Arroz de Tomate (Portuguese Tomato Rice)
Soupy tomato rice — the side dish that quietly becomes the main.
Arroz de tomate is Portuguese tomato rice, and it is meant to stay loose and soupy rather than dry. Onion and garlic are softened, grated ripe tomato cooked down for ten minutes, then short-grain rice and hot water go in for fifteen. It is served as a side and quietly ends up being the main thing on the plate.
Ingredients
- 200g short-grain rice
- 500g ripe tomatoes, grated
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- Olive oil, salt
- Oregano
Method
- 1
Soften onion and garlic in olive oil.
- 2
Add the grated tomato and cook down 10 minutes.
- 3
Stir in the rice to coat.
- 4
Add 700ml hot water and simmer 15 minutes — it should stay loose and soupy.
- 5
Season, add oregano and rest 3 minutes.
Rice, onion, tomato: under a euro a portion.
The tasca lunch
- Pastéis de Nata — The custard tart that finishes it.
- Sardinhas Assadas — The grilled fish this rice is served beside.
Tasca Days
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Fourteen Portuguese recipes, and the language, law and labels of the Portuguese table.
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- A regional compass that says plainly which dishes have documented origins and which do not
- The Portuguese words you need on a menu and in a market
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