Tomato Rice

I had a day off from work today and not much to do around the house. With most of the chores having been taken care of over the weekend, I decided to spend some time reading. I settled into my favorite spot on the couch with one of the books that I’d borrowed from the local library a couple of days back. A few hours later, it was time for lunch and I had to put something together very fast before hunger took over and I began eating anything in sight. So, I decided to make something that was quick, simple and tasty, something that I make every now and then with leftover rice- tomato rice.

Considering the amount of rice we consume, I’m really surprised that I don’t have too many rice-based dishes (except for this and this) on this blog.

I have listed the ingredients for the recipe in the order in which I had used them. The list looks like a long one and it probably is, but most of them are just common seasoning ingredients and spices that are used almost daily in most South Indian kitchens.

Ingredients:
For seasoning:
3 Tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
A pinch of asafoetida
1 stick cinnamon
2-3 bay leaves
¾ tsp powdered cloves
4-5 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
½ inch piece ginger, grated
4-5 green chillies, finely chopped
A sprig of curry leaves

Other ingredients:
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 large tomatoes, cubed
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 ½ tsp coriander powder
1 ½ sambar powder
4-5 cups, cooked rice
Salt as required

Method:
Heat ghee in a large pan. Add all the ingredients for seasoning followed by garlic, ginger and chillies. Fish out the cinnamon stick and the bay leaves.

Sauté onions, and then add tomatoes followed by coriander and sambar powders. Cover and cook till tomatoes turn mushy. Add the tomato paste and cook.

Add cooked rice to the pan and mix well. Serve hot with a raita or just plain yogurt, and pickle.

Ricotta and Nutella Phyllo Shells

I bought a jar of Nutella a couple of weeks back since I wanted to try out a few Nutella recipes that I’d bookmarked.

Gattina has a recipe for a fantastic dessert that makes use of ricotta cheese and Nutella and it is as delicious as it is simple. I’d no idea that ricotta worked well in desserts since I’d only used it in savory dishes before.

Ingredients:
(For approximately 15 phyllo cups)
¾ cup ricotta cheese
3 Tbsp Nutella
1 tsp cocoa powder
A pinch of salt
Phyllo cups (I used the pre-made small shells from the store)
For garnishing the cups:
Chocolate shavings
Coconut flakes

Method:
In a bowl, beat the ricotta cheese until smooth. Add the cocoa powder, salt and Nutella and mix well. Chill, spoon into phyllo cups, garnish, and serve.

I thought that the ricotta and Nutella combination was unique and it made for a creamy and luscious dessert. Thanks for the inspiration, Gattina!

Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

Potato pancakes, also known as latkes or latkas, are shallow-fried pancakes of grated potato and egg, often flavored with grated onion. Latkes are a traditional Jewish dish, associated with Hanukkah and are often eaten with sour cream, applesauce, or both.
Potato pancakes are also commonly associated with traditional Czech, Ukrainian, Yiddish, German and Polish cuisine, although other cuisines (including those of India and Korea) also have similar potato pancakes.
(Source: Wikipedia)

I love potatoes in any shape or form and just had to give latkes a shot. There are thousands of latke recipes out there but this one worked really well for me.
I love that the recipe makes use of the simplest of ingredients that are found in almost every kitchen/pantry.

Here’s my recipe which is heavily adapted from the one at Exclusively Food.
Ingredients:
(For 10 small latkes)

4 medium potatoes, peeled and grated (I used Russet potatoes)
1 small onion, peeled and grated
½ cup spring onions, finely chopped (optional- I only used these because I had some that were about to go bad)
2 eggs, beaten
3-4 Tbsp all -purpose flour
Salt
Pepper
Red pepper flakes
Oil, for pan-frying

Method:
Squeeze out all the excess liquid from the grated potato-onion mixture (I used a food processor here) and place in a large bowl.

Add the flour, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and chopped scallions (if using) to the mixture. Add the beaten eggs and mix well to combine.

Heat oil (just enough for shallow frying) in a large pan. Scoop some of the potato-onion mixture into the pan with a large spoon and press down lightly with the back of the spoon.

Shallow fry until crisp and golden brown on one side, about 3-4 minutes.

Flip and cook the other side similarly. I was able to make 3 latkes at a time.

Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with sour cream.

These pancakes are very quick and easy to make and are traditionally served as a side, but we had them for breakfast/brunch. You could also serve these as appetizers like Deb has done here.