Firm ripe tomatoes deliver vibrant colour, tanginess, slight sweetness and depth while balancing spices in Indian cooking. Tamatar rice uses pureed tomatoes, basmati rice, ghee, cashews, mustard and cumin seeds, curry leaves and shallots to create a comforting spiced rice. Rice is soaked, tomato flesh is blitzed and strained, and reserved tomato liquid is used in cooking. Cashews are lightly toasted in ghee, then spices and shallots are fried before adding tomato liquid. Serve the rice with yoghurt or a tomato raita made from deseeded tomato, yoghurt, milk, coriander and toasted crushed cumin.
Tomatoes are a staple in Indian cooking, bringing vibrant colour, tanginess, a little sweetness and depth to countless recipes. Their sheer versatility often helps bring a dish together, while their natural acidity balances spices beautifully. Firm ripe tomatoes are essential in cooking, because they hold their texture better, release only just enough juice without turning mushy, and also provide that crucial balance between sweet and sour.
Serve this with any dal or meat curry, though if you ask me it's best eaten by itself with yoghurt or a tomato raita to make the latter, mix a small chopped, deseeded tomato into 150g yoghurt, then stir in 25ml milk, a small handful of chopped fresh coriander, a teaspoon of toasted crushed cumin seeds and season to taste.
Soak the rice in cold water for 15 minutes, then drain and rinse thoroughly under the cold tap. Put the chopped tomatoes in a blender and blitz smooth. Once pureed, strain through a sieve into a bowl, reserving the liquid for later. Put two teaspoons of melted ghee in a wide pan or wok for which you have a lid, put it on a low heat, then lightly toast the cashew nuts lift them out as soon as they start to change colour.
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