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Brass vessel filled with reddish brown Tomato rasam. Pieces of tomato floating on top. A red and white napkin to the left, all of it on a brown wooden background
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Spicy Tomato Rasam from Homemade Rasam Powder

Refreshing Tamil South Indian accompaniment to Rice. Spicy Tomato Rasam, made from tamarind extract, homemade rasam powder spice mix, tomato and mashed lentils. Goes well with rice and vegetable side dishes.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: south indian, tamil, TamilIyer
Keyword: rasam, tomato rasam
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 175kcal
Author: Sujata Shukla

Ingredients

For Soaking

  • 2 tablespoons Tamarind pulp size  of a small Indian lemon
  • 1 cup Water

For Pressure Cooking

  • ¼ cup Towar dal arahar dal/ towaram paruppu/ split pigeon pea lentils
  • ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder haldi powder
  • 1 cup Water For cooking the dal

For Boiling

  • 2 Tomatoes red and juicy
  • ½ cup Water

For Making Tomato Rasam

  • 2 tablespoons Rasam powder i. or to taste ii. click rasam powder for link to recipe
  • ¼ teaspoon Cumin powder Freshly ground
  • ¼ teaspoon Pepper powder Freshly ground
  • 1 pinch Asafoetida hing
  • 6 Curry leaves
  • 1 tablespoon Coriander leaves minced
  • ½ teaspoon Salt or to taste
  • ½ cup Water if required/ optional

For tempering:

  • 1 teaspoon ghee
  • ¼ teaspoon Mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds
  • 6 curry leaves

Instructions

Preparation (Soaking of Tamarind to be done while the Dal is being Pressure cooked)

  • Soak tamarind (about the size of a large marble or a small Indian lemon) in 1 cup of water.
    Tip: It is best to roll it into a ball and then soak in water, so that it is easily discarded once all the juice has been extracted. It is not pleasant to bite into a sour piece of tamarind!
    Soak the tamarind for at least 10 minutes.
    Tip: In cold climates, use warm water for soaking the tamarind.
  • Mince (slice very small) the coriander leaves and shred (tear) the curry leaves.

Pressure Cooking Lentils and Boiling Tomatoes

  • Meanwhile, wash the dal and add turmeric powder. Pressure cook till the dal is soft, in 1 cup of water.
    I cook it for 2 whistles and then let the cooker release pressure/ steam by itself.
  • Either cook the whole tomatoes in the cooker along with the lentils, or else boil them separately in a small pan of water while the dal is being pressure cooked. Add tomatoes, bring the water to boil, and reduce the stove heat to medium or low to simmer for 10 minutes.
    Once done, remove from the stove, slice the tomatoes and add as per instructions below, along with the water in which boiled.

To Make Tomato Rasam

  • Start once the cooker is ready to be opened and tomatoes are boiled.
  • Extract the juice of the tamarind by squeezing it in the water in which it is soaked. Strain the tamarind extract into a bowl, checking that there are no pieces of tamarind pulp or seeds, pour into a pan and heat on the stove.
    Add another ¼ cup of water to the tamarind pulp and squeeze out any remaining juice. Add to the pan on the stove. Discard the used tamarind pulp.
    Tip:The used pulp is good for cleaning oily iron frying pans (kadai).
  • To the tamarind extract on the stove, add sliced tomatoes along with water in which boiled, rasam powder, cumin powder, pepper powder, asafoetida powder, a few minced curry leaves and salt.
  • Bring the rasam to a boil and then reduce the heat to low flame. Let it simmer for 5 - 7 minutes on low heat so that the raw smell of the tamarind and the chili in the rasam powder disappears.
    If tomatoes are added raw, give it another 2-3 minutes for them to boil, before going to the next step.
  • Mash the cooked thowar dal in its own liquid so that the grains combine, and pour into the rasam.
    Bring to a boil, keeping it boiling for 2 minutes. Simmer on low flame for 3 minutes. Taste for correctness of salt. If the rasam is thicker than you would like, add ¼ -½ cup of water and bring to a boil.
    Add the chopped coriander and remove the pan from the stove.

Tempering

  • Keeping the stove on low flame, heat ghee in a small tempering pan, add mustard seeds and let them burst. Add cumin seeds and after 10 secs, switch off the stove, quickly adding the minced curry leaves.
    Pour the ghee tempering on the rasam and keep the pan covered.
  • Serve hot with rice and ghee, a sauteed poriyal/ sabzi and papad.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 757mg | Potassium: 576mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 3753IU | Vitamin C: 138mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 3mg