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Home » Rice & Bread » Tomato Rice

Tomato Rice

Published: May 10, 2018 · by Shilpa · 6 Comments

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Tomato rice or tomato bath is a popular dish from Karnataka, made with loads of tomatoes and freshly ground spices. This spicy, tangy dish is ready in no time and is a great weekday meal.
Tomato Rice

Tomato rice step-by-step recipe with video and photos.

Jump to:
  • About this recipe
  • Ingredients
  • Step by step instructions
  • Tips for making best tomato rice
  • Bonus
  • Recipe card
  • Comments
Tomato Rice x

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Tomato Rice

About this recipe

Tomato rice or tomato bath is a popular dish from Karnataka, made with loads of tomatoes and freshly ground spices. This spicy, tangy dish is ready in no time and is a great weekday meal. They are great for lunch boxes too.

Tomato rice tastes great on its own, but you can pair it with raita, papad, and salad for a complete meal. There are many versions to make this one-pot dish and here is my take on it.

Ingredients

Tomato Rice ingredients

Tomatoes: Use ripe and juicy tomatoes to make this dish.

Basmati rice: Basmati rice works best for this dish.

Ghee: I prefer to make this dish with ghee. However, you may replace it with any cooking oil of your choice.

Whole spices: The whole spices I use to make the spice mix are coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and dried chilli.

Onion, ginger, and garlic: I use red/pink onions to make tomato rice but this dish works well with brown onions too.

Coriander leaves: Although this is for garnishing, I highly recommend not skipping it.

Tomato bath

Step by step instructions

Dry roast the spices with coconut and grind them into a powder (steps 1,2).

Heat ghee in a thick bottom pan and add mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves, and ginger. Saute for a few seconds (steps 3,4).

Add onion and fry until it turns translucent (steps 5,6).

tomato rice steps 1-6.

Add tomatoes, ground masala powder, and salt (steps 7,8).

Mix well, cover, and cook until the tomatoes are mushy (step 9).

Add the rice. Add water, and bring it to a boil (step 10).

Simmer until completely done. All the moisture will be absorbed and the rice is completely done (step 11).

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot (step 12).

tomato rice steps 7-12.

Tips for making best tomato rice

Use ripe and juicy tomatoes. And use lots of tomatoes.

Tomatoes release a lot of moisture, so make sure you do not add lots of water when cooking the rice. If you add more water, the rice will become mushy. In this recipe, I have used 2 cups of rice and a little less than 3 cups of water. This gives the perfect texture to rice without turning it mushy or overcooked.

The freshly ground spice powder makes this dish very flavourful and aromatic. You may make two or three batches of the spice powder at one time and store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a month. If you already have the spice powder available, the dish will be ready in just 20 minutes.

Once the rice is cooked, mix it very gently taking care not to break them.

Do not skip coriander leaves. Even though it is a garnish, I highly recommend adding it as coriander leaves makes this dish very flavourful.

Click here for more tomato recipes.

Click here for more Karnataka recipes.

Tomato Rice

Bonus

This dish:
- is a great way to use up ripe tomatoes
- is gluten-free
- can be easily made vegan-friendly by replacing ghee with oil
- can be made in less than 30 minutes
- is very easy to make and suitable for beginners
- is perfect for lunchboxes and potlucks

Tomato Rice

Recipe card

Tomato Rice

Shilpa
Tomato rice or tomato bath is a popular dish from Karnataka, made with loads of tomatoes and freshly ground spices. This spicy, tangy dish is ready in no time and is a great weekday meal.
5 from 7 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian, Karnataka
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 45 mins

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups basmati rice
  • 6-8 tomatoes chopped
  • 1 large onion thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoon ghee
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 tablespoon split black gram (urad dal)
  • 1 tablespoon Bengal gram (chana dal)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon ginger paste
  • 2-3 cloves garlic grated or 1 tablespoon garlic paste
  • 7-8 curry leaves
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves for garnish

FOR THE MASALA POWDER:

  • 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • ¼ cup coconut dry or desiccated
  • 4-5 dry red chilli or as per taste
  • 1-2 small piece cinnamon
  • 2-3 cardamom
  • 5-6 cloves

Instructions
 

  • Dry roast all the ingredients for the masala powder. Cool completely and grind into a powder
  • Wash the rice thoroughly in running water. Drain all the excess water. Soak the rice in fresh water for 30 minutes
  • Heat ghee in a thick bottom pan and add mustard seeds
  • Once it splutters, add cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves, and ginger. Saute for a few seconds
  • Add onion and fry until it turns translucent
  • Add tomatoes and mix well
  • Add the ground masala powder and salt. Mix well, cover and cook until the tomatoes are mushy
  • Add the rice. Add little less than 3 cups of water and bring it to boil (this much water is sufficient to just cover the rice, as tomatoes release a lot of water when cooked)
  • Cover and simmer until the rice is completely done and the water is completely absorbed (approximately 18-20 minutes)
  • Turn off the heat. Add coriander leaves and gently mix everything well. Serve hot

Video

Notes

Tomatoes release a lot of water and so it is important to add less water while cooking the rice. Else the rice will become very mushy. Add water that is just sufficient to cover the rice
Nutrition Facts
Tomato Rice
Amount Per Serving
Calories 288 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 12mg4%
Sodium 10mg0%
Potassium 311mg9%
Carbohydrates 52g17%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 649IU13%
Vitamin C 26mg32%
Calcium 52mg5%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @spicytamarind or tag #spicytamarind!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kayla DiMaggio

    December 07, 2021 at 8:09 am

    5 stars
    This tomato rice was so delicious! I am always on the hunt for good side dishes and this one hit the spot!

    Reply
  2. Emily Flint

    December 07, 2021 at 8:32 am

    5 stars
    This recipe sounds so delicious and a great way to spice up some rice. I can't wait to make this as soon as I get all of the ingredients and I love learning new dishes! Thanks for posting!

    Reply
  3. Dawn Conklin

    December 07, 2021 at 2:12 pm

    5 stars
    I made the tomato rice as a side dish with dinner tonight and the family loved it. It was so delicious!

    Reply
  4. Addie

    December 07, 2021 at 2:53 pm

    5 stars
    Such a great side dish! Yum!

    Reply
  5. Natalie

    December 07, 2021 at 8:21 pm

    5 stars
    My son loves rice so I cook it often. I will give this recipe a try next time I'm preparing rice. Looks delicious.

    Reply
  6. Gina Abernathy

    December 07, 2021 at 11:40 pm

    5 stars
    One of my favorites. Delicious!

    Reply

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