Tomato Rice using coconut milk is a Tamilnadu-style tomato rice recipe made with tomatoes, fresh coconut milk, and a few spices in an instant pot, stovetop pressure cooker, or pot.
What is Tomato Rice?
It’s simply rice cooked with lots of tomatoes and spices. I have also added coconut milk to give a nice flavor to the dish. But you can still make this recipe without coconut milk following the same steps. Every home has a unique style of making this recipe.
You can also use vegetables like peas, potatoes, or soya chunks to make this dish more healthy.
You can make this Tomato rice recipe in an Instant Pot, a stovetop pressure cooker, or a regular pan. Today I am sharing a video and step-by-step method of making tomato rice using INSTANT POT.
I have included both stovetop and pressure cooker method recipe below.
How to make Coconut Milk at home?
Blend ½ cup of shredded coconut (fresh or frozen) with 1 cup of warm water. Strain the coconut milk in a strainer or nut milk bag. Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate. You can save pulp for baked goods or add to poriyal, smoothies, or coconut curries.
How to Make Tomato Rice Recipe using Coconut Milk in Instant Pot
Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add oil into the POT.
Once POT is hot, add in the whole spices, ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 30 secs or till aromatic.
Add in the chopped onions and the sliced green chilies. Saute until onions turn light brown.
Now add in the finely chopped tomatoes OR tomato puree. Cook till tomatoes turn soft and mushy. This can take 3-4 minutes.
Then add the mint leaves, coriander leaves, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, or biryani powder. Mix and cook for another minute.
Finally, add rice, coconut milk, water, and salt and stir quickly. For a softer rice texture, you can add an extra ¼ cup of water.
Deglaze the pot (Make sure there are no food bits stuck to the bottom of the pot). This helps to avoid getting a 'BURN' Alert during pressure cooking.
Close the lid on the pot. Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set the timer to 5 minutes.
Once the pot beeps, wait for NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE (NPR). Once the pressure has released, open the lid and gently fluff up the rice.
Tomato Rice recipe is ready, serve with yogurt, raita.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
Follow the same process mentioned above for Instant Pot. Close the lid and put the whistle weight on. Cook for 2 whistles on medium flame and turn off the gas. All the other steps remain the same.
Stovetop Pot Method
- Heat oil in a nonstick pan or Kadai and add in the whole spices, ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 30 secs or till aromatic.
- Add in the ginger-garlic paste and saute for 30 secs until the raw smell of the ginger-garlic goes away.
- Add in the chopped onions and the sliced green chilies. Saute until onions turn light brown.
- Now add in the finely chopped tomatoes OR tomato puree. Cook till tomatoes turn soft and mushy, this can take 3-4 minutes.
- Then add in the mint leaves, coriander leaves, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, or biryani powder. Mix and cook for another minute.
- Then add Coconut milk and water. For a softer texture, you can add ¼ more of the water.
- Once the liquid in the pan comes to a roaring boil, add in the rice, salt and mix well.
- Close the lid and cook until it's done on medium-low flame.
- Once all the moisture has gone away, switch off the flame and leave it covered for 10 minutes.
- Open the lid and gently fluff up the rice.
- Tomato Rice is ready, serve with yogurt, raita.
What to serve with Tomato Rice?
Serve Tomato Rice using Coconut Milk with curry, raita, papad, and pickle.
Tips
- Traditionally short-grain rice is used for tomato rice in south India, but I have used basmati rice for this recipe.
- Rice to water ratio is important to get fluffy and nonsticky grain.
Instant Pot: 1 cup Basmati rice:1.5 cups of water
Stove Top Pressure Cooker: 1 cup Basmati rice :1 ¾ cups of water
Stove Top Pan: 1 cup Basmati rice: 2 cups of water
- I have made fresh coconut milk at home but you can use store brought coconut milk as well. Tastes best with homemade coconut milk.
- I have used whole spices, you can completely skip it and add an extra ½ teaspoon of biryani masala or garam masala.
