Tomato Rice Recipe | Thakkali Sadam

Tomato Rice Recipe | Thakkali Sadam

A South Indian tomato rice recipe called Thakkali sadam is a side dish made with tomatoes and (leftover) rice. Do try this vegan fried rice recipe today!

Course rice, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian, South Indian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Servings people

Calories 268.49kcal

Author Priya Lakshminarayan

Equipment

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked Basmati rice
1 tablespoon vegan ghee or any vegetable oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon GF asafoetida
1 tablespoon chana dal
1 tablespoon urad dal
4-5 curry leaves
2 tablespoon peanuts or cashews
2 green chillies
1 tablespoon ginger paste
½ cup chopped onions
4 medium-sized tomatoes
⅓ cup frozen green peas
Salt
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chilly powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon sambhar powder optional
⅓ cup cilantro

Instructions

Cook the rice ahead of time and cool it down completely. Leftover rice can also be used in this Tomato Rice recipe.
Soak chana dal in water for 5 minutes before you start making the Tomato Rice. This will soften up the lentils and make it easy to chew when eating.
Add roughly chopped tomatoes and green chillies to a blender jar.
Make a smooth puree. Do not add any water while grinding the tomatoes.
Heat vegan ghee in a pan and temper mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, GF asafoetida, soaked chana dal, urad dal and peanuts. Fry till the lentils and peanuts turn light golden.
Then add the grated ginger, and curry leaves.
Also add half the cilantro and chopped onions. Saute till the onions turn translucent.
Now add the tomatoes puree and salt. Continue to cook till the tomatoes are cooked and the water has evaporated. This can take 12-15 minutes. Keep the flame on medium. This is an important step. The water has to evaporate else the Thakkali Sadam will turn mushy after adding the cooked rice.
Add the green peas. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Then add sambhar powder (if adding), turmeric powder, chilly powder and coriander powder. Saute for 30 seconds.
Then add the cooked rice. Mix till all the tomato masala coats all the rice. Adjust salt as needed. Cook this for 1-2 minutes. Do not over mix and break the grains.
Lastly garnish it with the remaining cilantro. Mix and take it off the flame.
Serve with papad, Indian pickle or raita.

Video

Notes

For more flavor, you can also add sambhar powder or curry powder along with the other spice mixes. Peanuts can also be added. If allergic to nuts, skip adding cashews.

Garnish with mint leaves. It will give the rice an extra aroma. Mix in some cooked lentils to make the dish more hearty and nourishing. Add ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds along with mustard seeds for a sweet aromatic flavor.

Leftover rice works great for this recipe. If cooking rice fresh, cook it ahead of time and cool it down completely. Any variety of rice can be used. Brown rice can also be used.

If looking for low-carb options, swap rice with alternate grains like quinoa or cauliflower rice. Feel free to add more veggies and greens to this recipe.

Nutrition