and gently fluff the tomato rice.
  6. Serve tomato rice with appalams or chips or with a side raita.

Notes

  • 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste, ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder and ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder.
  • Cooked rice:  You can skip adding raw rice. If you have leftover rice or cooked rice, then mix it with the tomato masala and mix thoroughly. You can add about 3 ½ to 4 cups of cooked rice. 
  • Canned tomatoes: You could easily add 1 cup of chopped or crushed canned tomatoes in place of fresh tomatoes.
  • Reducing spiciness: To reduce the heat and pungency, use less amounts of ginger-garlic paste, black pepper powder and red chili powder. So you can add 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste, ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder and ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder.
  • Quantity of water: I have added 1¾ cup water as this amount was perfect for the basmati rice that I had used. The amount of water that you need to add will also depend on the quality of rice. For a softer rice you can add 2 cups and for separate grains, add 1½ cup water.  
  • Scaling: While you can make this recipe for a larger group, increasing the ingredients proportionally may not work for this recipe.
  • Cooking in a pan: Start out with 2 cups of water to cook the rice, then cover with a lid and simmer. Check when the rice is about halfway done, and if it looks dry, add up to another ¼ cup of water.
  • Cooking in an Instant Pot: Begin with setting the the sauté function for the steps of sautéing spices, onion and tomatoes. After you add the rice and water, put the lid on and switch the function to pressure cook on high for 6 to 8 minutes, then allow a natural release after 10 minutes. 

Nutrition Information

Calories 121kcal (6%) Carbohydrates 7g (2%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 10g (15%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Sodium 26mg (1%) Potassium 171mg (5%) 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 Phosphorus 25mg Zinc 1mg

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 3Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 121

% 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.