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.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2 · 2 people
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Tamil Nadu

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked rice ((or 2½ to 3 cups cooked rice))
  • 1¼ cup (2 medium) tomatoes (deseeded & chopped or pureed)
  • ½ cup (1 small) onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 green chili (slit or as needed)
  • 2 tablespoons oil (or ghee)
  • 1 to 2 sprigs curry leaves
  • ½ to ¾ teaspoon cumin
  • ⅓ teaspoon mustard
  • ¾ tablespoon chana dal ((bengal gram))
  • ½ tablespoon urad dal ((skinned black gram))
  • 2 cloves garlic (chopped or 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste)
  • 10 cashewnuts ((split, optional))
  • ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida (or hing)
  • ¼ cup coriander leaves (chopped to garnish)
  • ½ to ¾ teaspoon red chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • ¾ to 1 teaspoon garam masala ((refer notes))
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder ((refer notes))
  • ½ teaspoon saunf powder ((fennel seeds powder, optional))

Method

  1. 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.
  2. Heat oil or ghee in a pan. Add mustard, cumin, chana dal, urad dal and cashews.
  3. Fry until the dal turns golden. Add the curry leaves, green chilies and hing.
  4. Stir in the onions and saute until slightly golden or transparent. Add garlic/ginger and saute until aromatic for a minute.
  5. Transfer the tomatoes and sprinkle salt. Saute for 3 to 4 mins. Cover and cook until they turn soft and mushy.
  6. Stir in the turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder and saunf powder.
  7. 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.
  8. Mix well until the rice blends with the tomato masala to mix. If required use up the reserved masala. Garnish with coriander leaves.
  9. Serve thakkali sadam with curd, papad or thayir pachadi (raita).

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.