Tomato rice step-by-step recipe with video and photos.
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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
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.
Coridander leaves: Although this is for garnishing, I highly recommend not to skip it.
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.
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
For more recipes with tomato as the main ingredient, click here.
For more recipes from Karnataka, click here.
Tomato rice recipe video
Tomato rice step-by-step recipe with photos
1. Dry roast the spices with coconut and grind into a powder
2. Heat ghee and prepare the tempering
3. Add onion and saute well
4. Add tomatoes and mix well
5. Add masala powder and salt
6. Cook the tomatoes until they are soft and mushy
7. Add the rice
8. Add water, bring it to boil
9. Simmer until completely done. All the moisture will be absorbed and the rice is completely done
10. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot
Recipe card
Tomato Rice
Ingredients
FOR THE MASALA POWDER:
Instructions
Video
Notes
Watch tomato rice web story here.
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