Tomatoes are delicious whether eaten as is or cooked, boiled or baked. The refreshing taste of tomatoes provides a welcome relief even when the heat of summer leaves you with a poor appetite. Moreover, cooking tomatoes brings out more lycopene which reduces the risk of cancer and promotes heart health, according to research.

If you like tomatoes but don't like messing around in the kitchen, 全農広報部, the PR Department of Zen-Noh, Japan's National Federation of Agricultural Co-operative Associations (@zennoh_food) has a super-easy mess-free recipe for you to try.

As some grape Japan readers may recall, we've introduced the agricultural group's popular recipes before, which include everything from persimmon pudding, fried lettuce, takoyaki-style eggs, and tips on cooking with eggplant and Napa cabbage.

Yesterday, on July 27th, 2022, they turned their attention to tomatoes. Here's the recipe:

Cooked Rice with Tomatoes

First, put two cups of washed rice and 350 ml (about 1.5 cups) of water in your rice cooker and leave it to soak for 15 minutes.

Then add three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a teaspoon of broth (meat or vegetable, liquid or a dissolved bouillon cube) and mix. Take a large tomato, make two crosswise cuts (no need to cut deeply) on top, and put it in the rice cooker on top of the rice.

Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil, close your rice cooker and cook as usual.

When cooked, mix in the tomatoes while breaking them up and serve in bowls.

As shown in the photo below, chopped shiso leaves (or basil leaves, if you can't find it) can be placed on top for a more refreshing taste. If you want to enjoy a slightly richer flavor, you can also add butter on top of the tomatoes.

If you want to take it up another notch, this tomato rice makes the perfect base for a vegetarian omurice.

It's also delicious if you add cheese and bake it for a tomato rice gratin.

So, not only is this dish a cinch to make, but it will also expand your repertoire of tomato dishes.

Of course, this lifehack supposes you have a rice cooker at home. In the United States, for example, many Asian-American households have one and they're making inroads in the general population too. According to Statista, Between 2010 and 2017, the US rice cooker market grew by 65% from 3.1 million to 5.1 million units sold. If you like Japanese and other Asian cuisines, it could be useful to have one. Some of them are very reasonably priced...

If you have a rice cooker, why not give this a try?