Tomato Rice

This is a pilaf (pullao), where the rice soaks and cooks in broth, infusing the broth flavors into the rice.

Ingredients

1 medium onion

2 medium tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 cup brown rice soaked 2 hr

1 tsp cumin seed ground

1 tsp fennel seed ground

1/4 tsp chili pepper ground

1/2 tsp black pepper ground

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup water

1 tsp lemon juice

handful fresh coriander

Preparation

Plan ahead and soak brown rice 2 hrs. Wash and drain.

Brown onion, 5 min. Meanwhile, in spice grinder, grind cumin seed, fennel seed, red chili pepper and black pepper. Add tomatoes, tomato puree, spices, salt and water, simmer 5 min. Remove from heat, and use stick blender to blend smooth.

In rice cooker, mix the brown rice and the blended base, and start rice cooker cooking. The water measured and added to the base needs to be just the correct ratio for the rice cooker. Typically, for soaked brown rice this will be 1 cup rice to 1 cup water. The rice cooker will automatically boil and simmer the rice 30 min, then switch to warm and steam the rice 15 min.

If using a pan, mix brown rice into blended base and bring to boil, then turn down heat to simmer and cover with lid, and cook 30 min. After 30 min, without removing lid, remove from heat and allow to steam 15 min.

Add touch of lemon juice to taste, garnish with fresh coriander and serve.