Indian-Style Green Tomatoes and Vegetables over Rice

I've been having fun experimenting with green tomatoes lately.  Give the unripe tomatoes an Indian twist with this easy recipe. It works as a side dish or an entree, if you double the portions.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1 cup chopped baking potato
• 1 cup chopped cauliflower
• 1 cup chopped green tomato
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups hot cooked basmati rice

1. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the mustard seeds and cook for 1 minute.

2. Add the potato, cauliflower, green tomato, coriander, cumin, salt, turmeric, and ground red pepper, stirring to coat the vegetables in the spices.  Add the water and bring to a boil.

3. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes - the vegetables should be tender.  Uncover and cook until the liquid evaporates, stirring frequently. This could take anywhere from 4 to 20 minutes, but don't skimp on this step and let only a little liquid evaporate off. It will slowly condense into a rich coating on the veggies. Here it is about midway through evaporating off:

4. Meanwhile, prepare the rice.  Spoon 1/2 cup cooked rice and 1/2 cup vegetable mixture onto each of 4 plates to serve.

The veggies were also delicious alongside Gardein chicken.

Nutrition Info:
4 servings (1/2 cup vegetables, 1/2 cup rice), Calories 195

Tasting Notes:
I was skeptical when the ingredients first went into the skillet, but after slowly simmering, you wind up with super-tender vegetables, and a thick sauce of spices coating them. The spiciness was just perfect - toasty and tingly, and a perfect contrast to the tender potatoes and basmati rice. If I had been served this in a restaurant, I very well might have sent it back to the kitchen thinking it contained ghee, because it tastes almost buttery, especially the cauliflower. The green tomato flavor is muted, but a nice spin on a more traditional aloo gobi.  What would have made this a "5"?  Chickpeas! I definitely wished I had some on hand to stir in, as they would have improved the overall flavor, and also made the dish heartier.

Rating:
4