Tomato Bath Recipe

Tomato Bath is an aromatic, tasty and spicy one pot rice meal cooked with tomatoes, coconut, peas, herbs and spices. This is a perfect dish for busy days when you need a simple prep yet healthy and delicious lunch box option. Learn to make simple Karnataka style tomato bath in 2 ways – with and without coconut. Do you want for a rice dish you can make in a jiffy? Try my simple tomato bath without coconut following my recipe 2.

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.

Karnataka is home to umpteen rice dishes, each competing for the favorite dish spot. You’ll find many versions of tomato rice recipe including the quick tomato bath I posted here (recipe 2).

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.

Photo Guide

How to Make Tomato Bath (stepwise photos)

Recipe 1 – 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.

Serve tomato bath warm or hot with onion raita.

Pro tips

• Use the juiciest red tomatoes you can find. You can use a mix of tomato varieties, but they should be soft and ripe.
• Don’t skip the whole masala as they add extra flavor to the dish.
• To get the best of the sweet and tangy flavor, cook the tomato and coconut masala for 5 minutes.
• Don’t add more than two vegetables as you’ll transform this into something other than tomato bath.
• Fluff the rice after it’s cooked to ensure the dish isn’t soggy but somewhat moist with a pulao or biryani feel.
• This versatile dish is adaptable according to your likings. Add vegetables of your choice instead of peas. If your kids prefer carrots or capsicum, add these vegetables. Other options include beets, yellow pumpkin or any quick cooking green beans.

Substitutes

• This recipe uses a South Indian rice variety — sona masuri. You can use basmati, ponni, brown rice or red rice, Cook with any short, medium or long grain rice, but refrain from parboiled and sticky types. Soak the basmati rice and brown rice for at least 20 minutes before cooking.
• Fresh coconut provides the rich creamy taste to the tomato bath. Sub with thick coconut milk, desiccated or frozen versions, but don’t use dry copra.
• Add more garam masala or sabzi masala instead of whole spices in a pinch or if your kids don’t like whole spices in their rice. The flavor profile will alter a bit with the addition of masala powders.

Related Recipes

Recipe Card

Photo Guide

Recipe 2

Tomato bath without coconut (stepwise photos)

1. Add 1½ cups rice to a bowl and rinse it well a few times. Pour fresh water and soak it till you prepare the veggies. Rinse and prepare the following vegetables and herbs:

• 1 medium onion (sliced thin)
• 1 to 2 green chilies (slit)
• 3 large tomatoes (chopped, if preferred deseed as well)
• 1 medium potato (diced)
• 8 french beans chopped (optional or ¼ cup peas)
• ¼ cup chopped beetroot (optional)
• 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

2. Heat a pot or pressure cooker with 2 tablespoons oil or ghee. Then add the following seasoning whole spices.

• 1 bay leaf
• 2 inch cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3 cloves
• 4 green cardamoms
• 6 to 8 pepper corn (optional)
• 1 star anise. Fry till they begin to sizzle on a low flame.

3. Add onions and green chilies. Saute till the onions turn translucent. Next add 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste. Saute till the raw smell disappears, for about 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Add tomatoes, ¼ teaspoon turmeric and ½ teaspoon salt. Saute till the tomatoes turn mushy.

5. Add ½ teaspoon red chili powder and ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder. Then saute for 2 to 3 mins.

6. Add potatoes, beetroot or beans. Fry for about 2 to 3 minutes. Cover and cook for 2 mins.

6. Pour water & add coriander leaves.
To pressure cook: For basmati rice I use 2½ cups water. If using any other kind of rice, use the same amount as you would use to cook that rice normally.
To cook in pot: For basmati rice, use 3 cups water. For other kinds of rice, use the same amount as you use to cook that kind in a pot.

7. Add drained rice.

8. Give a good mix and taste test the water. Add more salt if needed.

Pot & cooker methods

9. To pressure cook for basmati rice – 1 whistle on a medium heat. If using normal rice then allow 2 whistles.
To cook in pot, cover and cook on a low heat until the rice is cooked fully. If the tomato bhath is under cooked you may sprinkle some hot water and cook further.

10. When the pressure releases, open the lid and fluff up the rice. You get a nice color after you mix the rice.

Tomato bath is ready. Serve hot with your favorite raita.

For more simple rice recipes, you can check this
Ghee rice recipe
Pulao recipe
Bisi bele bath
Vangi bath

Recipe card

This post is from the Archives. First published November 2014. Updated and republished in August 2021.