The Great American Road Trip - Tomato Rice

As the road stretched out ahead of us, I pulled my sunshade down and listened to my Walkman. When I was a kid, my parents loved the great American road trip. We would be woken up at 4 am and then gently shepherded to the car. My mom would have packed it to the brim the night before, ready to go on our yearly summer vacation. My brother and I would curl up, fall asleep and wake up several hours later. We would be well on our way. My mom would have several large maps open on her lap, carefully mapping out how we would get there.

My Dad loved to drive. He also loved cars. For him, they were not just a means to an end or something that would get you from point A to point B. He loved taking care of them, each slight creak or groan would promptly have his attention, and he would quickly have a mechanic make sure the car was ok. Perhaps a car was part of his American dream. Owning a car, driving, and the freedom it affords is definitely part of many people's idea of America.

And with the freedom that a car brings, my parents loved road trips. We drove all over the country,  Florida, Oklahoma, Niagara Falls. We made it halfway across the country to St. Louis, and I remember the towering St. Louis Arch fondly. We would sit in the back, listening to music, playing car games, and watch America go by. As the cars passed us, we would count red ones and blue ones. We would count moving vans by Company. My favorite were the yellow and green Mayflower vans.

Poet and Flower are slowly learning to love road trips. Right now, their favorite part is the Happy Meal Place, aka McDonald's. Whenever we go on a road trip, they always ask about stopping there. They love getting a Happy Meal and eating a few chicken nuggets and fries. They are not fans of the hamburgers and I have not been able to convince them to try the apple pie. Their ultimate goal is the toy. They have a small collection of happy meal toys and love them.

With all these trips, my mom would plan extensive menus. We didn't eat out a lot when we were little. It was expensive, and my Dad loved only Indian food. She loved to make rice dishes when traveling. They are easy to pack and don't make a mess. Tomato rice is a delicious South Indian rice. The rice has fresh tomatoes, curry leaves, and tamarind. A little cumin and coriander and fresh cilantro and mint give it a spicy herbal flavor. It also only needs one pot. It is great for picnics and the road.

We are looking forward to our next road trip. Maybe we can convince Poet and Flower to try some tomato rice.

Tomato Rice

A delicious one pot tomato rice. It's a South Indian specialty with curry leaves, cumin, coriander and tamarind.

Serves 6

• 1 cup long grain rice
• 8 plum tomatoes (chopped)
• 6 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon urad dal
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 stems curry leaves
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 inch ginger minced
• 6 green chilis or 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1/2 cup cilantro (chopped)
• 1/2 cup fresh mint (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons tamarind paste
• 2 cups water

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Add the urad dal, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Saute 30 seconds.

2. Add the onions and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and ginger and saute until they begin to lightly brown and stick.

4. Now add the tomatoes, green chilis, cilantro, mint, coriander powder, trumeric and salt and mint leaves, coriander powder and haldi and salt. Saute until tomatoes are soft, about 5 minutes.

5. Add the tamarind paste and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, and add the rice.

6. Bring everything back to a boil then simmer for 25 minutes or so until the rice is cooked through. It may need a few stirs while cooking

7. Serve with achaar or papad.