Riz aux Tomates

In simple English - Tomato Rice :) It is one of my all time favourites; rather the only dish I turn to when I want a quick flavorful as well as filling meal. Now, what can I say about our good old tomatoes! A very common ingredient in any cuisine, tomatoes bring in so much flavour to any dish. The number of things you can make out of these red beauties are probably endless - pastas, soups, curries, sandwiches, chutneys and so much more. Did you also know that botanically, tomato is a fruit?!

Anything commonly available and regularly used is always taken for granted. So let me shed some light on the health benefits they offer, something we probably never think about right? Well, to begin with they are a 'treasure trove' when it comes to antioxidants - yep! Vitamin C and lycopene being the commonly known amongst these. They also offer a good amount of the trace mineral manganese along with Vitamin E. Reduced risk of heart disease, treating skin ailments, preventing hemorrhages, purifying the blood,  anti-cancer benefits... more research on this amazing food continues. Quoting from WHFoods:

 

Coming to my recipe, it is super easy to make tomato rice. I use Indian Basmati rice which takes very little time to cook. If you have one day old cooked rice left in your fridge, you can still make this dish; will turn out amazingly well. Tomato is the main flavour so you have to make sure you use fresh, ripe, juicy tomatoes as that forms a good base for the rice. When mixing in the rice it is important that you do it gently - especially if it is freshly boiled; as otherwise the rice grains will break and clump together. I also garnished it with parsley - apart from the regular cilantro; which imparts a fresh flavour to the dish.  Do try it out sometime.

Riz aux Tomates: Recipe

Ingredients:

• Fresh, ripe tomatoes - 3 medium chopped
• Boiled Basmati rice - 2 cups
• Onion - 1 medium finely chopped
• Green chilli - 2 slit (spice alert!)
• Garlic - 2 pods crushed
• Ginger - 1" piece crushed
• Tomato paste - 1 tsp
• Cumin - a pinch
• Cinnamon - 1" piece stick
• Cloves - 5 to 6
• Green cardomom - 2 to 3 crushed
• Asafoetida - a large pinch
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Chopped cilantro and parsley for garnish

Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai. Add the whole spices - cumin, cinnamon, cloves, cardomom and fry for few seconds to release the flavours into the oil.
2. Then add the chopped onion, garlic, ginger and green chilli. Saute well till the onions are translucent.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook well till they are soft and form a good gravy.
4. To this add salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and tomato paste. Saute for couple of minutes more.
5. Add the boiled rice and mix gently till each grain of rice is nicely coated with the tomato masala. Garnish with chopped cilantro and parsley. Serve it hot with raita and pickle of your choice.

Linking this to  Comfort Food by Resh,  Cooking Concepts:Vegan Diet by Sravs, Sumee's Bon Vivant: Savory Items, Healthy Morsels hosted by Umm, Serve it - Stir fried hosted by Krithi and Denny: