Yesterday’s lunch, Today’s snack! That is the story of these tasty little bites. They are simply tomato rice formed into oblong croquettes, breaded and deep fried. They make excellent little party appetizers or a kid-friendly quick snack.
I made this simple but yummy tomato rice (and later, croquettes) for my little guy who is completely in his ‘ terrible twos’ phase. One day he likes to eat, the next day he doesn’t even want to look at his plate, which is of course, frustrating for me. He loves his fruits, but veggies…that’s another story. He is an expert at picking apart carrots, beans and broccoli from his food, which he then neatly shoves into a corner of his high chair tray. So now I have resorted to pureeing the veggies and adding that to his favorite foods like pasta, idly and pancakes, which seems to be working, at least for now. For example, I sauté and puree beetroot/ carrots and add it to my dosa and idly batter, and he loves eating the colorful dosas and idlys.
Although I prefer my rice on the fluffier side, since I was making it for my toddler, I made it slightly mushy by adding more water than required, which helped in forming the rice into croquettes easily.
Tomato Rice
Ingredients:
1 cup Basmati rice, rinsed and soaked in water for 10 mins
2 large tomatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced
1 chicken bullion cube
1 tbsp. tomato ketchup
1/4 cup green peas (optional)
21/2 cups water
Oil and salt as needed
Method:
Drain the rice and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Add the onion and sauté till it becomes soft. Add in the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the chicken cube and the tomatoes and mix well. Add the green peas, if using. Sauté till the tomato is well cooked and oil begins to separate. Add the ketchup. Check for salt – since the chicken cube has salt in it, be careful while adding more. Add the drained rice to the tomato mixture and mix well. Pour in the water, mix until combined and cook on medium-low heat until the rice is done. Serve hot.
Croquettes
Ingredients:
Tomato rice
1 egg, beaten
1 cup bread crumbs
Oil, for frying
Method:
Slightly mash and form the tomato rice into oblong croquettes. Dip them in the beaten egg, and roll in the bread crumbs. Deep fry. Serve hot.
Violets & Vanilla 