- You can add some frozen or fresh peas to the tomato rice. It complements well.
- I have added mint (pudina) for flavoring but you can skip it.
Tomato Rice Recipe - Instant Pot & Stovetop
Ingredients
Measurements Used - 1 cup = 250 ml
- 2-3 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 medium onion sliced thinly
- 1 green chili slit
- 4 medium ripened tomatoes OR 2 cups chopped tomatoes OR 1.5 cups tomato puree
- 2 tablespoons mint (pudina) leaves finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder OR biryani masala powder
- 1 cup basmati rice rinsed
- ½ cup thick coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- salt to taste
Whole Spices
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaves
- 2 cardamom
- 2 cloves
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf) optional
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add oil into the POT.
- Once pot is hot, add in the whole spices, ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 30 secs or till aromatic.
- Add in the chopped onions and the sliced green chilies. Saute until onions turn light brown.
- Now add in the finely chopped tomatoes OR tomato puree. Cook till tomatoes turn soft and mushy. This can take 3-4 minutes.
- Then add the mint leaves, coriander leaves, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, or biryani powder. Mix and cook for another minute.
- Finally, add rice, coconut milk, water, and salt and stir quickly. For a softer rice texture, you can add an extra ¼ cup of water.Deglaze the pot (Make sure there are no food bits stuck to the bottom of the pot). This helps to avoid getting a 'BURN' Alert during pressure cooking.
- Close the lid on the pot. Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set the timer to 5 minutes.
- Once the pot beeps, wait for NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE (NPR). Once the pressure has released, open the lid and gently fluff up the rice.
- Tomato Rice recipe is ready, serve with yogurt, raita.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method:
- Follow the same process mentioned above for Instant Pot. Close the lid and put the whistle weight on. Cook for 2 whistles on medium flame and turn off the gas. All the other steps remain the same.
Stovetop Pot Method
- Heat oil in a nonstick pan or Kadai and add in the whole spices, ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 30 secs or till aromatic.
- Add in the ginger-garlic paste and saute for 30 secs until the raw smell of the ginger-garlic goes away.
- Add in the chopped onions and the sliced green chilies. Saute until onions turn light brown.
- Now add in the finely chopped tomatoes OR tomato puree. Cook till tomatoes turn soft and mushy, this can take 3-4 minutes.
- Then add in the mint leaves, coriander leaves, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, or biryani powder. Mix and cook for another minute.
- Then add Coconut milk and water. For a softer texture, you can add ¼ more of the water.
- Once the liquid in the pan comes to a roaring boil, add in the rice, salt and mix well.
- Close the lid and cook until it's done on medium-low flame.
- Once all the moisture has gone away, switch off the flame and leave it covered for 10 minutes.
- Open the lid and gently fluff up the rice.
- Tomato Rice is ready, serve with yogurt, raita.
Notes
- If using canned coconut milk (which is very thick), use ½ cup of canned coconut milk.
- If you are making coconut milk at home from frozen or fresh shredded coconut, then add ½ cup of coconut into a blender and run with 1 cup of water and make a very fine paste. Strain the coconut milk and set it aside. When I measured, I had ½ cup of thick coconut milk.
- Add ½ cup of thick coconut milk as said, if skipping coconut milk then add 1.5 cups to 1.75 cups of water for 1 cup of rice depending upon rice quality. you can also use veg stock instead of water.
- You can add some frozen or fresh peas to the tomato rice it complements well.
- If you think tomatoes are too tangy, just add ½ teaspoon of sugar while cooking.
Nutrition
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Ramya says
Tried this recipe first time and it tasted delicious. Adding coconut milk makes a lot of difference in taste. It was yummy ! Thank you for the recipe Bhavana.
bhavana says
Thanks Ramya,This is Naveen's fav rice dish
Nisha B says
Made this for my kids lunch today with soy chunks ! Really yummy! Thanks for sharing!
Bhavana Patil says
That's really good to know Nisha 🙂