Tomato Bath

If you’re looking to build up on that dish and don’t mind the slightly longer cook time (around 40 minutes), this is the next level recipe for you. I make this wholesome and satiating rice and tomato meal with coconut often as we relish it immensely.

While my recipe has instructions for cooking tomato bath in the pressure cooker, you can cook it in a deep pan directly on the stovetop or even in the instant pot.

About Tomato Bath

Tomato bath translates to “rice cooked with plenty of tomatoes”. So it is similar to the South Indian tomato rice where the dish is spiced to perfection to infuse the aromas of whole and ground spices along with herbs.

The Kannada word “bath” also spelled as “Bhath” is a one pot sweet or savory dish where all the ingredients are immersed in water and cooked to a moist dish. Kesari bath, chow chow bath, bisi bele bath are a few such dishes from Karnataka.

Cooked rice is so versatile that it lends itself to a plethora of dishes. This tangy and spicy tomato bath is one such delicious recipe popularized by restaurants from Udupi region of Karnataka.

My Recipe

This tomato bath is special for it’s a flavorsome cross between a veg pulao and thakkali sadam. The tanginess in the tomatoes is nicely balanced by the mild sweetness of freshly grated coconut.

The pungency of tempered spices adds the necessary warmth to the dish. In other words, you get the taste of two unique dishes in one delicious pot.

You cook the onion and tomatoes in an earthy and spicy ground coconut paste. Rice is blended in with mint, coriander leaves, and whole spices that lend their unique tang to the tomato gravy. Let the flavors bloom and blend together as the rice cooks to soft and moist perfection.

How to Make Tomato Bath

Prepare the rice

1. Rinse 1 cup of sona masuri or ponni rice. You can use any short or medium grain, non-sticky rice to make this tomato bath. Drain all the water from the rice using a colander and set the rice aside.

2. In the meantime, prep the rest of the ingredients.

• Deseed and chop 150 to 175 grams tomatoes (2 medium, ¾ to 1 cup chopped)
• Chop 1 to 2 tbsps mint (10)
• Chop 2 tbsps corianders leaves (handful)
• Slice the small onion (¼ cup).
• Grate 3 to 4 tbsps coconut
• Get ¼ cup peas ready. You can peel the tomatoes, if desired, but the skins tend to contain considerable nutrients.

Make the coconut and spice paste

I made 2x recipe so you will find double the ingredients in the pictures.

3. Add the following to a grinder jar. This is the base of the masala along with tomatoes.

• 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh coconut
• 2-4 mild red chili (6 bydagi)
• ½-¾ teaspoon fennel seeds
• ¾ inch ginger
• 3 cloves
• 2 green cardamoms pods, crushed

4. I use few red chilies and little chilli powder because the red chilies I have are too hot. If you have low heat chilies, you can skip the powder and use more red chilies instead. So add

• ½ teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to taste)
• 4 to 6 tbsps water ( ¼ cup + 2 tbsps)

5. Grind to a smooth paste, scrapping the sides of the jar in between.

Cook the tomato bath

6. Heat 1 ½ tablespoons ghee or oil (if vegan) in pressure pan or deep pan. Lower the heat and add the following whole spices –
1 star anise, 2 green cardamoms, 1-inch cinnamon, 2 cloves, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and 1 small bay leaf (tej patta). Fry the spices until fragrant for a minute.

7. Now add ¼ cup of sliced onions (1 small). Sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes on medium heat, until the onions become transparent, and the rawness is gone.

9. Add chopped tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the tomatoes become soft and mushy.

10. Now add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of garam masala and ¾ teaspoon of coriander powder. Also mix in the ground coconut paste to the tomatoes. Stir well to combine.

11. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until thick, paste starts to leave the sides of the pan. Don’t skip this step as this is necessary to bring out the rich flavors of the dish.

12. Next add ½ cup of fresh or frozen green peas, 1 to 2 tablespoon of chopped mint (pudina) and 2 tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the flavors blend with the peas. You can also use precooked dried peas or other chopped vegetables like carrot, beets or beans.

13. Add 1¾ cups of water to the pressure pan. Add 2 cups of water if you’re cooking directly on the stovetop (as some of the water will evaporate with open cooking). Taste and adjust seasonings. Add the rinsed rice. Taste test and add more salt if required. The water has to be slightly salty.

14. Cover with lid and cook the tomato bath on medium heat for 10-12 minutes and until you hear 2 whistles. Or cook on high heat for 5-7 minutes and until you hear 1 whistle. The water should be absorbed, and the rice grains moist, soft and fluffy.

If cooking on the stovetop pot, cover with lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the rice is cooked.

15. Remove from heat and let the tomato bath remain covered for 5-10 minutes. When the pressure drops, open the cooker. You will see much of the coconut masala on top. Fluff the rice with a fork and mix the masala well. This step is very important.