Spicy Tomato & Bell Pepper Rice



tomato-bell-pepper-rice
Tomatoes and Bell Peppers, are both great sources of antioxidants and useful nutrients for the body. Add to that the fact that they are both colorful, pretty and full of flavor too, and you have a winning combination! These two come together beautifully in this colorfully spicy and tasty Tomato Bell-Pepper Rice. For that extra wow factor, I added a teeny-weeny bit of ginger-garlic paste, some garam masala, and of course, freshly chopped cilantro! Its real simple to make, requires no preparation, and can be enjoyed with a simple Tomato-Cucumber Raita for a light and tasty weekday meal. Its a great variation to the authentic Tomato Rice, and packing up all those antioxidants is an added bonus!

Ingredients
3 cups long-grained rice (Basmati) - washed and cooked
1 small yellow bell-pepper - chopped finely
1 small red bell-pepper - chopped finely
2 medium firm tomatoes - chopped finely
3 tbsp tomato puree
1/2 onion - finely chopped (optional)
2 green chillies or jalapenos - finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro - chopped for garnish
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
3 tbsp oil
salt - to taste
lemon juice - to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chili powder

Method
Wash and cook the rice as you normally do. Using long-grained rice like Basmati helps give it a better texture, but you can use normal rice too, without compromising the taste. Cook the rice and keep it aside to cool down.

Take a wok, add oil and cumin seeds to it. When they start spluttering, add the green chillies and chopped onions and saute till they become soft and glazed. Add the tomato puree and all the dry spices, and mix well. One it starts bubbling a little, add the chopped green bell-peppers and saute again. Add salt and cook covered for 10-12 mins, till the peppers are tender and cooked through.

Now add the chopped tomatoes, along with any of their juice. Saute for a minute or so, then mix the cooked rice to it. Mix everything together gingerly, so it gets colored and the spices are evenly distributed. Add the lemon juice, cover with a lid and allow to cook for another 8-10 mins on low-flame.

When the rice looks cooked, take it off the stove and transfer to a serving bowl. Gingerly sprinkle the chopped cilantro and mix just to combine.

Serve with some Tomato-Cucumber Raita or with a curry of your choice. This simple yet tasty recipe for Tomato & Bell-Pepper Rice is fancy enough to be served to your guests at a party, and won't eat up much of your time!

Related Recipes:
Cheese & Bell Pepper Rice
Lemon & Coconut Rice
Brown Rice & Barley Salad


If you liked this post, please subscribe to our feed so you'd never miss a recipe or article again!





27 comments :

Manggy said...

I love this, Mansi-- the turmeric puts such a lovely hue on the rice.

Ramya's Mane Adige said...

Hey Mansi,

Saw your profile at the bawarchi expert panel....thats great, Congratulations!!!! My page might appear soon as well..... hopefully!!! :))
Love the pic of your bell pepper rice. it looks fab!

Anonymous said...

This looks delicious and easy, and I think I have all the ingredients for it! Maybe I'll try it this week.

The Short (dis)Order Cook said...

This really looks tasty. I love finding new ways to dress up plain old rice. The spice combination is great.

CurryLeaf said...

Lovely Mansi.I love that combo.To tell you the truth,I twisted your own cheese and bell pepper rice and added tomatoes and yes it was delish.It was my MBP: cheese entry-if interested you can find it here -http://tastycurryleaf.blogspot.com/2008/09/cheesy-bell-pepper-rice.html"

Anonymous said...

Nice Combo tomato and bell pepper. Looks like an easy recipe. I used to make tomato rice just like that but with bell peppers it sure must have taste good. Love to try this sometime

Anonymous said...

Pretty Holiday Header. & Pretty colors of your dish.

Vaishali said...

The rice looks delicious, Mansi. Bell peppers are a great addition.

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

this is a comforting bowl of rice in winter.. looks yummy

Mansi said...

thanks for the feedback, as always people! yes, this is indeed a simple twist to a classic Tomato Rice recipe, and I'm sure you'll love it!

Ramya - thanks! and wish you the same:)

CurryLeaf - thanks for trying out my recipe; your rice looks great! I love that cheese combo too:)

Unknown said...

This is the first time I am posting any comments, however i am a fan of your website and simply loved all recipes you have. I would suggest you to add a calculator for each recipes you have. Personnely I feel very comfortable when I have the number of service size and the calculator provide me an exact number for all ingredients...It simply rocks....However Thank you for bringing all delicious recipes for us.

Priya Suresh said...

Wow love the colour..tomato n bell pepper works wonder..the combination is simply superb Mansi...lovely dish..

Unknown said...

colorful healthy rice..

Mansi said...

Thansk for the suggestion falguni! and for your first comment - see it isn't that hard:)D

I'll definitely look at the calculator idea; please feel free to suggest if you know any:)

Priya, Divya - thanks girls!:)

Priya said...

The way you mentioned gingerly when talking about mixing the rice, almost made me slow down my speed of reading the post :)) Nice recipe Mansi :)

Sharmi said...

I can settle down with that bowl of comfort, thats what I call it:)

Kalai said...

Lovely rice, Mansi! I remember posting my version of this a while back. Should try your version next time! :)

vandana rajesh said...

yummy mansi...tomato rice is one of my favorites. In fact, was thinking of making it today. However, have never tried the combination of bell pepper. will try it next time.

Uma said...

thumbs up for a spicy tomato rice! A filling and delicious dish.

amna said...

i love the flavour of bell pepper!

Deepthi Shankar said...

tomato & bell pepper is a lovely combo .. love the flavor of bell pepper

Srivalli said...

Thanks for sending the lovely dish!

Anonymous said...

This is why I always have turmeric in the kitchen :)

Anonymous said...

Hi, ur blog luks awesome and pictures are very nice! First time to ur blog! Bell pepper rice looks mouth watering!

Pam said...

Simple but delicious. I love easy to make dishes that are full of flavor.

Dragon said...

I love the colour of this rice. So vibrant!

Brocade Blue said...

I tried this for Mother's Day with the Butter Panner recipe and it worked well with each other. I love the paneer recipe. Everything was so balanced out. My parents loved it so much!