South Indian Tomato Baat
An Indian fried rice recipe that is commonly eaten in most South Indian households. The main importance is using cooked Basmati rice, or any long-grain white rice, that is a day or two days old. Because, when incorportaing the rice to the spicy Tomato mixture we want to be able to see every grain of rice.
Most Tomato Fried Rice recipes will include urad dal and split chickpea lentils, while tempering with oil and whole Indian spices. I instead omit these ingredients because there is already such incredible flavours from the ginger, garlic, red onions, tomatoes and ground Indian spices, that these lentils are not needed. Instead, I like to add roughly chopped cashews for a bite of crunch!
You can easily make this vegetarian and vegan dish for lunch or dinner with a side of homemade raita (recipe to come!)
See below for the full written recipe and click here to watch the full recipe video on YouTube!
South Indian Tomato Baat
Servings: 4 or 5 individual portions
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients & Utensils
Non-stick cooking pan, kadai or wok (preferably with a lid)
Silicone or Wooden Spatula
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Ghee
1 tsp Sesame Oil, non-toasted
1 tsp Black Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Whole Jeera Seeds (Cumin)
1/2 tsp Hing/Perungayam (Asafoetida)
1/3 cup unsalted + raw Cashews, roughly chopped
1 Red Onion, diced into small pieces
2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped or minced
Small piece of Ginger, finely chopped or minced
3 Green Thai Chili Peppers, finely chopped
3 Tomatoes, diced into small pieces
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Red Chili Powder
a little over 2 cups of cooked Basmati Rice
Cilantro/Coriander leaves, roughly chopped
Let's Get Cooking!
1. Add Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sesame Oil, Mustard Seeds, Jeera Seeds (Cumin), Hing (Asafoetida) and Cashews into a Non-stick cooking pan, kadahi or wok. Ensure the stove-top is on a low heat. Once the mustard seeds start crackling, toss the cashews to nicely coat it in the cooking oil.
2. After 1 minute, add the Red Onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes on a medium-low heat. Then, cover with a lid for 1 minute. We want the onions to sweat a little. Next, add the salt, Ginger, Garlic and Green Chili Peppers. Continue to saute for another 2 minutes before covering it with a lid. Let the aromatics marry together on a medium heat for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and combine on a medium heat. Feel free to use more tomatoes than I added and use your spatula to squish any bigger chunks of tomatoes. We want to get this into a slight mushy consistency.
4. Add the Red Chili Powder and Turmeric Powder. Combine while maintaining the stovetop on a medium setting. Then cover with a lid and let these flavours marry eachother on a medium-high setting for 3 minutes.
5. Reduce the stovetop to a medium setting and add the cooked Basmati rice. Use spatula and a soft hand to lightly combine the rice with the spicy Tomato mixture. Want to make sure you are not over mixing and squishing the rice together. We want to be able to see every grain of rice.
6. Once the rice is well incorporated it's time to do a Taste Test! This is the best way to ensure it is to your taste preference.
Serve your homemade South Indian Tomato Baat with a side of raita (recipe coming soon!), some crushy Kettle-cooked potato chips and sprinkle on top freshly chopped Cilantro/Coriander leaves!
Click here to watch this CTD Recipe Video on YouTube!
Notes
1. Adjust any of these ingredients to your dietary preferences.
2. If you have a nut allergy, you can simply omit the cashews.
3. Storage: Leave it to completley cool down before transfering into a glass or tupperware container. This can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
DID YOU TRY THIS RECIPE?
I would love to see your delicious creations by tagging @chikkatikka.diaries on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
Or, send me an email 💌 chikkatikkadiaries@gmail.com
💜 Vidya
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