Tomato Rice Recipe (South Indian Thakkali Sadam)
Tomato Rice, also known as Thakkali Sadam, is a flavorful South Indian rice dish made with rice sautéed in a spiced tomato masala, tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, herbs and aromatic spices. Tangy, mildly spicy and comforting, this one-pot meal is a popular choice for lunchboxes and quick meals, best enjoyed with raita or papad.
Tomato Rice Recipe – A South Indian Classic
This easy, quick and delicious Tomato Rice recipe is a favorite staple dish from the Tamil Nadu state of South India.
Also known as Thakkali Sadam in Tamil language, this one pot wonder is tasty, healthy and perfect to pack in a tiffin for lunch on the go.
Thakkali means tomato and sadam means rice in Tamil. It is a slightly spicy rice dish made with tomatoes, spices and rice. You can easily adjust the heat to your liking.
Table of Contents
Serve it plain, or with crispy papad and any raita that you like. It makes a wonderfully filling and light lunch.
I love to make a batch of this tomato rice often and serve it for lunch. It is also an ideal dish for packing in a tiffin. It requires only one pot, so there’s very little clean-up.
My recipe is made in a stove-top pressure cooker. Like most rice recipes, it can also be made in the Instant Pot or in a regular pan. Quick Instant Pot and stove-top instructions are shared in the recipe card below.
This recipe is inspired by the tomato rice we would eat at the cafe in the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu.
Isha Yoga Centre, set at the foothills of the Velliangiri Mountains, has been a wonderful place to meditate. This tomato rice transports me back to those peaceful days, filled with silence and tranquility.
It has taken me multiple attempts to get this recipe right, and I am so excited to share the flavors of our rich time in Tamil Nadu.
The recipe has a perfect balance of flavors that complement the tanginess of the tomatoes beautifully. You will love this tomato rice for its simplicity and overall balanced taste.
To add some pops of sweetness, include frozen or fresh green peas, carrots, or sweet corn. These also make the dish more wholesome and flavorful.
Looking to make Instant Tomato Rice? Try my zesty Tomato Thokku (Tomato Pickle). Store it in the fridge. When the craving strikes, just mix it with steamed rice. Tadaa! Your Instant Tomato Rice is ready.
Love Tomato Rice? You may also like these South Indian rice varieties:
How to make Tomato Rice
Soak Rice
1. This recipe is simple and quick. First up, rinse your basmati (or other long grain rice) under water until the water comes out clear. Now soak your rice in fresh water for 20 to 30 minutes, then drain the rice and set it aside.
Tip: Do not skip this step! Rinsing the rice removes surface starches that can cause the rice to become gummy while cooking. Soaking gives the rice the opportunity to cook more evenly and will ensure you don’t get any half cooked pieces.
When the rice grains are soaking, prep the remaining ingredients. Finely chop onions, tomatoes, green chillies and coriander leaves. Make a paste of ginger and garlic is a mortar-pestle. Set aside the spices and curry leaves.
Sauté Aromatics and Tomatoes
2. Next up, pull out your trusty 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker and heat oil over a low flame until barely shimmering. You could use any neutral tasting oil or Ghee. I have used sunflower oil.
Tip: Using an Instant Pot? Set it to the sauté function for the next several steps.
Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds to the heated oil and allow them to cook until crackling. Next, add 4 to 5 fenugreek seeds (methi) and fry for about a couple of seconds making sure you do not burn them.
3. Next, add ⅓ cup chopped onions, ½ inch cinnamon stick, 2 green cardamom pods and 2 to 3 whole cloves.
4. Stir and sauté until the onions are translucent.
5. Now add 1 ½ teaspoons ginger garlic paste, 6 to 7 curry leaves and 1 chopped green chili (½ teaspoon chopped chillies)
Tip: For a less spiced taste, add about 1 teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste and reduce the green chillies.
6. Stir, then continue to sauté until the aroma of raw ginger-garlic goes away, about some seconds.
7. Add ½ tablespoon of chopped mint leaves and ¼ cup chopped fresh coriander leaves (also known as cilantro).
8. Stir and sauté for a minute.
9. Now add in 1 cup of finely chopped tomatoes. This required about 3 medium tomatoes for me.
10. Add the following list of ground spices:
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder or crushed black pepper*
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
Tip: If you are averse to spicy foods, you can adjust the heat level by using only ¼ teaspoon each of chilli powder and black pepper. You could also add ½ teaspoon of Sambar Masala for a more robust taste and flavor.
