Tomato bath is a one pot delicious rice dish made with short grain rice, tomatoes, coconut, spices and herbs. This tomato bath tastes exactly the same as served in Karnataka restaurants and hotels.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rice ((sona masuri or any other))
  • 3 to 4 tbsps fresh coconut
  • ¾ inch ginger
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 to 4 red chilies ((low heat kind, if using byadgi 6))
  • ½ teaspoon red chilli powder ((adjust to taste))
  • 6 tablespoons water (to grind)
  • ½ to ¾ teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 1 ½ tbsps ghee (or oil)
  • 1 star anise
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 small onion (- ¼ cup sliced)
  • 1 ¼ cup chopped tomatoes ((deseeded, peeled if preferred))
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala
  • ¾ teaspoon coriander powder
  • ½ cup green peas ((fresh or frozen or precooked dried peas))
  • 1¾ cups water (for pressure cooker (2 cups for pot))
  • 1 to 2 tbsps mint leaves ((pudina))
  • 2 tbsps coriander leaves

Method

  1. Rinse the rice well under running water and drain completely. Chop tomatoes, onions, mint, coriander leaves and set aside.
  2. To a grinder jar, add fresh coconut, red chilies, fennel seeds, ginger, garlic cloves, green cardamoms & red chilli powder. Pour 4 to 6 tbsps water and grind to a smooth paste.

How to Make Tomato Bath

  1. Pour ghee or oil to a pressure cooker or a pot and heat it. Lower the heat and add all the whole spices – star anise, green cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds and bay leaf.
  2. When the spices begin to crackle, add onions and saute until transparent and the raw flavor has gone.
  3. Add tomatoes and sprinkle salt. Saute till the tomatoes break down and become soft.
  4. Throw in garam masala, coriander powder and the ground coconut paste. Saute this until aromatic and the oil begins to ooze out from the mixture. This takes about 5 to 6 minutes.
  5. Add green peas, mint leaves and coriander leaves. Saute for 3 to 4 mins.
  6. Pour water and mix well. Taste test and adjust the salt. The water has to be slightly salty.
  7. Add drained rice and mix well. Cover the cooker with a lid and cook until you hear 2 whistles. If using a pot, cover and cook until the water is absorbed by rice and the grains are soft and fluffy.
  8. When the pressure drops, open the lid. You will see all the masala on top of the rice. This is the coconut masala, mix it gently with the entire pot of tomato bath.
  9. Serve tomato bath warm or hot with onion 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.