Tomato Rice | Thakkali Sadham | Quick Lunch Ideas

Growing up if there was one thing that I disliked with whole of my heart – it’s this Tomato Rice or Thakkali Sadham (in Tamil). Amma used to be very busy with all the household chores and if there was left over rice, she would prepare it in a jiffy. While I liked to take a few bites from Amma’s plate – I never wanted to have it for a meal. If my tiffin box to school or college contained Tomato Rice, I used to throw a big tantrum. Then wondering how and why this recipe? Just like how our thoughts change as we grow up, this became one of the most liked rice varieties for me. I used to ask Amma to specifically make her Tomato Rice – the one that is so different from the usual way of preparing it.

As I said, this is from my Amma’s kitchen and it’s her recipe. Unlike the usual recipes that call in for a number of spices – this one is quite simple with very minimal ingredients. The star of the dish is tomato and it shines through. The surprise addition here – Peanuts. The crunchy peanuts taste awesome with the flavours of tomato. This recipe can be made very quickly and is a great lunch box recipe.

To make Tomato Rice | Thakkali Sadham

Servings: 2
Time: 20 mins
Difficulty: Easy
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What I used –

Onion, 1 large
Ripe Tomatoes, 3 medium
Cooked Rice, 2 cups
Green Chilly, 1
Oil, 2 tsp
Mustard Seeds, ½ tsp
Urad Dal, ½ tsp
Chana Dal, ½ tsp
Peanuts, a handful or less
Curry Leaves, a few
Turmeric Powder, ½ tsp
Red Chilli Powder, 1 tsp
Salt, as required

How I made –

In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and peanuts. Fry until the peanuts and mustard seeds start popping. Add the curry leaves and fry for 10 secs. Optionally, the peanuts can be taken out onto a bowl to retain the crunchiness.
Add julienned onions along with slit green chilly and fry until translucent. Add finely chopped tomatoes, stir.
Add turmeric powder, salt and red chilli powder. Mix well. Let the tomatoes cook to a mush – takes about 5-7mins. Remove from heat. Let it cool down a bit.
Mix well with the cooked and cooled down rice. Add the fried peanuts – mix well.
Serve hot as it is or with fryums or potato chips.

Note –

I cook the rice in a pressure cooker with the ratio of rice to water 1:2.
I add the salt required for the dish in the tomato gravy. If required, salt can be added to rice while cooking.
Optionally, garam masala can be added, but I prefer this taste.
Increase/decrease the spiciness as per preference.
The peanuts when cooked with tomatoes can turn soggy. Alternatively, roasted peanuts can be added on top of rice.
If using for lunch box, don’t touch the rice with bare hands – rice can get spoilt.