Tomatoes are a staple in Indian cooking, bringing vibrant colour, tanginess, a little sweetness and depth to countless recipes. Their sheer versatility often helps bring a dish together, while their natural acidity balances spices beautifully. Firm ripe tomatoes are essential in cooking, because they hold their texture better, release only just enough juice without turning mushy, and also provide that crucial balance between sweet and sour. Today’s two dishes are prime examples of Indian home cooking and comfort food at its best.

Tamatar rice (rice cooked in tomatoes and spices; pictured top)

Serve this with any dal or meat curry, though if you ask me it’s best eaten by itself with yoghurt or a tomato raita – to make the latter, mix a small chopped, deseeded tomato into 150g yoghurt, then stir in 25ml milk, a small handful of chopped fresh coriander, a teaspoon of toasted crushed cumin seeds and season to taste.

Prep 10 min
Soak 15 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4

250g basmati rice
250g firm ripe tomatoes (about 2 large ones), roughly chopped
6 tsp melted ghee
20g cashew nuts
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
10-12 fresh curry leaves
2 banana shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
Juice of ½ lemon
Yoghurt, to serve

Soak the rice in cold water for 15 minutes, then drain and rinse thoroughly under the cold tap.

Put the chopped tomatoes in a blender and blitz smooth. Once pureed, strain through a sieve into a bowl, reserving the liquid for later.

Put two teaspoons of melted ghee in a wide pan or wok for which you have a lid, put it on a low heat, then lightly toast the cashew nuts – lift them out as soon as they start to change colour. Add the remaining four teaspoons of melted ghee to the same pan, tip in the mustard and cumin seeds and, as soon as they start to pop, stir in the curry leaves and thinly sliced shallots. Turn up the heat to high and cook, stirring, for three minutes.

Pour in the reserved tomato liquid, cook over a medium heat for four minutes, then add the salt and rice, and stir to combine. Pour in 450ml just-boiled water, bring everything to a boil, then turn down the heat and stir in the toasted cashew nuts and lemon juice. Cover the pan with a lid and leave to cook for eight minutes – the idea is to let the rice absorb all the liquid, so don’t touch it.

After eight minutes, take the pan off the heat and leave to rest for at least five minutes before serving.

Tamatar ki sabzi (tomato curry)

Prep 10 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 3-4

30ml rapeseed oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black mustard seeds
10-12 fresh curry leaves
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
20g piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into julienne strips
3 green finger chillies, slit open lengthways
475g firm ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp sambar powder
1 tsp brown sugar
15g chopped fresh coriander leaves, to garnish
Rice or bread, to serve

Put the oil in a deep, wide saucepan on a medium heat, and add the cumin and mustard seeds. As soon as they start to pop, add the curry leaves and sliced onion, and cook, stirring, over a high heat for three minutes. Add the ginger and green chillies, cook, still stirring, for two minutes more, then turn down the heat to medium, add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.

Stir in the salt, turmeric, sambar powder and sugar, then pour in 500ml just-boiled water and leave to bubble away gently for 10 minutes.

Take off the heat, sprinkle the chopped coriander over the top and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Serve with rice or bread.