11. Stir well to coat the tomatoes in the spices and sauté.
12. Cook until the tomatoes become soft and pulpy, and the oil begins to release from the sides. Stir often.
13. Add the soaked rice and stir to combine.
Make Tomato Rice
14. Sauté the rice for a minute to allow it to soak in some of the toasted spice flavors.
15. Next up, add 1¾ cup water. Add 2 cups water for more softer rice. For separate grains, add 1½ cup water.
16. Season with salt to taste, then put the lid on.
Tip: If using the Instant Pot, put the lid on and switch the function to pressure cook on high for 5 to 6 minutes, then allow a natural release after 10 minutes.
17. Let the pressure drop naturally in the cooker. Then only remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
18. Serve Tomato Rice in a bowl with crunchy papads (also known as papadums or appalams), plain curd or flavored raita like – Onion Raita, Cucumber Raita or Boondi Raita. Garnish with some fresh coriander leaves for a bit of brightness. Enjoy!
Variations
- Type of Rice: You can use any variety of rice – regular short grain, long grain, parboiled (converted rice), or even brown rice. But be sure to add water as needed and increase or decrease the cook time accordingly. For the best flavor, I prefer using fragrant rice like basmati or seeraga samba.
- Using Parboiled Rice: If you’re using parboiled rice, soak it for at least 1 hour before cooking. Also, increase the water slightly and cook for a bit longer to ensure the grains are soft and fluffy.
- Using Cooked Rice: Tomato rice can also be made with leftover cooked rice. Simply prepare the tomato masala as mentioned in the recipe, and mix the cooked rice into it. Gently toss until the masala coats the rice evenly. This version also works great for lunchboxes.
- Add Veggies: To make the dish more wholesome, you can add vegetables like green peas, carrots, sweet corn, broccoli, cauliflower or even capsicum.
- Tomatoes: If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, use about 1 cup crushed or chopped canned tomatoes instead.
Expert Tips
- Rinsing Rice: Make sure to rinse the rice well. Doing so, the surface starches will be removed from the rice and your rice won’t turn gummy while being cooked. Also, soak well for even cooking of rice grains.
- Quantity of water: For the basmati rice I used, I added about 1¾ cups water. This quantity will alter depending on the quality of rice you use. To make soft rice, you can add 2 cups water. For separate grains, you can add 1½ cups water.
- Tangy & Spicy Balance: Adjust the number of green chilies and red chilli powder to suit your spice preference. For a more tangy flavor, you can add a bit of tamarind extract or a squeeze of lemon juice at the end.
- Consistency Check: If using a pressure cooker, avoid overcooking the rice. The grains should remain separate and fluffy, not mushy.
- Make it in the Instant Pot: You can easily adapt this recipe to the Instant Pot. Use the sauté function for the steps of sautéing spices, onion and tomatoes to begin with. Then, once you add rice and water, cover with the lid and set to the pressure cook on high for 6 to 8 minutes function. Then, allow a natural release after 10 minutes.
- Make it in a pan: Begin by adding 2 cups water for cooking the rice in a pan. Cover and simmer. Check halfway. If the rice looks dry, then add about ¼ cup water.
- Scaling: It is possible to make this dish for larger servings. However, an increase in quantities of ingredients proportionally might not work this recipe.
FAQs
I don’t have cinnamon, ginger and cloves on hand. What can I substitute?
No problem! Simply substitute about ¼ teaspoon of Garam Masala instead.
What size measuring cup should I use?
Both 240 ml and 250 ml measuring cups work well for this recipe. 1 cup of uncooked rice should yield 3 ½ – 4 cups cooked rice.
Can I increase the size of this recipe to feed 20 people?
While you can make this recipe for a larger group, increasing the ingredients proportionally doesn’t work. We use the method of andaaz (approximation) by eyeballing the ingredients. I’m sorry I can’t help you approximate!
Can I make this without a pressure cooker?
Yes, you can make this in a normal saucepan as well. Start out with 2 cups of water to cook the rice, then cover with a lid and simmer. Check when the rice is about halfway done, and if it looks dry, add up to another ¼ cup of water.
