Tomato Pilaf (Nasi Tomato)

Okay, I know it has been days since I posted my last recipe.  Well, I was not able to do much about it as the LCD screen of my mobile phone was cracked.  My heart broke.  The phone was my life.  My only source of snapping my not so great "I am in the mood" photos of great value for your viewing pleasure.  I didn't want to be snapping pictures through a cracked screen so I decided to wait until it was repaired.

Though I enjoy licking butter off my fingers, I shall spare you the details of my butter fingers crap. I hope that does not sound confusing. :) It just makes me more angry with myself talking about it.

Anyway, as most of us know, Muslims has just finished celebrating Eid-ul-Adha or better known as Hari Raya Haji in Malay. I had quite a good cooking session preparing the menu for that day. I cooked Biryani Rice, Biryani Chicken, Vegetable Dalca and Coriander Chutney as a dip for the Appalam and sliced cucumber pieces. Oh yes, my family had a good feast. I sure have reached the heart of my husband through his stomach during the past five years but if I can get myself buried deep inside, why not? I shall make him fat just like the supermodel me! Hehe... ;p

I had every intention of snapping the step by step photographs during the cooking session despite the cracked LCD screen on my phone but I could not really get around to snapping good "I am in the mood" pictures as there were just too much things for me to do and to look into and I was very much in between of things in the kitchen.  Things were chaotic and it was pretty rushing as I was expecting some guests to arrive at 1 pm.  My "super model sized" body was very busy!  So taking good step-by-step pictures were really out of the question in such situations.  I will definitely post the recipes when I get around to cooking them in a more peaceful manner.

I still had some biryani chicken which I had frozen after cooking.  I knew that I will still be tired from all the cooking and rushing so having frozen one or two dishes to limit cooking during the one or two days after would really help a lot.  All I need to do is just to cook some rice to go along with the dish.  Biryani Chicken though usually paired with Biryani Rice, can be eaten with white rice, white bread, paratha, or chapathi.  However, I have decided to make some Tomato Pilaf to go with it.  This is my beloved mum's recipe.

Do note that the ingredients here are for about two average sized drinking mugs (the size of a condensed milk can) of rice.

Ingredients:

2 drinking mugs of rice - rinsed and placed in the rice cooker with the amount of water as you would require (It would be good to use Basmati Rice and usually the measurement would be 1 mug of rice with 1 and half mug of water.  I am using ponni rice so my water requirements would be 1 mug of rice with 2 mugs of water.)

3 pieces pandan leaves (also known as screwpine leaves) - cleaned and tied in a bunch into a knot

1 stick of cinnamon (about 2 cm)

3 cardamoms

3 cloves

2 star anises

1 large onion - finely sliced

2 garlics - finely sliced or chopped

2 cm ginger - chopped

2 and a half teaspoon of tomato puree

1 piece of chicken stock cube

2 tablespoon of ghee

a small bunch of coriander leaves

a small bunch of mint leaves

a handful of fried shallots

half a teaspoon of sugar (or Ajinamoto, if you prefer)

salt to taste

Method:

1. Rinse rice and add water as required into rice cooker.

2. Heat ghee in pan and add in the finely sliced onions, chopped garlic and ginger, screwpine leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves and star anises. Saute for a few seconds and inhale all that fragrance.

3.  Add in the chicken stock cube. Press on it a few times to break it down and sauté for a good few seconds.

4. Add in the tomato puree.

5. Saute for about a minute or so in order to get the tomato puree fully incorporated with the ingredients. Again...inhale all that fragrance. I love it!

6. Off fire and pour everything in the pan into the rice cooker. Add in sugar (or Ajinamoto, if you prefer) and salt to taste.

7. Give a stir. Place the lid of the rice cooker and cook your rice as usual.

 8. When your rice are about 3/4 done, take off lid.

 

 9. Add in the mint leaves, coriander leaves and fried shallots.

 10. Fluff the rice with a fork and replace lid and let rice cook completely.

11. Rice is ready to be served with any kinds of curry.

Happy Kitchen-ing!!