• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Rachna cooks logo

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Beginner Recipes
    • Vegan
    • Vegetarian
    • Rice Dishes
    • Meat/Seafood
      • Chicken
      • Fish
      • Prawn | Shrimp
    • Festival
      • Diwali
      • Navratri
    • Pickle
    • Rotis
      • parathas
  • Cookbooks
  • Contact
  • Others
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Policy
    • Health & Fitness
      • Health
      • Fitness
  • Soup
  • Salad
  • Curry
  • Dry vegetable
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Air fryer Recipes
  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Air fryer Recipes
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Recipes
    • Cookbooks
    • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home

    South Indian Tomato Rice Recipe

    By Rachna Published: Jan 10, 2018 · Modified: Jun 13, 2022 19 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    Buy My Air fryer ecookbooks Here
    • 252shares
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Flipboard
    • Reddit
    • 252shares

    This South Indian tomato rice recipe is a comfort meal. It is quick to rustle up especially if you have some leftover rice at home.

    It is tangy, spicy and delicious. Tomato Rice is my go-to recipe when I am feeling lazy to cook something.

    This South Indian recipe of tomato rice is perfect for breakfast, in your children's tiffin, lunch and to pack with you for train journeys or picnics.

    A really easy dish that is ready in a jiffy if you have leftover rice. I make it mostly with leftover rice. It is a favourite of my kids.

    tomato rice recipe

    📖 Recipe Card

    tomato rice

    Tomato Rice Recipe

    Rachna Parmar
    This is a tasty one pot meal perfect for a filling yet lazy breakfast or lunch option.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Breakfast, Rice Dish
    Cuisine South Indian
    Servings 4
    Calories 367 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • 2 cups boiled rice I use leftover rice mostly
    • 1 large onion finely chopped
    • 2 teaspoon ginger paste
    • 3 green chillies slit
    • 4 ripe tomatoes finely chopped or pureed
    • ½ tsp. turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp. coriander powder
    • 1 tablespoon sambar powder or garam masala powder
    • 1 tsp. cayenne powder optional
    • Chopped cilantro
    • Salt to taste

    For Tempering

    • 2 tbsp. oil
    • 1 tsp. mustard seeds
    • 1 tsp. cumin seeds
    • 1 tsp. gram lentils chana or

    Do you want to save this recipe?

    Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get more great recipes and tips from us each week!

    Invalid email address. Please enter again.

    Awesome! Check your email for your saved recipe.

    Instructions
     

    • If you don't have cooked rice, cook rice and keep aside to cool.
    • Now take oil in a kadhai and heat it. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and gram dal and fry till they all sputter.
    • Now add the chopped onions and fry till translucent.
    • Add the ginger paste and slit chillies. Mix well and fry for about 3-4 minutes.
    • Now add the finely chopped tomatoes or puree.
    • Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, sambar powder and salt.
    • Cook well till the tomatoes are well cooked and the paste looks darker and releases oil.
    • Now turn off the gas and add the cooked rice.
    • Mix well so that all the rice is covered with the tomato paste.
    • Taste and adjust seasoning especially salt and heat.
    • Serve hot with raita or a boiled egg. Delicious to eat.

    Notes

    You can adjust how many chillies or chilli powder you wish to use depending upon taste.
    I prefer to use the local sona masoori rice while making it but you can use basmati as well.
    Make sure the rice is not mushy or else your tomato rice will be a mushy mess.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 367kcalCarbohydrates: 66gProtein: 9gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 131mgPotassium: 565mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1625IUVitamin C: 31mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Let me know on Instagram @rachna.parmar or tag #rachnacooks
    Check out our Food videos Subscribe to our Food channel for recipe videos

    Do try this easy recipe. I am sure that it will become regular fare in your home. If you liked it do share a * star rating. Thanks.

    tomato rice recipe

    Have it with raita or egg for a balanced meal. Do try and let me know how you liked it.

    • 252shares
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Flipboard
    • Reddit

    More Rice Dishes

    • gochujang fried rice in a plate
      Gochujang Fried Rice
    • Top shot of vegetable pulao served in a white plate.
      Vegetable Pulao Instant Pot
    • coconut rice
      Vegan Indian Coconut Rice Recipe
    • Easy Vegan Lemon Rice Recipe | How to Make South Indian Lemon Rice

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Megala says

      January 10, 2018 at 4:44 pm

      Beautiful rice! Perfect for lunch box!!

      Reply
      • Rachna says

        January 11, 2018 at 11:21 am

        Thank you so much, Megala. It is!

        Reply
    2. Natasha says

      January 10, 2018 at 6:19 pm

      Yum, yum. Have tried curd rice, puliogare rice, lemon rice. Now time to give tomato rice a go and I’m sure it will be lip-smackingly delish, after all your recipe Rachna. ?

