Tomato Rice, with Potatoes

A friend of mine that secretly follows my blog :) commented on one of my rice recipes. She suggested I add tomatoes to my Turmeric Spice Rice, to obtain some added benefits from lycopene. So here's what I came up with this evening ....!! Unlike its authentic namesake from Southern India ... this is a rather bastardized version ;-)

Prep Time: 30 min

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup Basmati rice, and 1.5 cups cold tap water
2. 1 large Red Onion, diced
3. 1 large tomato, diced
4. 1 large potato, diced
5. 1/2 cup Vegetable broth
6. 4 Bay leaves
7. 4-6 Cloves, whole
8. 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
9. 2 tsp Cumin
10. 2 tsp Garam Masala
11. Salt, and Pepper, to taste
12. A Sprig of Coriander leaves

Directions:

In a deep stock pot, add vegetable broth, and diced onions. Sprinkle a tsp of salt and saute onions on medium heat until translucent and cooked down, without burning. Reduce heat and add all the dry spices and mix well. Once the aromas are released, add diced tomato and cook for another few minutes. Then, add diced potatoes and do the same. Add rice, add 1.5X cold tap water and mix everything well and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and cover the pot so as to leave a sliver of space between the the pot and the lid, to allow some evaporation but not a lot. Cook for 15 minutes of so. When the rice look about done, turn off heat and cover completely. If possible, place a heavy weight over the lid to prevent any steam from escaping. This helps cook any remaining rice perfectly. After about 5-7 minutes, uncover, sprinkle a tsp of Garam masala over the top, garnish with Coriander leaves and enjoy!!

Nik's Reaction: A picture says a 1000 words ... gobble gobble was all he could come up with as he licked even his utensils clean. This pic was taken at the beginning of his meal. I ate the rice, Indian style, with my hands and when he saw that, he wanted to follow suit. Of course, by the time I thought of taking a pic, he was done :(

My Assessment: The tomato did add a certain something to this dish. It was spicy and salty and tangy all at the same time. I'll definitely make this again. Maybe even without the potatoes.