Tomato Rice | Thakkali Pongal

Tomato rice is an all time favourite and the most comforting food ever. We make it atleast once a week. My personal favourite accompaniments with tomato rice are onion raita, coconut chutney (with red chillies) and boiled egg! Other favourite with tomato rice is mushroom pepper fry. 

Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice

1 medium sized onion (finely chopped)

2-3 medium sized tomato (finely chopped/ pureed)

1 ts fennel seed

1 inch ginger piece (finely grated)

3 garlic pods (finely grated)

Handful of finely chopped mint leaves

Pinch of perungayam/ hing

1/4 ts turmeric powder

4-6 green chillies (slit opened) (2 chillies for a tomato)
1/2 ts garam masala/ biryani masala (optional)

Oil and ghee as per need

Preparation

- Heat oil in a pan. Once it is hot add fennel seed. You can also add other whole masala spices if you prefer.

- Add finely chopped onion and cook them until they turn translucent.

- Add hing. Give a toss.

- Immediately add the ginger, garlic, mint leaves and green chillies together. Fry them for a minute until it gets rid of its raw smell.

- Add turmeric powder.

- Now add the chopped tomatoes and a little salt. Cook them in high flame until they turn mushy. Then reduce the flame to a medium and continue cooking them until everything has become a smooth paste and oil separates from the mixture. (The key to a nice flavourful rice is cooking the tomatoes well.)

- Now is the time to add rice. Also add salt and 2 cups of water.

- Allow the contents to boil.

- Now keep the pan covered, reduce the flame to a simmer and let it cook until the rice is completely done.

- Add ghee and mix everything well without breaking the grains of the rice.

- Let it sit covered for a while before serving for the flavours to sink in.