Topic: Tomato Rice

[DalPuri]

Ok, its time to post my first proper recipe. 
 I made this again last night using 2 small tins of campbells and 4 water.
I never stray far from campbells or heinz for this recipe. Its either Or. Whichever is on offer usually.

I have been making this recipe for 25 years. i learnt it from an
ex-girlfriends family who would make this once a week.
They were anglo-indian originally from calcutta.
It has a unique nutty flavour and I havent met anyone yet who didn't
like it.
I only wish i had the chicken curry recipe that
was always served with it.

TOMATO RICE

serves 4 to 6

What you need:

1 large saucepan and 1 large oven pot with lid


Ingredients:

2 mugs of rice (preferably basmati)   
2 tins tomato soup (heinz 400g tins)
2 tins of water swished in the tins 
2 big pinches of salt (thumb and 2 fingers)   
4-6 tbsp cheap margerine                   
frozen peas 1- 2 mugs

Preheat the oven to gas mark 6, 200 deg.

Method:

In the oven pot
wash and rinse the rice, then dry it on a very LOW heat,
stirring now n then until completely dry.

In the large saucepan, add soup, water, salt and peas.
*you can add the peas later if you want because  they will shrivel

Bring that slowly to the boil, then simmer until its time to add to the
rice. Stir occasionally.
*The liquid should have reduced an inch or so by the time you need to
add to the rice.


 


Meanwhile, fry the rice in marg on a med to high heat
(cheaper the better) stork,flora, blueband etc, something like that.
NOT butter or ghee or oil, it doesn't taste right.

Start with 4 tbsp and add more as you go. (if needed)
You have to fry until brown.
It can stick so you need some elbow grease,
or.. top tip, take off the heat for a min or so then back on.
That should stop it sticking.

                                                                                               

The rice in the photo isn't quite finished. Needs another 5 - 10 mins.

The rice will break up when youre stirring to brown it, but thats ok,
its part of the process.
You can buy broken basmati to get the same effect.
 


When the rice is nicely browned,
(takes about 15 -20 mins constantly stirring
 to roughly get an even colour),pour the soup into the rice and stir.
Do it in the sink because it will splash.

*note, its impossible to get it perfectly even in colour.


Mix well and put the lid on the rice and into the oven,
middle shelf for 20-25 mins.
Check it after this time to see if its soft and stir gently scraping the
caramelised gooey bits on the side back into the rest of the rice.                                     

                                             

1st Oven check.
 

This is where i usually add a
splash more water (if needed) and
also you can add the peas at this stage.
Lower the heat to gas mark 3(160deg) and cook for another 20 mins or
until the rice is soft.
add a splash more water if needed and continue to cook until soft.

                               

Finished rice



serve with chicken curry and onion salad


**Notes
*If the rice is too soft and sticky after cooking in the oven,
 add less water to the soup. Maybe 1.5 tins and top it up bit by bit
 after the first oven check.

*When frying the rice, if you feel it needs more marg, then do add
some more. 
*When the rice has loosened and is starting to brown you should see
 a little oil sizzling in the bottom when you drag your spoon across.
 If not, add more Margarine.

* You can use any tomato soup. Campbells condensed works well also.

* I have tried other flavour soups i.e. mushroom. It didnt taste right.

* The peas can dry up like bullets the next day if you put them in at the beginning,
so beware. I dont mind that myself, but i saw a few plates in that
 family, where the peas had been left on the empty plate.

* I experimented with different oils/fats in the first year or so and
i didnt like the flavour they gave.
Perhaps now my tastebuds have
changed and i might find i like it with ghee, butter or oil.
 But i'm happy with cheap marg so i have no reason to change it.
 You might think differently.


I hope you like it.

Cheers, Frank. 



P.S. Apologies for the poor camera phone pics.

[DalPuri]

1 week and not a sniff. 
I wrote this up months ago and pondered for a long time whether to post or not in fear of it being slagged off and not being "bir" .
Maybe this is the wrong forum for this recipe? 
It would be a real shame if nobody tries this as it is one of my best ever recipes!
There was an opportunity to post when asked about tomato rice recently, but i was reluctant to give this for the above reason.
Ok, so its not "bir" but what rice recipes really are except for the chinese style of cooking that is a bir biryani.

Give it a try, you might be surprised.

Frank. 

[ELW]

looks very good Dalpuri, I've got so many recipe's I want to try that the new one's are pushing the old one's outta my tiny brain. The notes are always good to read on the end of a recipe, as I frequently think I botched something

regards
ELW

[natterjak]

1 week and not a sniff. 
I wrote this up months ago and pondered for a long time whether to post or not in fear of it being slagged off and not being "bir" .
Maybe this is the wrong forum for this recipe? 
It would be a real shame if nobody tries this as it is one of my best ever recipes!
There was an opportunity to post when asked about tomato rice recently, but i was reluctant to give this for the above reason.
Yes its not "bir" but what rice recipes really are except for the chinese style of cooking that is a bir biryani.

Give it a try, you might be surprised.

Frank. 

I think sometimes it takes people a while to get around to trying things. I know I have a big backlog of recipes to try and a freezer full of pilau rice so it would be a while before I considered this one. But I don't think it's ever a waste of time posting a recipe, someone will try it and appreciate it for sure.