Saturday, November 9, 2013

Gupshup Galore over Mom's Tomato Rice

Look who's grinning from ear to ear ? Yours truly is in the Pearl City happily basking in the collective love and attention from her parents and sister ----incessant laughter, din and cacophony are ruling the roost and the elegantly furnished pad of my sis looks proudly Tornado hit. I am meeting my 'lil' once upon a time partner-in crime after almost six years and yes it is a whole lot of catching up. Regular phone calls or occasional Skype hellos haven't the same magical allure of face-to-face meets and hence ceaseless banters, mindless giggling & ilk are in perpetual loop. Flashbacks and endless nostalgia follow happily too.


And you know what's the best part ? Our parents who incidentally are here have added to the zing and there is gupshup galore. Chatting away to glory we the four musketeers are also dunking down finger licking food in truckloads. It is a recipe guaranteed for groaning weighing scales and not so accommodating old jeans. But then who's complaining ;) 


Amidst these amiable times, mommy dearest is bombarded with culinary requests varied. So i am either neck deep in piping hot mysore rasam one day or the very hot n happening paneer mattar the other day. I so wanted to eat one of my favorite comfort food - her simple but yum packed Tomato Rice. It boasts of fuss free flavors and one happily purring tummy :D

The spice in it is our quintessential sambhar powder and a smattering of garam masala. Sambhar powder is nothing but a medley of coriander seeds,red chilies,cumin seeds,bengal gram,fenugreek etc. The spice powder is  store bought though it can be easily pulsed at home too. 

What's in it :-

To temper :-
  • Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
  • Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp
  • Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
  • Red Chilli - 3 (to taste)
  • Garlic Pods (large) -  6 to 7 (finely chopped)
  • Curry Leaves - a few
For the paste :-
  • Onion - 4 (medium) - roughly chopped
  • Tomato- 3 (large) 
Other ingredients
  • Sambhar Powder - 2 tbsp
  • Garam Masala - 1 tsp
  • salt - to taste
  • Turmeric Powder - 1/2tsp
  • Cooked Rice - 2 cups
Final Garnish {optional} :-
  • Roasted Peanuts - a fistful (roughly pulsed)
  • Coriander Leaves - few - chopped finely




Here's How :-

Grind the tomatoes and onions well and set aside. In a big kadai/pan, tip in the oil and after it warms up let the mustard and cumin seeds sizzle and crackle. Add the curry leaves and red chillis and saute it for a few seconds. Dunk the chopped garlic and let its divine aroma waft all over. Then tip in the ground paste. Let it simmer for a few minutes till the rawness of the onions and tomatoes begins to evaporate.

Finally tip in the sambhar powder, garam masala and turmeric powder. Saute well and let the whole mix be on low flame till they come together and thicken considerably. Take off flame and season it with salt to taste.

Add the cooked rice to the mixture and combine it well. Garnish it with coarsely pulsed peanuts and coriander leaves. Serve hot with choice accompaniments.

  
We enjoyed the rice with a whole lot of elements thrown in. Enjoy!

6 comments:

  1. Its been a long time Priya. Hope you are doing good. Enjoy the time and have loads of fun lady.

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  2. Yummy....i sure love this version of tomato rice!!

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  3. such a lovely nostalgic post... i just had a month filled with all that laughter and chatter, with little bickerings here and there, and truely miss it now... love ur mom's version of tomato rice!

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  4. Omg, wat a post, makes me nostalgic..Enjoy ur time there..Beautiful tomato rice..

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  5. wow very very delicious tomato rice and looks so inviting :) lovely post dear !!

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