- 2 tbsp Olive oilextra virgin , plus extra for garnish
- 1 Onionfinely chopped
- 2 cloves Garlicfinely chopped
- ¼ tsp Chili flakes
- 400 g Can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Raisins
- 2 cups Long grain ricecooked
- 3 tsp Butter
- ½ Zucchinisliced into rounds
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- pinch Cumin
- Saltto taste
- 3 sprigs Fresh mint
Middle Eastern Fried Tomato Rice
Middle Eastern Fried Tomato Rice is one of my favorite vegetarian recipes – it is quick and easy to prepare and cook. It is also full of gorgeous ingredients like zucchini, raisins, yogurt and mint. You will love this recipe if you try it!
To make this, start by cooking onion in a skillet. Add garlic and chili flakes before stirring in tomatoes, and butter. Simmer until thick and fragrant before adding raisins and cooked tomato sauce to the rice. Arrange slices of zucchini around the base of a buttered pan. Add the rice mixture and press it down to compress. Cover and cook until the rice is toasting. Place the rice cake on a plate. Mix yogurt, cumin and pinch of salt together in a small jug or bowl. To serve, drizzle the yogurt mixture over the rice. Garnish the rice with herbs and a drizzle of oil.
Steps to make Middle Eastern Fried Tomato Rice
1 | Cook onion | 3 |
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add 1 chopped onion and a pinch of salt. Fry the onion gently until the onion is soft and slightly translucent. | ||
2 | Add garlic, chili and tomatoes | 15 |
Add 2 cloves of garlic and ¼ teaspoon of chili flakes to the pan with the onions. Stir in a can of tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of butter. Season to taste with salt. Simmer the tomatoes with the lid on for 15 minutes. | ||
3 | Combine tomato sauce, raisins and rice | 2 |
When the tomato sauce is thick and fragrant, add 2 tablespoons of raisins and cooked tomato sauce to the rice. Stir well with a spoon or spatula and taste to adjust seasoning. | ||
4 | Prepare pan | 1 |
Grease a small, non-stick pan with the rest of the butter. Place the ½ a sliced zucchini around the base of the pan. | ||
5 | Top with rice | 2 |
Spoon the rice and tomato mixture on top of the zucchini slices. Use the back of a large spoon to compress the rice mixture. | ||
6 | Cook | 10 |
Cover the pan with a lid or foil and place in the oven to cook for 8-10 minutes until you smell the rice toasting. | ||
7 | Remove the cake from the pan | 1 |
Once the rice is cooked, remove from the oven and twist the rice ‘cake’ gently to loosen it from the bottom of the pan. Place a large plate on top of the pan and flip it over so that the rice cake slides out of the pan. | ||
8 | Make dressing | 1 |
Combine ½ a cup of yogurt with a pinch each of cumin and salt. | ||
9 | Serve | |
Serve the rice garnished with herbs and drizzled with the dressing and the remaining oil. | ||
