Description
Spicy, tangy and flavorful south Indian soup that doubles up as a side. It can be eaten mixed with rice or as is like a soup. Get recipe for Tomato Rasam here
Scale
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup thick Tamarind Extract
- 3 cups Water
- 1 cup cooked Tuvar Dal (split Pigeon Peas)
- 2–3 Tomatoes, chopped into 1–2 inch pieces
- 3 Tablespoons Rasam Powder (adjust for spice preference)
- 1 Tablespoon Salt (adjust to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon Hing / Perungaayam (Asafetida powder)
For tempering & garnish
- 2 teaspoons Vegetable Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds (jeera)
- handful of chopped Curry Leaves
- handful of chopped Coriander Leaves
Tamarind Extract – use store bought or make at home with tamarind fruit as follows –
- Soak the tamarind fruit pieces in warm water for 5-10 minutes to soften it
- Use your hands to squeeze out all the pulp out of it. Add some more water if required to facilitate the process.
- Fish out the remains of the tamarind and discard it. Just use the pulp.
Rasam Powder – make at home or buy from the store
Instructions
- Make or buy the Rasam Powder. This is crucial to making this Rasam. I prefer using the homemade mix.
- Extract the juice out of some tamarind and make tamarind water.
- Also cook some Dal / Lentils ahead of time. You can use a day-old cooked yellow lentils too. While hot, smash them roughly.
To make the tomato rasam
- Mix the tamarind extract with 2 cups of water.
- To the tamarind water, add some chopped tomatoes, salt, asafetida powder (hing) and rasam powder.
- Bring it to a boil.
- Reduce the flames to medium low and let the soup / rasam boil for about 10 minutes. The liquid should have reduced by half. You are looking for the tomatoes to be cooked well and the raw-smell of the tamarind to go away by cooking it for 10-12 minutes.
- Add the smashed lentils, mix well. Add 1 cup of water and let the rasam boil for 5 minutes.
- Taste and adjust for salt / rasam powder if required.
For Tempering
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Add mustard seeds.
- When they start to crackle, add the cumin seeds and fry for 5-6 seconds.
- Add the curry leaves and fry for just a second.
- Add the entire oil mixture to the rasam.
- Garnish with some chopped coriander leaves.
To Serve
- You can serve this with rice and some stir fried vegetables or chips or fryums.
- Or drink this like a soup – hot.
Note
- Tomato Rasam stays good in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Best consumed hot and fresh.
- The ingredient measurements are suited to our palate. You can choose to increase / decrease the tamarind, rasam powder etc. to suit your preference.
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: South Indian