Tomato Rice / Pulav - Spicy (My Own Style)

Tomato Rice is one of the special rice varieties in South India, especially in Tamil Nadu. It could prepared in different styles. This is the style which I tried in my kitchen.

Tomato Rice

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 1/2 Cup (Raw rice or Basmati rice)
Ripe Tomato - 4 - 5 (Medium sized)
Onion - 1/2 (Medium sized) (Optional)
Ginger Paste - 1 1/2 tsp
Garlic Paste - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Cloves - 1
Cardamom - 2
Cinnamon - 1/2 inch ( I powdered and used 1/2 tsp)
Pepper Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Small Green chilli - 1 (according to the spiciness required)
Coriander Leaves - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt - As needed

Oil - 1 tsp (I used Coconut Oil)
Ghee - 1 tsp

Preparation: Step 1

Soak the rice for 15 minutes, then drain and keep it aside.

Step 2:

• Heat oil in a pan. 
• Add Powdered cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. 
• Add green chilli, Ginger paste and Garlic paste and saute them until the raw odour leaves. 
• Add onions (Optional) and saute them for 3 minutes till their colour changes to light pink. 
• Add Tomato slices, required amount of salt and saute them till they become mashed. 
• Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder and 1 tsp of coriander leaves and saute them for few seconds.
• Grind them to a fine paste. (You will get approximate 1 3/4 cups of grinded paste)

Step 3:

Heat ghee in a pan and saute the rice. (Colour should not be changed). After 1 minute add the grinded mixture (step 2) & sugar and mix it well.

Step 4: 

• Add 2 1/2 cups of water to it.
• Transfer it to a cooker and cook it in a high flame upto 3 whistles.

Note: While pressure cooking, cooking time and quantity of water changes according to rice and water. I preferred Electric rice cooker for this.

When finished, garnish it with coriander leaves and serve it with a salad, Pickle and pappadams.

Note: You can add vegetables like peas, carrots, beans, cauliflower etc to enhance the taste and make it attractive.

*Number of whistles depends on size and model of the cooker.

Kaavathu Kootu (Puzhukku)

Ingredients:

• Kavathu / Kachil (Greater Yam, Pind Aaluk, Peruvalli/Vettilavalli Kilangu) - 1/2 Cup
• Avarakkai (Broad Beans) - 1/2 Cup
• Plantain - 1/4 Cup (Optional)
• Shredded Cocunut - 1/2 Cup
• Green Chillies - as required
• Cocunut oil - 2 tablespoon

Preparation:
Cook Kaavathu and Avarakkai together and Plantain separately with salt and turmeric powder.

Grind shredded coconut with green chillies without water.

Add this to cooked vegetables. Add raw coconut oil and curry leaves. Serve with Thiruvathira Kali.

* If you want you can add water for pouring consistency.

Thiruvathirai Kali

Today is Thiruvathira (Thiruvathira Star in Malayalam month of Dhanu, Tamil month of Margazhi). This day is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Married Women prays to Lord Shiva for welfare of their husbands and Unmarried Women to get good husband.

This day, it is believed that women were praying to Lord Shiva to bring Kamadeva to life. Kamadeva was burnt to ashes (while trying to help Parvathi to marry Lord Shiva) by Lord Shiva for obstructing his thapasya.

Palakkad Brahmins on this day prepare a special dish called Tiruvathirai Kali along with Kaavath Kootu (Puzhukku).

Thivathirai Kali
Ingredients:

• Raw Rice - 1 Cup
• Moong Dal - 4 tea spoon
• Jaggery - 1 Cup
• Ghee - 2 table spoon
• Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tea spoon
• Shredded coconut - 1/4 cup
• Water - 3 Cups

Preparation:
Wash and soak the rice and moong dal for 2 hours. Allow it to dry by spreading it in a dry cotton cloth. Once ready, dry roast till the color changes to brown. Powder it coarsely into rava consistency.

Mix Jaggery in water while heating and filter out impurities. While boiling, mix the powdered combination of Rice and Dal along with Cardamom Powder.

Stir well, and add Ghee. Serve it hot with Kaavathu Kootu.