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Tomato Rice Recipe (South Indian Thakkali Sadam)
Ingredients
For soaking rice
- 1 heaped cup basmati rice or any regular rice
- water – as required
More ingredients
- 1 cup or 3 medium (200 grams) tomatoes – finely chopped & tightly packed
- ⅓ cup or 1 medium-sized onions – finely chopped
- 1.5 teaspoons Ginger Garlic Paste or 1 inch ginger + 5 to 6 small to medium garlic crushed in mortar-pestle
- ½ teaspoon green chilli – chopped or swap with serrano pepper
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 4 to 5 fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) – optional
- ½ inch true cinnamon
- 2 green cardamoms
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 6 to 7 curry leaves (medium-sized)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder or crushed black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder (ground cumin)
- ½ tablespoon mint leaves – chopped
- ¼ cup coriander leaves – chopped (cilantro)
- 1.5 to 1.75 cups water or add as required
- 2 tablespoons oil – any neutral oil
- salt as required
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse basmati rice or any regular rice for a couple of times in water.
- Then soak the rice in water for 20 to 30 minutes. Later drain the rice and keep aside.
- Chop the tomatoes, onions and green chillies finely. Peel and crush the ginger-garlic in a mortar pestle. Also, chop the mint and coriander leaves
- Keep aside all the spices required for the rice.
Sautéing onions, tomatoes, spices
- In a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker, heat the oil. Keep the heat to a low and add mustard seeds and crackle them.
- Next add fenugreek seeds and just lightly fry for a couple of seconds without burning them.
- Next add finely chopped onions and cinnamon, cardamoms and cloves.
- Stir and sauté until the onions turn translucent and soften.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste, chopped green chilies and curry leaves.
- Stir and sauté for some seconds until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic dissipates.
- Next add chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves.
- Stir and saute for a minute.
- Keep heat to a low or switch off the heat. Add the finely chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder, red chilli powder, black pepper powder or crushed black pepper, coriander powder and cumin powder. Add this point, you could also add ½ teaspoon of Sambar Masala if you like.
- Mix very well and sauté the tomatoes until they soften and become pulpy with oil releasing from the sides.
Cooking tomato rice
- Add the soaked rice. Gently mix the rice with the tomato mixture very well. Sauté for a minute.
- Add 1.75 cups water. For a more softer consistency in the rice, you can also add 2 cups water.
- Season with salt as per taste.
- Cover and pressure cook tomato rice for 2 whistles on medium heat or about 10 to 11 minutes. To get a softer rice, you can also pressure cook for 3 whistles.
- When the pressure settles down on its own. Then remove the lid and gently fluff the tomato rice.
- Serve tomato rice with appalams or chips or with a side of your preferred raita or plain curd (yogurt).
Video
Notes
- Reducing spiciness: To reduce the heat and pungency, use less amounts of ginger-garlic paste, black pepper powder and red chili powder. So you can add 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste, ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder and ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder.
- Quantity of water: I have added 1¾ cup water as this amount was perfect for the basmati rice that I had used. The amount of water that you need to add will also depend on the quality of rice. For a softer rice you can add 2 cups and for separate grains, add 1½ cup water.
- Scaling: While you can make this recipe for a larger group, increasing the ingredients proportionally may not work for this recipe.
- Cooking in a pan: Start out with 2 cups of water to cook the rice, then cover with a lid and simmer. Check when the rice is about halfway done, and if it looks dry, add up to another ¼ cup of water.
- Cooking in an Instant Pot: Begin with setting the the sauté function for the steps of sautéing spices, onion and tomatoes. After you add the rice and water, put the lid on and switch the function to pressure cook on high for 6 to 8 minutes, then allow a natural release after 10 minutes.
Nutrition
Tomato Rice recipe from the archives was first published on June 2015.
Can I also add some sambar masala in this recipe?
Yes, you can add a bit of sambar masala for extra flavor. Just use a small amount so it doesn’t overpower the taste of tomatoes.
Super and delicious.
I travelled across India and before choosed on your site recepies which i already tried in indian restaurants… This one is the first one which i never tried but looked very interesting. And it is! Perfect combination tomato and rice. Yummy !
Always wanted to try making this. Thank you for making it so easy
Welcome and thanks.
thank you ?
Your recipes are always awesome. My most trusted site.
Thanks so much and wonderful to know.
Tried this today and turned out super tasty. Thank you very much for this wonderful recipe. Your instructions were very helpful and simple to understand and follow. Looking forward to trying more of your shared recipes. Thank you 🙂
Thanks for the review and rating on the recipe. I am glad that the instructions are helpful. Sure, do try some more recipes and I hope you like them. Most welcome.
I follow your recipes to the T…… And they never let me down Dassana. Thankyou.. stay blessed.
