This straightforward, fast and scrumptious Tomato Rice recipe is a favourite staple dish from the Tamil Nadu state of South India. Also called Thakkali Sadam in Tamil language, this one pot marvel is tasty, wholesome and ideal to pack in a tiffin for lunch on the go. Whereas this tomato rice is a tad spicy, you possibly can simply modify the warmth to your liking. Serve it plain, or with crispy papad and boondi raita or any raita that you simply like. It makes a splendidly filling and lightweight lunch!

tomato rice with a sprig of cilantro served in an orange and red dotted bowl with a side yogurt raita on a dark black board

What’s Thakkali Sadam?

Thakkali Sadam is a well-liked rice dish from the Tamil Nadu delicacies. It’s a barely spicy rice dish that’s made with tomato, spices and rice. Within the Tamil language, ‘thakkali‘ means tomato and ‘sadam‘ is rice.

I like to make a batch of this tomato rice usually and serve it for lunch, because it is a perfect dish for packing in a tiffin.

In case you are on the lookout for a fast recipe to make meal that’s scrumptious and nutritious, look no additional than this easy tomato rice! It requires just one pot, leaving little or no clear up.

My recipe is made in a stove-top stress cooker. Like most rice recipes, it may also be made within the Instantaneous pot or in a pan on the stove-top. I’ve shared fast Instantaneous pot and stove-top directions within the recipe card under.

About This Tomato Rice Recipe

This thakkali sadam recipe is impressed by the tomato rice we’d eat on the cafe within the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India. Isha Yoga Centre is ready on the foothills of the Velliangiri Mountains and has been an exquisite place to meditate.

This tomato rice transports me again to our days visiting the Isha Yoga Centre and the entire silence and tranquility I felt whereas I used to be there.

It has taken me a number of makes an attempt to get this recipe proper, and I’m so excited to share the flavors of our wealthy time in Tamil Nadu.

The recipes has the proper steadiness of flavors and tastes that go with the tanginess of the tomatoes so effectively. You’ll love this tomato rice recipe for its simplicity in addition to total balanced flavors.

For those who like so as to add some pops of sweetness to the dish, embrace some frozen or recent inexperienced peas or carrots or candy corn kernels. This might additionally make the dish extra more healthy and flavorful.

Step-by-Step Information

The best way to make Tomato Rice

Soak Rice

1. This recipe is straightforward and fast. First up, rinse your basmati (or different lengthy grain rice) beneath water till the water comes out clear. Now soak your rice in recent water for 20 to half-hour, then drain the rice and set it apart.

TIP: Don’t skip this step! Rinsing the rice removes floor starches that may trigger the rice to develop into gummy whereas cooking. Soaking provides the rice the chance to prepare dinner extra evenly and can make sure you don’t get any al dente items.

rice being soaked in water for tomato rice recipe

Sauté Aromatics and Tomatoes

2. Subsequent up, pull out your trusty 3 litre stress cooker and warmth oil over a low flame till barely shimmering. You would use any impartial tasting oil. I’ve used sunflower oil.

TIP: Utilizing an Instantaneous Pot? Set it to the sauté operate for the subsequent a number of steps.

Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds to the heated oil and permit them to prepare dinner till crackling. Subsequent, add 4 to five fenugreek seeds (methi) and fry for about a few seconds ensuring you don’t burn them.

black mustard seeds being fried in oil in a stainless steel pressure cooker.

3. Subsequent, add ⅓ cup chopped onions, ½ inch cinnamon stick, 2 inexperienced cardamom pods and a couple of to three entire cloves.

onions added

4. Stir and sauté till the onions are translucent.

onions softened for making thakkali sadam

5. Now add 1 ½ teaspoons ginger garlic paste*, 6 to 7 curry leaves and 1 chopped inexperienced chili (½ teaspoon chopped chillies)

ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and curry leaves added

6. Stir, then proceed to sauté till the aroma of uncooked ginger-garlic goes away, about some seconds.

sautéed ginger-garlic paste while making tomato rice

7. Add ½ tablespoon of chopped mint leaves and ¼ cup chopped recent coriander leaves (often known as cilantro).

cilantro and mint added

8. Stir and sauté for a minute.

cilantro and mint sautéed

9. Now add in 1 cup of finely chopped tomatoes. This required about 3 medium tomatoes for me.

tomatoes added for tomato rice recipe

10. Add the next checklist of floor spices:

  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon pink chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper powder or crushed black pepper*
  • ½ teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder

*TIP: In case you are averse to spicy meals, you possibly can modify the warmth stage by dropping the ginger-garlic paste to 1 teaspoon and utilizing solely ¼ teaspoon every of chili powder and black pepper.

spice powders added for making tomato rice recipe

11. Stir effectively to coat the tomatoes within the spices and sauté.

tomatoes mixed with the spice powders for making thakkali sadam

12. Prepare dinner till the tomatoes develop into comfortable and pulpy, and the oil begins to launch from the edges. Stir usually.

tomatoes softened and mushy to make tomato rice

13. Add the soaked rice and stir to mix.

soaked rice added

Stress Prepare dinner Tomato Rice

14. Sauté the rice for a minute to permit it to soak in a few of the toasted spice flavors.

rice mixed with cooked tomatoes

15. Subsequent up, add 1¾ cup water. Add 2 cups water for extra softer rice. For separate grains, add 1½ cup water.

water added

16. Season with salt to style, then put the lid on.

TIP: If utilizing the Instantaneous Pot, put the lid on and change the operate to stress prepare dinner on excessive for five to six minutes, then permit a pure launch after 10 minutes.

salt being added

17. As soon as the stress is launched, take away the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.

tomato rice cooked and ready to be served

18. Serve in a bowl with crunchy papads (often known as papadums or appalams), plain curd or flavored raita, and a garnish of recent coriander leaves for a little bit of brightness. Take pleasure in!

tomato rice served in an orange and red dotted bowl with a side yogurt raita on a dark black board

FAQs

I don’t have cinnamon, ginger and cloves available. What can I substitute?

No downside! Merely substitute about ¼ teaspoon of garam masala as an alternative.

Can we use parboiled rice for this thakkali sadam recipe?

You should utilize parboiled rice (transformed rice) for this recipe, however you have to to extend soaking time to an hour. Additionally, you will want so as to add extra water and prepare dinner for longer.

Can I exploit cooked rice for this tomato rice recipe?

Sure! Simply make the tomato masala as listed above, then stir the cooked rice in very completely.

Can I exploit common rice for this recipe?

Sure! You should utilize any type of rice you want for this recipe. I want an fragrant lengthy grain selection, however brief grain and even brown rice could possibly be used. Make sure to enhance prepare dinner time for brown rice.

What dimension measuring cup ought to I exploit?

Each 240 ml and 250 ml measuring cups work effectively for this recipe. 1 cup of raw rice ought to yield 3 ½ – 4 cups cooked rice.

Can I enhance the dimensions of this recipe to feed 20 folks?

Whereas you may make this recipe for a bigger group, growing the substances proportionally doesn’t work. We use the strategy of andaaz (approximation) by eyeballing the substances. I’m sorry I can’t allow you to approximate!

Can I make this and not using a stress cooker?

Sure, you may make this in a traditional saucepan as effectively. Begin out with 2 cups of water to prepare dinner the rice, then cowl with a lid and simmer. Examine when the rice is about midway carried out, and if it seems dry, add as much as one other ¼ cup of water.

Extra South Indian Rice Recipes

Please you’ll want to fee this recipe within the recipe card under if in case you have made it. For extra vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or comply with me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

tomato rice recipe, thakkali sadam recipe

Tomato Rice (Thakkali Sadam)

This fast, scrumptious Tomato Rice recipe is a favourite dish from the Tamil Nadu state of South India. Also called Thakkali Sadam, this one pot marvel is tasty, wholesome and ideal to pack in a tiffin for lunch on the go.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Prepare dinner Time 20 minutes

Whole Time 40 minutes

Stop your display from going darkish whereas making the recipe

Preparation

  • Rinse basmati rice or any common rice for a few occasions in water.

