TOMATO RICE

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup (uncooked, preferably basmati)

Tomatoes - 3 medium (ripe, finely chopped or pureed)

Onion - 1 medium (finely chopped)

Green chilly - 1 (or more according to your preference, slit)

Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp

Ghee - 2-3 tbsp(or oil)

Turmeric powder - ^1/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - ^1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tbsp (optional)

Cumin - 1 tsp

Cloves - 2(whole)

Black pepper - 3-4(whole)

Green Cardamom - 1(whole)

Bay leaf - 2(whole, 1 if large)

Star anise - ^1/5

Fresh coriander (optional)

Salt - 1 tsp(adjust according to taste)

Cinnamom - small piece(optional)

Procedure

Step 1: Cook the rice
Was and cook rice (1 cup rice + 2 cups water). Spread on a plate to cool so grains stay separate.

Step 2: Prepare the base
Heat ghee in a pot/pan. Add cumin seeds, whole spices (cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, crushed green cardamom, bay leaf and star anise) and greeen chilly ;saute for a few seconds.
Add onions and saute till golden brown.
Add ginger-garlic past and mix well(for around 30 seconds)

Step 3: Cook with tomatoes
Add tometoes (chopped or pureed) and stir till they soften slightly.
Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masalaa,coriander, salt to taste and lemon juice(optional).
Cook till ghee (or oil) separates(you can cover it with a lid for faster cooking).

Step 4: Mix with rice
Add cooled rice and gently combine so thath the grains don't break.
Garnish with a bit more coriander and serve hot with plain curd, papad or raita.

Note
If you want a more quicker/ lazy version of the same dish, you can skip step 1 and instead add 2 cups of hot water (P.S. Avoid cold water as using hot water keeps the taste richer) at the end of step 3 and directly add the washed but uncooked rice. This way you will still get the rich and flavorful tomato rice, just a lazier version!