TOMATO RICE

Nasi tomato (Tomato Rice) is more of a dish for special occasions like engagements, weddings, festivals  than an everyday meal choice in Malaysia.  It is called such because the  rice is cooked with tomato puree, giving it that distinctive red-ish tint all over.  It is usually eaten with dalca  (lentils) and vegetable curry, or ayam masak merah (spicy red chicken) and a side of acar/vegetable relish.


Here's the recipe for making Tomato Rice: 



INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups Basmati rice or long grain rice (washed and drained)
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 tablespoon ghee
• 15 small onions, sliced
• 1 cup water
• 1 can of evaporated milk

Spices:

• 4 candlenuts, ground
• 2 star anise
• 3 cloves
• 1 piece cinnamon bark

Garnishing :

• Fried onions
• spring onions
• celery

COOKING METHOD

1. Spoon in the ghee into the cooking pot and allow to cook for a minute.
2. Add in all the spices and cook for about two minutes.
3. Then mix in the rice, and cook for also about 2-3 minutes.
4. Then add water, milk and tomato paste and mix and blend them together with the rice. Boil the mixture until the rice is fully cooked.
5. When the rice is cooked, serve with the garnishing.

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The taste of this traditional rice dish is sweeter because of the tomato paste (sometimes tomato puree is used) blended and mixed with the rice. Sometimes too, raisins and cashew-nuts are added into the mixture to give a more varied taste.

Source: http://www.pahang-delights.com/nasi-tomato.html