tomato rasam recipe

---INSTANT TOMATO RASAM RECIPE---

Preparation time: 5 minutes 

Cooking time: 30 minutes 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1 lime-sized ball of tamarind
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp of roasted cumin (jeera), powdered or crushed
• 1 tsp of black pepper, crushed
• 1 tsp of red chilli powder
• 3 tbsp of cooked and mashed toor dal (optional)
• 1 tsp of ghee
• 1/4 tsp of black mustard seeds
• A pinch of turmeric powder
• A pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp of hing / asafoetida powder
• A pinch of sugar
• 2 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves, for garnish

How to Make Tomato Rasam:

1. Soak the tamarind in one cup warm water for 15 mins. Extract juice and discard seeds and pulp, if any.
2. Place this in a pan and add chopped tomatoes and crushed garlic to it
3. Add 2 more cups of water and bring to boil. Then lower flame to simmer
4. Add the crushed cumin and pepper along with the chilli powder, turmeric and some salt
5. Continue to simmer until the tomatoes are completely cooked and the tamarind has lots its raw smell (about 12-15 mins)
6. Add the dal, if using, and the coriander leaves along with the sugar. Mix well and remove from fire
7. Heat the ghee in a smaller pan and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the hing and switch off flame. Dunk this mixture into the rasam and stir well

Serve hot with rice or drink it up like a soup. 

Notes:

• You can add more pepper powder towards the end if you prefer
• You can add 2 tsp rasam powder instead of pepper, cumin, and chilli powder
• You can crush the garlic and add it to the oil while tempering to give the thakkali rasam a roasted garlic flavour
• Add curry leaves if you prefer. I like the combination of coriander leaves and tomatoes so I prefer to avoid curry leaves. There are better uses for it anyway!