Thanks a lot Bhaskari for your positive comment and kind wishes. So glad to read them. Most welcome and happy cooking.
Dassanaji, I have made many items from your collection, including Pongal, Rawa Idlu, Rava Dosa, Instant Idli, and more. They have all come out just great. Only the Whole Wheat Bread was not up to the mark.
Thank you, for so much good food!
Thanks a lot for the feedback on the recipes you have made. For whole wheat bread, try using a good brand of yeast and activate it correctly. Most welcome and Happy cooking.
Tried this recipe. Thank you. Didn’t have cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. So made a poorer version of this recipe. Turned out very well. Though I forgot salt, I added salt in the onion raita (onion whichI had chopped for the rice, I retained some for the raita) to make up for it.
I liked the texture and consistency of the tomato rice. At one point I thought it would have become very spicy, but no it was fine.
Thank you for your recipe!
I was trying to post the pic of how my dish turned out. Unable to do so in this comment box.
Keep sharing your recipes! Thank you once again!
Thanks for this detailed and positive feedback. If you don’t have spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, then you can always add about ¼ teaspoon of garam masala instead. We do not have the option of adding images in the comment box. Most welcome and thanks again.
Excellent n dedicated work n beautiful designed blog page n professional information about vegetarian food recipes.
Might be no.1 in India. More helpful to all learners n interested foodies.
Appreciate your hard n dedicated work.
All the best.
Thanks a lot for your feedback and kind comments. I wish you all the best too.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.Can we use boiled rice for making this?
you can use boiled rice. but you will need to add more water and the cooking time will also increase. soak rice for an hour before making.
Thanks for your reply.I tried this.It was delicious.Thank you so much.
welcome beena. thanks for letting me know. thanks for the rating too.
Hello Dassana,
I have been following, saving and trying out many of your recipes but never got a chance to write to you.
Your passion for versatile cooking and recipe blogging is very commendable.
All your recipes are very carefully planned and thoughtfully written.
I am sure it is helping thousands of people and I am definitely one of them.
I have just tried out the tomato rice turned out very tasty. Thank you so much. Please keep up your excellent work. God bless you.
thank you very much mamta. so glad to read your detailed comment. yes, the recipes from the website help a lot of people to cook good food. thanks again for your kind wishes and this lovely feedback. wish you all the best.
Hi Dassana,
I tried your tomato rice recipe. It was an instant success. I enjoy trying your recipes. Your recipes are great . Thank you for posting such wonderful recipes. Your recipes motivate me to cook. Thank you so much.
hi jagadeeshwari. thank you for this review and rating on tomato rice recipe. most welcome and comment like yours motivate me too. welcome and happy cooking.
Hi dassana,
Your recipe is so good to follow and very easy to cook.
Thank you
thanks subha for sharing this feedback and rating the tomato rice recipe too. welcome and happy cooking.
Awesome ..must try everyone
thanks.
Your recipes are consistently delicious and easy to follow. Thanks so much for generously sharing them.
Lovely quick recipe..thanks!
thanks poonam.
Very tasty recipe. Simply loved it. Thanks for sharing.
Tried your way and it is simply awesome!! Thank you so much!
thanks and welcome. glad to know.
Hi Dassana,
Thanks for recipie, i hv done it many times and every time it has come out well. I recently made this for my husband’s office lunch and it was liked by everyone there.
Thanks again for lovely recipe.
Welcome Kruthi. Glad to know that everyone liked this tomato rice recipe. its a good and fool proof recipe.
Please provide an app too. Great job.
Thanks Puneet.
One of my favourites. very tasty. Thanks Amit!
Welcome Sindhu
Thanks for the wonderful recipe.. it came out well with superb aroma….. Yummm..
Welcome Mahalakshmi. Thanks for your positive feedback on tomato rice recipe.
Simply loved the tomato rice recipe. My brother never likes rice but he couldn’t resist this one. He ate his share and appreciated a lot! Thanks dassana!!
welcome payal. glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback on tomato rice recipe.
Just loved it.(Tomato rice).
thanks anirudh.
Hi..I tried this recepie today, in fact I was trying tomato rice for the first time. It came out really well and all in home loved it . Thanks a lot for the the recepie.
Welcome Swathi. Glad to know that you liked the recipe.
Thanks a lot 🙂
I have tried so many ways to cook tomato rice. But your way is the best one.
I tried it now. It’s so tasty. I loved it.
Welcome Kolla. Thanks for this awesome feedback on tomato rice recipe.
