thakkali sadam

This quick, delicious Tomato Rice recipe is a favorite dish from the Tamil Nadu state of South India. Also known as Thakkali Sadam, this one pot wonder is tasty, healthy and perfect to pack in a tiffin for lunch on the go.

Tomato Rice (Thakkali Sadam)

basmati rice (or any regular rice)

water

tomatoes tomatoes

onions (or 1 medium-sized onion)

green chilli (or serrano pepper

mustard seeds

½ inch true cinnamon

green cardamoms

cloves

curry leaves ((medium-sized))

turmeric powder

red chilli powder

black pepper powder (or crushed black pepper)

coriander powder ((ground coriander))

cumin powder ((ground cumin))

mint leaves

coriander leaves

water (or add as required)

oil oil

salt

Rinse basmati rice or any regular rice for a couple of times in water.

Then soak the rice in water for 20 to 30 minutes. Later drain the rice and keep aside.

Chop the tomatoes, onions and green chillies finely. Peel and crush the ginger-garlic in a mortar pestle. Also, chop the mint and coriander leaves

Keep aside all the spices required for the rice.

Preparation

In a 3 litre pressure cooker, heat the oil. Keep the flame to a low and add mustard seeds and crackle them. Then add fenugreek seeds and just lightly fry for a couple of seconds without burning them.

Then add finely chopped onions and cinnamon, cardamoms and cloves.

Stir and sauté until the onions turn translucent and soften.

Add the ginger-garlic paste, chopped green chilies and curry leaves.

Stir and sauté for some seconds until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away

Now add chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves.

Stir and saute for a minute.

Keep heat to a low or switch off the heat. Add the finely chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder, red chilli powder, black pepper powder or crushed black pepper, coriander powder and cumin powder.

Mix very well and sauté the tomatoes until they soften and become pulpy with oil releasing from the sides.

Sautéing onions, tomatoes, spices

Add the soaked rice. Gently mix the rice with the tomato mixture very well. Sauté for a minute.

Add 1.75 cups water. For a more softer consistency in the rice, you can also add 2 cups water.

Season with salt as per taste.

Cover and pressure cook tomato rice for 2 whistles on medium flame or about 10 to 11 minutes. To get a softer rice, you can also pressure cook for 3 whistles.

When the pressure settles down on its own. Then remove the lid and gently fluff the tomato rice.

Serve tomato rice with appalams or chips or with a side raita.

Cooking tomato rice

https://embed.mediavine.com/videos/fdat0cvtpdszi6mpsd2n

This Tomato Rice is an easy, quick and delicious South Indian rice recipe. It is also known as Thakkali Sadam and is a healthy rice dish made in one pot or pan.

Tomato Rice

Tamil style thakkali sadam is a simple rice dish made with tomatoes, precooked rice, spices and curry leaves. It is flavorsome, delicious and easy to make.

Thakkali Sadam

rice ((or 2½ to 3 cups cooked rice))

(2 medium) tomatoes (deseeded & chopped or pureed)

(1 small) onion (thinly sliced)

green chili (slit

oil (or ghee)

curry leaves

cumin

mustard

chana dal ((bengal gram))

urad dal ((skinned black gram))

garlic (chopped garlic

cashewnuts ((split, optional))

⅛ teaspoon asafoetida (or hing)

coriander leaves (chopped to garnish)

red chili powder

turmeric

garam masala ((refer notes))

coriander powder ((refer notes))

saunf powder ((fennel seeds powder, optional))

Wash rice thrice and drain completely. Pour water and cook in a pot or pressure cooker until fully cooked. It should be grainy and not mushy. Cool the rice and prep up the veggies.

Heat oil or ghee in a pan. Add mustard, cumin, chana dal, urad dal and cashews.

Fry until the dal turns golden. Add the curry leaves, green chilies and hing.

Stir in the onions and saute until slightly golden or transparent. Add garlic/ginger and saute until aromatic for a minute.

Transfer the tomatoes and sprinkle salt. Saute for 3 to 4 mins. Cover and cook until they turn soft and mushy.

Stir in the turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder and saunf powder. 

Saute until the mixture losses all the moisture and begins to ooze out oil. Taste test and adjust salt and spices to your taste. Optionally reserve 2 tbsps. of this aside and add the rice. Turn off the stove.

Mix well until the rice blends with the tomato masala to mix. If required use up the reserved masala. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve thakkali sadam with curd, papad or thayir pachadi (raita).

nice recepe.  i did not know what to to do with all the wild small tomatoes growing in my yard. with your recepe i made good use of it.  i did not have cashews so i used raw peanuts.  instead of channa and urid dal i used what i had, toor dal and moong dal.  i fried two eggs broken into it then added rice.  came out delicious.  thank you.  dilip

It was so tasty. This was my first attempt of making this dish as I was craving.
 I come from a place where we don't cook it and we don't even  get in restaurants. While doing my college in Karnataka was the time that i got first introduced to this dish . So after returning to the hometown i wanted to have it. And guess what it turned out better than the ones I had before because the canteen in our college added a lot of food colouring in their version. So thank you so much for the 
recipe. I loved it

Very Helpful.
Very Tasty.
Thanks a lot.

My tomato rice turned very tasty, thanks for the recipe. Can you describe the taste of tomato thokku before adding to rice. I am slightly confused about amount of salt to be added.

Dear swasthi,
Your recipes are always amazing!!. One more added to the frequent menu. Love this..

Hi swathi
I tried this rice. Came out very good. my hubby and kids loved it. Thank you

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Top 2 thakkali sadam recipes from across the web

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Tomato Rice (Thakkali Sadam)

Thakkali Sadam

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