Tomato and Cashew Rice

Hey everybody,

I haven't posted for a long time, but that doesn't mean I have been idle. I have experimented with some really interesting recipes. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures. Without images it is difficult to get a feel about how a dish looks like. Next time I promise not to be so lazy.

So last weekend I had a near constant party at my place for 2-days at a stretch for some friends and relatives came over and we had a blast cooking, eating, singing, chatting, guzzling drinks and in general making fools of ourselves.

Naturally the next day when they were gone and I was alone in my house, I didn't have the energy or the inclination to go out to buy something and I wanted to make something simple anyway after the hectic day at office.

I found a cup of diced tomatoes, a cup of cooked rice, a handful of cashewnuts (gone soft) and half a cup of chopped cilantro leaves (I had used up the stalks elsewhere) and I had to make do with these.

Surprisingly it came out so delicious that I decided to post the recipe. It is dedicated to lazy people like me who want to make something quick but comforting with things that are available in their refrigerator after a long day.

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked rice (the regular one, no need for the long-grain and more expensive variety)

1/2 cup of chopped cilantro/coriander leaves

1 large tomato diced and puréed

1 handful of cashew-nuts

1/2 teaspoon of black mustard seeds

1 green chilli (chopped)

1 dried red chilli (whole)

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Salt and sugar for seasoning

Preparation:

Heat oil in a saucepan and throw in the mustard seeds and the whole dried red chili. once they start to splutter add the cashew. As soon as the nuts turn golden brown add the tomato puree and the coriander leaves and stir. Add the chopped green chilli. Add half a teaspoon of sugar and salt as required. I added a few drops of lime juice too. When the mixture doesn't look watery anymore and the colour is darkened add the rice. Stir all the while on high heat. The entire thing should not take more than five minutes. Remove from heat and serve hot.