Tomato Rice

For the past few months, I am realising photography is not my cup of tea..  Being very repulsive and pressurized about this blog thing, whenever I cooked something that comes out as expected (as a matter of fact, my cooking is not consistent ) I grab the camera and start clicking in all the possible positions, appears as if I am shooting an amateur model, ending up with 40 different pictures.  I am being honest. That is okay with me.  I just have to turn myself on to the learning mode,  cut out a bit of excitement about this whole thing and give a kind of pro approach to this concept of blogging. Isn’t it?.  I gusess that’s what you call a self confession.:) (You guys , Don’t snarl over there!)

Incidentally, I happen to visit this supermarket last week and again, I was confused about what to cook?…  to post a  blog (eating, relishing comes later!!) As I was loitering around in the vegetable section, those tomatoes looked so fresh and shiny red, lopsided on the crate. I piled up a lot of them for trying out two, three dishes together. Next day, with an absolute interest,  I cooked tomato rice first thing in the morning. Then comes my passion which turned into an obsession in recent days, slowly reaching to a point of frustration, i.e., On the verge of this photo mania, I had to hotfoot it all around the house holding the camera in different angles behind this raw, uncooked and cooked food items and what not.  Behind me was my tiny two year old cutie kept on yelling at me, ‘mamma, enough photos’ ‘ take a photo of my lamb, my doll …’ .. Gosh!! Life has never been so chaotic before blogging.

Thats fine, as its really fun and great way to laugh and learn. More than anything, some compliments, advices, exchage of words, earning new friends….  

So, I took the puree out of these tomatoes and it was not thick and colourful enough as I expected. To patch up this I could have added little tomato puree from market, I had none at that time.

                                  

 Main ingredient

Basmati Rice 3 cups

Cutting

Onion one medium(finely sliced, thin and long)

Tomato one medium (diced into small cubes)

Coriander leaves less than a handfull (finely chopped for garnishing)

Lemon   1/2 (sliced and twisted for garnishing)

Powders

Red Chilli 1tsp

Coriander  1tsp

Turmeric   1/2 tsp

Biryani    1 tsp ( Everest or Badsha or Mother’s recipe)

 Blender/Grinder

Group I

Tomatoes   3 medium(skin peeled)

Group II

Coconut   1 tbsp (fresh or frozen, grated)

Ginger  1/2 inch (peeled)

Garlic   2 cloves(medium sized)

small oninons  2-3 cloves

Chillies  7-8 (medium length less spicy)

Coriander leaves less than one fistful

Ready Additions

Whole Garam Masala  1 clove, 1 cinnamon, 1 small cardamom, bayleaf, few grains of black  pepper and cumin seeds

Curds    1/2 cup(optional)

Coconut milk 2 cups

Water  3 cups

Peas  1/2 cup (frozen or fesh)

Preparation: ·     

Start with, washing and soaking the rice in water.  

Group I, to peel of the skin of tomatoes, I don’t blanch it, instead I burn the tomatoes on the flame, so that the skin loosen up and can be peeled off easily.  I feel, the puree after grinding tomatoes becomes thin and liquid by blanching.  But again it depends on juiciness of the tomato.  To thicken up puree, it can be mixed with ¼ cup of tinned tomato puree.

Group II, Grind coconut, ginger garlic and chillies to fine paste.  Add fresh coriander leaves, and  use pulse button twice or three times, so that the leaves are ground and mixed well enough.

Coconut milk, can be fresh or powder or canned. I use Eastern coconut milk powder, which is a product of Kerala, with two table spoons in a cup of warm water to dissolve.  This gives a good consistency. When fresh coconut milk is used, make sure to take the thick milk only.   

1. I use Hawkins pressure cooker (4Litre or more) as i have a quick method for cooking.
2. Take 5 tbsp oil in the preheated cooker, and toss in whole gram masala. Wait till it crackels.
3. Add chopped onions, to fry till transparent. 
4. Add  ground Group II paste, Fry them for two minutes until it leaves raw smell of the masala.
5. Empty 1/2 cup of peas by adding it to cooker and fry for a minute.
6. Pour in tomato puree, roast until whole mixture leaves oil from the sides. 
7. Sprinkle the powders and fry for few seconds, till it blends with the mixture.
8. Drain the water from soaked rice, add it in to the cooker and start mixing thoroughly and swiftly.
9. When it is mixed well, pour two cups of coconut milk and 3 cups of boiled water. Stir in, chopped Coriander leaves and tomato. To make it more rich, half a cup of curd can be added
10. Give one good complete stir after adding required amount of salt.
11. Close the lid tightly without putting the pressure regulator or weight to the lid.
12. Increase the heat till the steam comes out of the nozzle, reduce the flame to simmer.
13. Steam it for 7 minutes on timer, turn off the heat and allow it to cook with lid closed for about 10 minutes. 
14. Slowly open the lid after 10 minutes, and fold in rice with a flat laddle, immediately empty the contents into a serving dish.  If left in the cooker, it gets over cooked.
15. Serve with lemon, coriander leaves and tomato slices, garnish unto your imagination

 Notes:  This rice served with cucumber raitha or some spicy curry.  Instead of pressure cooker, this recipe can be cooked in a thick bottomed vessel, but to keep a check regularly so that it does not stick to the bottom.