  • Then soak the rice in water for 20 to half-hour. Later drain the rice and hold apart.

  • Chop the tomatoes, onions and inexperienced chillies finely. Peel and crush the ginger-garlic in a mortar pestle. Additionally, chop the mint and coriander leaves

  • Preserve apart all of the spices required for the rice.

Sautéing onions, tomatoes, spices

  • In a 3 litre stress cooker, warmth the oil. Preserve the flame to a low and add mustard seeds and crackle them. Then add fenugreek seeds and simply evenly fry for a few seconds with out burning them.

  • Then add finely chopped onions and cinnamon, cardamoms and cloves.

  • Stir and sauté till the onions flip translucent and soften.

  • Add the ginger-garlic paste, chopped inexperienced chilies and curry leaves.

  • Stir and sauté for some seconds till the uncooked aroma of ginger-garlic goes away

  • Now add chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves.

  • Stir and saute for a minute.

  • Preserve warmth to a low or change off the warmth. Add the finely chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder, pink chilli powder, black pepper powder or crushed black pepper, coriander powder and cumin powder.

  • Combine very effectively and sauté the tomatoes till they soften and develop into pulpy with oil releasing from the edges.

Cooking tomato rice

  • Add the soaked rice. Gently combine the rice with the tomato combination very effectively. Sauté for a minute.

  • Add 1.75 cups water. For a extra softer consistency within the rice, you may as well add 2 cups water.

  • Season with salt as per style.

  • Cowl and stress prepare dinner tomato rice for two whistles on medium flame or about 10 to 11 minutes. To get a softer rice, you may as well stress prepare dinner for 3 whistles.

  • When the stress settles down by itself. Then take away the lid and gently fluff the tomato rice.

  • Serve tomato rice with appalams or chips or with a facet raita.

Recipe Suggestions

  • Lowering spiciness: To scale back the warmth and pungency, use much less quantities of ginger-garlic paste, black pepper powder and pink chili powder. So you possibly can add 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste, ¼ teaspoon pink chilli powder and ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder.
  • Amount of water: I’ve added 1¾ cup water as this quantity was good for the basmati rice that I had used. The quantity of water that you have to add will even depend upon the standard of rice. For a softer rice you possibly can add 2 cups and for separate grains, add 1½ cup water.  
  • Scaling: Whereas you may make this recipe for a bigger group, growing the substances proportionally might not work for this recipe.
  • Cooking in a pan: Begin out with 2 cups of water to prepare dinner the rice, then cowl with a lid and simmer. Examine when the rice is about midway carried out, and if it seems dry, add as much as one other ¼ cup of water.
  • Cooking in an Instantaneous Pot: Start with setting the the sauté operate for the steps of sautéing spices, onion and tomatoes. After you add the rice and water, put the lid on and change the operate to stress prepare dinner on excessive for six to eight minutes, then permit a pure launch after 10 minutes. 

Ingredient Swaps

Cooked rice:  You possibly can skip including uncooked rice. When you have leftover rice or cooked rice, then combine it with the tomato masala and blend completely. You possibly can add about 3 ½ to 4 cups of cooked rice.  Canned tomatoes: You would simply add 1 cup of chopped or crushed canned tomatoes instead of recent tomatoes.

Vitamin Details

Tomato Rice (Thakkali Sadam)

Quantity Per Serving

Energy 121 Energy from Fats 90

% Each day Worth*

Fats 10g15%

Saturated Fats 1g6%

Sodium 26mg1%

Potassium 171mg5%

Carbohydrates 7g2%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 714IU14%

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%

Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 23mg115%

Vitamin B6 1mg50%

Vitamin C 49mg59%

Vitamin E 4mg27%

Vitamin Ok 9µg9%

Calcium 33mg3%

Vitamin B9 (Folate) 246µg62%

Iron 1mg6%

Magnesium 19mg5%

Phosphorus 25mg3%

Zinc 1mg7%

* P.c Each day Values are primarily based on a 2000 calorie weight-reduction plan.

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This recipe put up from the archives first printed in June 2015 has been republished and up to date on 22 June 2022.



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