Tomato Rice with Herbs (Vegan / Vegetarian)

This is yet another recipe from my trusted cookbook by Kurma Dasa. I have never attempted to make rice the non-Chinese way, and this dish turned out pretty good for me today :) I made this dish because we had a lot of tomatoes at home that need to be used...

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"This simple combination of rice, herbs, and tomato with an Italian flavour can also be used as an alternative stuffing for baked peppers."

PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 25-35 minutes
YIELD: enough for 4 persons

1 cup (250 ml) basmati or other long-grain white rice
1 3/4 cups (435 ml) water
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
1 teaspoon (5 ml) paprika
1 teaspoon (20 ml) tomato paste
2 tablespoons (40 ml) fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
2 tablespoons (40 ml) olive oil
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) yellow asafoetida powder
1 cup (250 ml) firm tomatoes, cut into 1.25 cm (1/2-inch) cubes
2 tablespoons (40 ml) finely chopped fresh parsley

1. Wash, drain, and dry the rice.
2. Bring the water, salt, paprika, tomato paste, and basil slowly to a boil in a 2-litre/quart saucepan over moderate heat.
3. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick 2-litre/quart saucepan over moderately low heat. Saute the asafoetida in the hot ghee. Add the rice and stir-fry for about 2 minutes or until the rice grain turn whitish.
4. Pour in the boiling water. stir, raise the heat to high, and bring the water to a full boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and gently simmer, without stirring, for 15-20 minutesor until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender and flaky.
5. Remove the rice from the heat and allow it to steam for 5 minutes with the lid on. Finally, fold in the tomatoes and fresh parslye and serve immediately.

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Ingrid's experience with this dish:

• I didn't have any fresh parsley, so I used dried parsley flakes and some chopped basils to mix in at the end instead. I'm sure that the rice would be more flavorful with fresh parsley though.
• Again, I used grounded black pepper instead of asafoetida powder.

(Source: Great Vegetarian Dishes: Over 240 recipes from around the world by Kurma dasa. See more on http://www.kurma.net/)

(Keywords: vegan, vegetarian, rice dish, main entree, Indian, Italian, basmati rice, tomato)