Love all your recipes. One humble suggestion to you. Try using rasam powder or sambhar powder in this recipe with chilly powder. I make tomato rice with this masala and it tastes awesome.You will get authentic South Indian taste. Also I make the tomato masala and add to cooked rice and mix well.
thanks persis and also thanks for the suggestion on using sambar powder with chilli powder. i will give a try. yes tomato masala can be made first and mixed with cooked rice. i will add this version too.
What is the measuring cup used?how to prepare this recipe suppose if we cooked the rice already/leftover rice? I tried Ur kaju sweet recipe and everybody loves it… Thank you so much..:)
gayathri, measuring cup used is 250 ml. 1 cup uncooked rice will yield 3.5 to 4 cups cooked rice. follow all the steps from 1 to 11. then cook till the tomatoes-onion mixture leaves oil. cook the tomatoes really well. then add the cooked rice and salt. mix very well. then switch off the flame. mix in some coriander leaves. then serve.
NICE RECIPE i will try
sure and thanks sri 🙂
so nice…..thank u
welcome and thanks anly 🙂
Too good it was..thanks for sharing..i had a nice tomato rice meal..
welcome and thankyou dhanya 🙂
Hi can i add regular rice instead of basmathi??
yes you can use regular rice.
Im regular reader of ur site.. u r awesome.. i m going to try this tomorrow..
thanks niveditha. do try and happy cooking.
Hello Mam,
I am frm karnataka. .I just love ua website. .
ur recipes r finger licking. .
one prob is tht i cant remember the procedure while preparing. .
so is their no option to save. .
specially i love the pictorial procedure. .plz reply mam
waiting eargerly for ur reply
thanks a lot smt. gangotri srinivas. there is a save option in the recipe card, which goes to a website ‘big oven’ when you click on it. here you can save the recipes. if you mean right click and save, then let me know. i have disabled right click as many people copy the photos and text without giving credit.
I am going to try this now…. thanks for the recipe
Yummy recipe…loved it:-)
thanks honey.
Thankyou, came out good but a little spicy 🙂
It was yummm
okay namrata thankyou and you are welcome. just alter the spices as per your preference.
An easy step by step guide to getting the most delicious tomato rice. I was always looking for an alternate recipe to my own tomato rice and I think I found it with your recipe. Thanks for sharing.
thanks and welcome shaz.
Thanks for recipe, came out very well, pls guide How same recipe can be changed for quantity cooking. …For about 20 people
welcome nandini. when we cook in large quantities all the ingredients have to be added in approximation or eyeballing them. increasing the ingredients proportionately does not work. so you will have to add everything in approximation. i am unable to help here as the ingredients have to be seen before adding them by eyeballing or using the method of andaaz (approximation).
I like it this
You are an awesome cook, Miss!
Thanks for the beautiful recipes.
thanks and welcome rachhna.
Hello ji
Pretty cool recipe. Just love it! Easy by the way to indulge in cooking. Thank you so very much!B-)
thankyou mythili and you are welcome 🙂
Hey thanks a lot for posting this one!!! I made tomato rice for the very first time and I’m glad it came out really well… keep posting more…God bless 🙂
god bless you too malavika 🙂 glad to know you liked the tomato rice.
Easy n simple recipe ..tastes yummmm
thanks fatema
Thanks for this wonderful recipe I had not made as expected but the taste of happiness was enjoyed with my family by taking help of my sister. Thanks again …..
welcome rafiq
Awesome receipe.. This website is very helpful .. Thank you…
welcome binalpatel
Dassana,
This was an excellent recipe. I made this for dinner and both me and my husband relished it. Your blog is excellent, I have cooked a lot of recipes from your blog am a novice cook and now actually look forward to cooking fresh food for every meal thanks to your recipes! God bless you!
thanks purva for sharing positive feedback and for your prayers. nice to know this.
am so glad to realize that your website is helpfull to my carrier job. All the recipes are clear and correct.. And i appreacite for that.
If I am using a pan instead of a cooker, how many cups of water should i use?
Thanks
you can add 2 to 2.5 cups of water. initially add 2 cups water. cover tightly and cook the rice. then do check when the rice is half done and if it looks dry then you can add some more water.
Thanks for the immediate response.. Just wanted to let you know that your website is really helpful..
welcome elizabeth. glad to know this.
thnx for sharing this recipe,, its so easy, my daughter simply loves tomatoes…
welcome preety
Tried this version of tomato rice. Simply awesome. Thanks dassanaji.
welcome vidya