      Reply
      • Rachna says

        January 11, 2018 at 11:21 am

        Thank you, Nats. You really should try this one!

        Reply
    3. Vidya Sury says

      January 10, 2018 at 10:28 pm

      Tomato rice is a favorite go-to for me. I always have the tomato “gotsu” prepared and ready, to mix with rice, to eat as side-dish with rotis, as a sandwich spread…. the possibilities are endless. We have a friend who loves to side-dish it with dosa. Sometimes I add a stick of cinnamon to it and it tastes great.

      Reply
      • Rachna says

        January 11, 2018 at 11:21 am

        That is very creative, Vidya. Somehow I end up making it mostly with leftover rice. For train journeys, this is always what we carry from home. 🙂

        Reply
    4. Roshni says

      January 10, 2018 at 11:44 pm

      Nice! I make it with garam masala instead of sambar powder, but otherwise, the same recipe! Looks delicious!

      Reply
      • Rachna says

        January 11, 2018 at 11:20 am

        I alternate between the two depending upon what is available. 😉 It is actually so tasty and simple. I have wholeheartedly adopted it.

        Reply
    5. Shailaja V says

      January 11, 2018 at 8:20 am

      Looks absolutely delightful! My mom makes a fab version of this ? I usually make coconut rice or puliogare. Should make this for dabba. Thanks for the idea, Rachna ?

      Reply
      • Rachna says

        January 11, 2018 at 11:19 am

        I am sure. Mums are so good with cooking. 🙂 You really must try this. My kids just love it in their dabba.

        Reply
    6. the bespectacled mother says

      January 11, 2018 at 10:27 am

      The tomato rice looks tasty in the photo. This recipe is doable for me. I will try it over the weekend.

      Reply
      • Rachna says

        January 11, 2018 at 11:18 am

        You will like it, Anamika. It is really so simple. Let me know if you try it how it went.

        Reply
        • the bespectacled mother says

          January 13, 2018 at 4:05 pm

          I made the tomato rice for lunch today. It turned out tasty. D also liked it very much.

          Reply
          • Rachna says

            January 13, 2018 at 4:06 pm

            So happy to hear. ?

            Reply
    7. Shilpa Garg says

      January 11, 2018 at 12:09 pm

      We make this with left over rice too and it is loved by all of us. Sambhar masala gives it a distinct flavour!

      Reply
      • Rachna says

        January 12, 2018 at 9:30 am

        Ah so true.

        Reply
    8. Rajlakshmi says

      January 12, 2018 at 4:01 am

      I loveeeee tomato rice… With lots of peanuts. It is my go to recipe too. I haven’t made it with dal though. Will try it next time.

      Reply
      • Rachna says

        January 12, 2018 at 9:30 am

        Oh with peanuts. Never heard of that. Erm dal? I don't use dal either. 🙂 But you must try it. It's a really nice recipe.

        Reply
    9. Soumya Prasad says

      January 12, 2018 at 12:42 pm

      Perfect lunch box idea this is. My mom is to send it to me once in a while. While my husband hates the flavor of tomato, I don’t make this often. Though sometimes I add methi leaves to this and call it methi rice for him ?

      Works like a charm.

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi and welcome!

    I am Rachna, a Certified Nutritionist and Health Coach. I help you eat healthy. I specialize in healthy recipes especially Air fryer recipes.

    I offer Health and Nutrition Coaching aimed at helping you achieve fat loss, healthy eating habits and more stamina and flexibility.

    More about me →

    HEALTHY RECIPES

    • 3 air fried corn on the cob on a white plate.
      Air fryer Corn on the Cob
    • Air fryer Mushrooms
    • Air fryer beet chips on a white plate
      Air fryer Beet Chips
    • Close up of air fried chickpeas in a bowl
      Air fryer Chickpeas
    • Delicious roasted zucchini in a white plate
      Air fryer Zucchini No Breading
    • a bowl of roasted peanuts in air fryer with a spicy coating.
      Air fryer Peanuts

    LATEST RECIPES

    • 7 idlis after steaming on a white plate.
      Quinoa Idli Recipe
    • Kothimbir vadi served on a white plate.
      Air Fryer Kothimbir Vadi
    • Indian cucumber salad served on a white plate.
      Indian Cucumber Salad or Kakdi Chi Koshimbir
    • Close up of sprouted moong pakode on a plate
      Air Fryer Whole Moong Pakode
    • Close up of Gobi 65 on a plate
      Air fryer Gobi 65 | Cauliflower 65
    • fried eggs
      Easy 6-Ingredient Air Fryer Recipes You Must Try Now

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    POLICIES

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Accessibility Policy

    NEWSLETTER

    • Sign Up for emails and updates

    ABOUT

    • About
    • Contact
    • Media Kit

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This blog earns income from affiliate links and ads.

    Copyright © Rachna cooks 2025

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.