Tomato Rice with Peas
This is my version of a South Indian rice dish my husband has all the time at restaurants. I have never made it before and thought it would be nice to try it at home. It is essentially cooked rice sauteed with a lot of spices, lentils and curry leaves. I decided to take it to another level and make a one pot meal out of it. How much do we love one pot meals?
In order to make this dish balanced I added frozen peas and shredded paneer which is an Indian style cheese. So now I had vegetables and protein in the rice dish. I guess if you wanted to be even more healthy, you can use brown rice instead of the white.
The rice dish was super flavorful with the mustard seeds, curry leaves, and a blend of spices. The crushed tomatoes and peanuts made this dish fabulous. My daughter is not into nuts- so all I did was take them out for her. She was very skeptical trying the rice- but once she had a bite, she was sold…
- 2 cups raw basmati rice
- 4 cups water or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons extra light olive oil
Bring the water/chicken broth to a boil with the salt and olive oil. Add the rice and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and cover half way with the lid. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes or till the water has evaporated from the surface. Turn the heat to low and cover. Cook for ten minutes or till rice is al dente. Scoop the rice onto a platter to cool.
Spice Mix
- 3 to 4 dry red chilies
- 3 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon channa dal
- 2 teaspoons urad dal
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida
Roast all the spices in a cast iron pan or oven for 3 to 4 minutes or till the spices become aromatic. Take out and grind to a powder.
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 10 to 15 curry leaves
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- ¼ cup raw peanuts, chopped
- 1 cup grated paneer
- ½ cup crushed tomatoes
- Salt
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- Juice of one lemon
Heat the oil in a wok like pan and add mustard seeds, curry leaves and peanuts. Saute on medium high heat for a minute. Add the paneer and the spice mix and sauté on high heat for minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and the cooked rice. Mix well and add salt. Add the peas and cook on medium heat till the peas are heated through. Check for seasonings and add the cilantro and lemon juice.
