One-pot tomato pulao is a very quick and easy dish using only a layering technique, ready in under 20 minutes!! What more can you ask for; paired with a raita (plain yogurt with spices and vegetables) and some potato chips, this is perfect for a lazy dinner night, great when guests drop by suddenly, even for a picnic or in kids’ lunch box!!! Tomato rice is my husband’s favorite rice dish using ready cooked rice; I used to make this regularly for his office lunch box. My aunt makes awesome tomato rice (I need to get her recipe soon!!); this one came out so good and tasty; now I have a quick rice to prepare in a hurry!!!
There are various ways to make tomato rice, either using tomato juice or pulp with spices/sautéing the tomatoes with spices and mixing cooked rice, or like a pulao - cooking the rice with the tomato and spices!! My method needs no frying, no sautéing and no blending!!! Just layer the ingredients and use a pressure pan to make this scrumptious pulao in a jiffy; ready in less than 20 minutes!! I have used Pav Bhaji masala powder; you can use any masala powder you like – sambhar powder, curry powder, garam masala powder, biryani masala powder etc.!! To give a crunch and texture, I found some sprouted mung beans in my refrigerator (leftover after making sprouted kosambari and moong ghashi) and decided to add these too and up the protein content in my pulao!! You can add any vegetable or even paneer or tofu.
Quick tomato pulao is a must-make dish and do let me know how it turned out!! For other quick rice dishes, try
Quick vegetable fried rice, Brinjal rice , Jhatpat vegetable pulao, Tawa pulao etc.
Lets make us some pulao:
Step-by-step method:
Wash the rice in plenty of water, drain and keep aside.
½ cup basmati rice or any other rice 1 cup hot water 1 small onion, sliced or chopped 2 green chillies/jalapeno, chopped 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste (or grated) 2 medium tomatoes, chopped 2 cloves 1 small piece cinnamon ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder ½ teaspoon red chilli powder 1 teaspoon Pav Bhaji masala powder/garam masala powed/biryani masala powder/sambhar powder ½ cup mung bean sprouts ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves Salt to taste 2 tablespoons oil/ghee/clarified butter or combination of both
Instructions Notes If you do not have sprouts, use any vegetable you prefer. This pulao can be made with any type of rice; the amount of water should be adjusted accordingly. Addition of more aromatic Indian spices like cardamom, bay leaves, cumin etc. will give it a different unique flavor, so feel free to play around with spices. Chop all the vegetables and keep the ingredients ready.
Mix the tomatoes, Pav bhaji masala powder (or any other powder you prefer as mentioned), chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander leaves. Keep it aside. Heat a pressure pan over low heat and add the oil/ghee and spread this on the bottom of the pan. (Avoid the ghee and use only oil to make it totally vegan). Start layering the ingredients. Sprinkle the cloves and cinnamon. Spread the onions and ginger-garlic paste over this. Spoon the tomato mixture over the onions evenly.
Add the sprouts next.
Lastly, layer the washed and drained rice, sprinkle salt to taste and pour hot water evenly over the whole mixture.
At this stage, you may choose to stir the whole mixture gently once or leave it as such. Close the pressure pan and increase the heat to high. Once the pressure builds up and after one whistle, reduce the heat and cook on low for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, on high, let it cook for 2 whistles for al dente rice or 3 whistles for a softer rice texture. Let the pressure release on its own, remove the lid of the pressure pan and gently fluff up the rice with a fork.
Serve this fast and easy tomato pulao with any raita (boondi raita, tomato and onion raita, or just plain yogurt) and some potato chips for a tasty quick meal.
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