Simple recipes are the best ones to satisfy you the most. Rice cooked in freshly grated tomatoes by mom is always my good to go to rice when I cook for my loved ones, especially at home, for my dear husband, Philippe. Since fresh tomatoes are hard to find in the Netherlands in any season, -my standard for tasty tomatoes greatly increased the years we spent in Spain. -, you can use ready Italian tomato sauce (my favorite) as a substitute. My favourite rice is long grain Pandan jasmine rice.
Cooking some rice for my family-in-law at my sister-in-law’s kitchen in Sonoma
For my Thursday weekly pick-up meals and also at home, I use this rice. So far, unfortunately I have not found any Turkish rice that can beat this taste. When my aunt, who is an excellent cook, was here last May, she also confirmed the deliciousness of this rice. It is quite flavorful but not as overpowering as basmati rice.
Serves 4 – 6 people:
2 cups of jasmine rice
2 cups of cold water (from tap)
1 cup of tomato sauce (if using fresh tomatoes use 3 big and juicy ones)
1 tbsp of butter (skip this if you make vegan rice, instead use 5 tbsp olive oil)
2 tbsp of olive oil
½ tsp black pepper
TIP: If you are using fresh tomatoes for the recipe, and they are not that sweet:
Add 1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
- Peel your tomatoes and then puree them in a blender. If you use a ready sauce, skip this step.
- Rinse your rice under cold running water a couple of times, until the starch is rinsed.
- Add butter and olive oil to your rice pot and put on medium high heat.
- When the oil is heated, add the rice, coating it with oil, and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add the water and the tomato sauce and stir until even.
- Bring to a boil and cover the pot.
- After boiling turn the heat to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes, lid covered.
- Turn off the heat, and put a dry cloth under the lid, cover the lid again.
- Do not touch the pot for about 20 min.
