Rasam (with home-made rasam powder)

A spicy South Indian tamarind and tomato based broth that you can drink as a soup or eat mixed with rice. This recipe does not use lentils, but cooked yellow lentils (arhar dal) can optionally be added too.

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

In a mixie (or a mortar and pestle), take cumin seeds and black peppercorns.

Step 2

Blend to a fine powder and keep aside.

Step 3

In the mixie (or mortar and pestle), also grind garlic, corriander and curry leaves to a coarse paste.

Step 4

Keep aside the cumin-pepper powder as well as the corriander-garlic paste.

Step 5

Boil a tomato and once cooled, peel it, and add to a mixie.

Step 6

Grind to a fine puree.

Step 7

Take a chunk of dried tamarind (as big as a small lemon) and soak it in warm water for 15-30 mins or till when it begins releasing its juices. After soaking, squeeze the tamarind to get the juice, and keep aside.

Step 8

In a kadhai, take water and add the tamarind juice to it. (Note: Don't switch on the stove yet).

Step 9

Add the tomato puree and stir.

Step 10

Add haldi and salt and stir.

Step 11

Add a quarter of both the cumin-pepper powder and garlic-chilli paste to the concoction and stir.

Step 12

For the tempering/tadka, take 1 tsp cooking oil in a tadka pan on a low flame. Once the oil is heated, add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds begin to cackle, add curry leaves and dried red chillies and immediately turn the flame to its lowest, or turn it fully off (to avoid burning it).

Step 13

Add the rest of the cumin-pepper powder and garlic-chilli paste to the tadka pan and mix well.

Step 14

Add the tempering to the rasam concoction and place the kadhai on the stove on medium flame.

Step 15

Bring the rasam to a boil, and keep stirring in between.

Step 16

Serve hot as soup or with rice for a wholesome comfort lunch.