Tomato rice with herbs

2pm ~

Just had my lunch, I was craving for something sweet & sour with rice today, but instead of just frying food with the bottled tomato sauce, which I had always used back home as they were easy and ready instantly, I tried out something new and different today, recipe by Kurma dasa* - tomato rice with herbs!

Preparation time: 5 mins Cooking time: 25-35 mins

1. Wash, drain and dry the rice
2. Bring the water, salt, paprika, tomato paste (I blended 1 tomato) and basil slowly to a boil.
3. In the mean time, heat 1 tbsp of ghee (indian butter oil or you can use butter) over a pan, saute the asafoetida powder (my substitute for garlic & onion, so it can be vice versa for you) in the hot ghee. Add the rice and stir-fry for about 2 mins.
4. Pour the rice into the boiling water. Stir and bring the water to a full boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 15-20 mins or until the water has been absorbed.

As for the sweet taste, I cooked sweet potatoes (one of my favourites) and yellow bell pepper as my side dish for the rice. I was happy and satisfied with it :)

* Kurma dasa was head chef at Melbourne's most popular Vegetarian Restaurant, Gopal's for ten years, and is the author of 'Great Vegetarian Dishes' (which is in its eleventh print run), 'Cooking With Kurma', 'Quick Vegetarian Dishes', and most recently 'Vegetarian World Food'. All books have received wide acclaim for their professional, clearly written and richly illustrated presentation of vegetarian cuisine.