Spicy tomato rice / khichdi

Spicy Tomato rice / Khichdi is a one pot wonder that is very comforting on a cold week night when you do not want to put much effort into cooking.

Ingredients

Rice - 2 cups

Onion - 1/2 finely chopped

Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Cilantro - 3-4 sprigs

Tomatoes - 3-4 ripe chopped

Green chillies - 3 slit

Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

Butter/Oil - 2 tbsp

Cumin - 1/2 tsp

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Chana dal - 1 tsp

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

cashew nuts - few

peanut powder - 1 tbsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Hing - 1/2 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt

Steps

1. Soak the rice for 10 min and cook.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard, cumin, peanuts and chana dal. Fry till they are golden brown.

Add urad dal, green chillies, ginger-garlic paste, curry leaves, cashews and onions and fry for a minute.

4. Add the chopped tomatoes. Cook till the tomatoes are tender.

5. Add all the powders, salt and cilantro. Add the sugar to enhance the flavour of tomatoes.

Cook till the tomatoes are cooked. If you like a chunky khichdi, do not cook much.

6. Now add the cooked rice and mix well.

Meal Today: Spicy Tomato Rice with sauteed spinach and garlic

Serving ideas

This spicy tomato rice is good to go on its own. However, it can be accompanied by raita or plain yoghurt.

Tips

Try picking fresh tomatoes to enjoy the perfect flavour of this dish.

If your tomatoes are old, try adding some tamarind paste and sugar to enhance the flavour.

An alternative method to prepare tomato khichdi is to add the masala to the cooker and then cook the rice. Also, you can substitute the chillies with chilli powder if you want the rice to have red colour.

You can use this dish as a base for any khichdi preparation. Add vegetables and nuts of your choice and invent your own khichdi. You can try this out with sooji or vermicelli as well.