Tomato rasam

Photo: Hebbar's Kitchen

Thin, tangy, peppery, made with tamarind and tomato and a sizzle of mustard seeds and curry leaves. South Indians drink it from a cup or pour it over rice. Thirty minutes.

From Archana Hebbar at Hebbar's Kitchen · @hebbars.kitchen

South Indian tomato rasam: a thin, tangy tamarind and tomato broth with freshly ground spices and dal, finished with a mustard seed and curry leaf tempering.

You need

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 10 fenugreek seeds
• 3 dried Kashmiri red chiles
• 1/4 tsp black peppercorns
• Curry leaves, a few sprigs (divided)
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
• 2 green chiles, slit
• 1 cup tamarind extract (from a lime-size ball of tamarind soaked in hot water)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp jaggery
• Salt
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup cooked toor dal, mashed
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• For the tempering: 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp urad dal, 2 dried red chiles, a few curry leaves, a pinch of asafoetida

How to make it

1. Heat 1 tsp oil and toast the coriander, cumin, fenugreek, Kashmiri chiles, peppercorns and a few curry leaves on low heat until fragrant. Cool and grind to a coarse powder.
2. In a pot, combine the tomato, green chiles, more curry leaves, tamarind extract, turmeric, jaggery and salt. Simmer until the tomato is soft and the raw tamarind smell is gone, about 8 minutes.
3. Add the water, the mashed dal and the ground spice powder. Stir well.
4. Bring it just to a froth and turn off the heat. Don't let rasam boil hard or it turns bitter. Stir in the cilantro.
5. For the tempering, heat 1 tsp oil, add the mustard seeds and let them pop, then the urad dal, red chiles, curry leaves and asafoetida. Pour it over the rasam.
6. Serve hot with rice, or in a cup to sip.

Written in our own words from Archana Hebbar's recipe, with their quantities. The original: Tomato rasam, Hebbar's Kitchen.

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