Saturday, September 06, 2008

Easy Peasy Nasi Tomato

We had bought a leg of lamb on Thursday and I had marinated it that very afternoon, not remembering that it was my birthday the next day. Ninuk reminded me by asking if it was for my birthday dinner, and I was wracking my brain for ideas of what to eat the lamb with, when Rozanne, in her birthday wish for me on TheBookOfFace, asked me for the recipe for Nasi Tomato. Lightbulbs went off, Nasi Tomato and Roast Lamb it is! I also decided to make some pajeri nenas to provide the obligatory kuah (gravy) for any rice dish we have in this family.

So this post is not only to show off tell you about what I had for my birthday iftar, but to also share with you (especially Rozanne) my recipe for an easy peasy nasi tomato (tomato rice).
My version of tomato rice does not use ghee or evaporated milk because I don't like it when my rice is too rich. Some recipes also use pandan (screwpine) leaves to add aroma, but since it's quite difficult to find that here, I also omitted that out. The result is a very light but tasty tomato rice, that went very well with lamb and pajeri nenas (a sweet, thick, pineapple curry).

Easy Peasy Nasi Tomato (Tomato Rice)

Ingredients:
2 cups rice (washed and drained)
Enough water to cook rice*
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cube chicken stock OR salt to taste
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion chopped fine
2 cloves garlic sliced very fine (mayang)
one 2inch cinnamon stick (kulit kayu manis)
one star annise (bunga lawang)
2 cardammom pods (buah pelaga)

Method:
In your rice pot, mix rice, water, tomato paste, sugar and stock/salt.
In a seperate frying pan, heat up oil and saute onions, garlic and spices till onions are slightly brown and spices are fragrant.
Transfer fried ingredients into the rice pot, stir to mix well and let rice cook as usual**
When rice is done, garnish with roasted almonds/cashews, crispy shallots and chopped coriander.
Can served with most curry dishes, chicken in red sauce, pajeri nenas, mixed salad or any type of acar (mixed vegetables in a simple vinegar+sugar dressing)
Serves 4 adults comfortably.



Notes:
* I used the normal thai rice, but you may use basmathi rice if you prefer, so the amount of water required may vary. I am old fashioned and still use my finger to measure my water so cant really tell how much I actually used.
** I still cook my rice on the stove, so usually I let it boil on high uncovered until the water level recedes to the very surface of the rice, reduce the heat to low, give it a good stir, then cover the pot. I let it steam itself for about another 10 minutes then check if the rice is done by taking a few grains and pressing it in between my fingers. If it's thoroughly tender, then it's done, and you can take it off the heat. Electric rice cookers tend to undercook any type of rice dish that has tomatoes or milk in them, so if you're using one to prepare this dish, check often and keep switching on the cooker till your rice is done.

Links to related recipes:
Pajeri Nenas
Kid-Friendly Ayam Masak Merah (Not spicy Chicken in Red Sauce)

Happy trying, and don't forget to tell me how yours turn out!

14 comments:

  1. ni i take a bite - batal tak puasa ? anyway, happy besday ! sendiri besday sendiri cook sendiri ambil gambar sendiri post to the "world" -- tak pe asal semua happy.
    -ninuk

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  2. baru tengok gambar je dah tahu pasti yummmmmmyyyy!!! :)

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  3. ninuk - take a bite dalam hati tak apa.. jangan sampai meleleh air liur sudah.. :)
    Dah nak buat camner, kita tak ada orang dekat2 nak masakkan untuk kita... Kenalah buat semua sendiri. :(

    famy - you mesti boleh buat sendiri punya lah...! I think your kids will love this rice with ayam masak merah. Tak pedas and very tomato-tomato.

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  4. the leg of lamb look moist, sorry tak comment lebih, im the minority of non-lamb eater

    but reminding you that daun pandan, kedai oriental ada. if you wrappped it in newspaper and keep in freezer...will tahan till next year

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  5. swahili- it was moist but a bit bland.. so for sahur I made gravy :)

    You know I havent been to the oriental store ever since I got back. I dont even have Serai, lengkuas and daun limau purut! Seksa gila nak memasak.
    I think tomorrow I have to drag myself to take the bus lah. But its. So. hot!!!

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  6. Elisa

    Happy belated birthday. Semoga panjang umur, sihat wal afiat dan murah rezeki selalu.

    Ishhkk mistake betul tgk this blog entry at 5 pm! Torture rasanya!

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  7. Anonymous8:03 PM

    Chicken Stock instead of milk huh? I will try this out..in my version I like to add finely chopped fresh tomatoes too so that the rice is nice and moist.

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  8. Happy Birthday dear Elisa!

    What a coincidence... I cooked Nasi Tomato too today..
    tapi entry nya hanya keluar esok.. and mine got no recipe ;).

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  9. sunflora,
    thanx for the birthday wish!
    and sorry for torturing you. Dah berapa tahun you baca blog ni, you should know by now that during ramadhan, you should visit my blog with caution during the day.
    ha ha :)

    han,
    omitting the milk makes the rice lighter, not so lemak. Ha.. I wanted to add chopped tomatoes, tapi my rice pot so kecik, I takut spill over. So I sliced the tomatoes as ulam instead.
    My rice was okay, tak dry. Taufik suka nasik lembik sikit so memang I selalu masak letak air lebih sikiiiit.

    Neeza,
    wehhh mana boleh masak takde resipi.. mesti ada, but it's in your head.. :)
    share share share!

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  10. hmm... aiyo! almost every blog i frequent ada tayang gambar makanan... UWAAA!!!!! i tak pandai masak!!! hehehee *malu*

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  12. Anonymous8:55 AM

    Salam,
    Hope all is well with you and family.

    the roast lamb looks absolutely yummy. boleh share recipe?

    thanks

    -roza-

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  13. najlah,
    Then you've come to the right blog! Coz I pun tak pandai masak, so my recipes are all easy epasy lemon squeazy!! tee hee :)
    Cuba lah ;)

    Roza,
    Senang aje ...
    use a sharp knife to cut small deep slits in the meat, slice garlic thinly and sumbat kedalam lubang tu. Rub the outside with whatever herb you have (rosemary recommended, tapi I guna mixed italian herbs sebab itu aje I ada), rub with lemon juice (i guna balsamic vinegar, sedap jugak). Wrap with plastic, masuk fridge to marinate overnight.
    preheat oven to 450degF, bring lamb out, bring to room temp. before masuk oven, rub with salt&pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, pastu reduce oven to 350degF, roast for 25minutes per pound. My roast was 1.2kg, I roasted for 66minutes, so, maybe 50minutes per kg ke?
    Bila bawak keluar, let rest for at least half an hour before slicing.
    Masa berbuka I tak buat gravy, tapi masa sahur I made gravy sebab I rasa daging dia tawar sikit kat dalam (tapi lembut!). Kalau you want a more thorough flavour, try using lamb chops instead of leg of lamb.

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  14. Anonymous1:28 PM

    Elisalah! It looks like I missed your birthday for the 300th time in a row. Sorrylah. Love you long time.

    Pee Dee.

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