Thursday, March 26, 2015

Tomato Rasam


Piping hot rasam and rice with some ghee on top of it is one of my favorites especially on cold winter days. There are different versions of tomato rasam. I like the way my mom makes rasam and hence I have always been making it her style. Every time I go to India , my mom makes fresh rasam powder for me which I store in the refrigerator. But after a while , when I have used up all the rasam powder made by her, I make my own fresh rasam powder (obviously using her recipe:)). It's easy to make and I make it fresh each time I make rasam. In today's post I will share the recipe of making Rasam (my mom's style) along with the recipe for her rasam powder.




INGREDIENTS:
Note: All measurements are based on the US measuring cup and spoon sizes where 1 cup = 235 ml
Serves : 4
  • Tuval Dal / Split pigeon pea : 1/4 cup
  • Turmeric powder haldi : 1/4 tsp
  • Tomato (finely chopped) : 1/2 cup
  • Green chillies (slit lengthwise) : 2
  • Tamarind : approx. size of a key lime or a marble
  • Jaggery powder : 2 tbsp
  • Rasam powder (Recipe below)
  • Salt as per taste
  • Cilantro / Dhania leaves (chopped) : 2 tbsp
To make the RASAM POWDER , you will need:
  • Byadgi chillies : 8-10
  • Fenugreek seeds / Methi seeds : 1/4 tsp
  • Cumin seeds / Jeera : 1/4 tsp
  • Coriander seeds : 4 tsp
  • Asafoetida / Hing : 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaves : 20
  • Oil : 2 tsp
For the tempering :
  • Ghee / Clarified butter : 1 tsp
  • Cumin seeds / Jeera : 1/2 tsp
  • Mustard seeds / Rai : 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaves : 5-6
  • Dried red chillies : 2

PROCEDURE :
  • Wash the lentils. Add 3/4 cup water to them. Add turmeric powder and pressure cook the lentils . Once done set it aside.

  • While the lentils are cooking, soak tamarind in some hot water.

  • Now lets start preparing the rasam powder. Heat 1 tsp of oil. when hot, fry the red chillies. Set it aside. In the same pan, add 1 tsp of oil  and add the fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves. Fry the ingredients until the seeds start to splutter. Set it aside. Once all the ingredients have cooled, grind them into a fine powder using a dry grinder or coffee grinder. Rasam powder is ready.


  • Boil 2 cups of water. To this, add the chopped tomatoes and green chillies. Mash the tamarind and extract the tamarind pulp. When the tomatoes turned soft, add the tamarind pulp and powdered jaggery. Cook for 5-7 minutes.



  • Whisk and add the cooked lentils and the prepared rasam powder. Mix well. Add salt. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chopped cilantro and turn it off.




  • Now to prepare the tempering, heat ghee in a pan. When hot, add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, broken dried red chillies and curry leaves. When the seeds start to splutter, add the tempering to the hot rasam.


  • Serve piping hot rasam as a soup or with rice and some Papadam / papad.




39 comments:

  1. A wonderful recipe, mum's & granny's recipes are always very special, aren't they?

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  2. rasam looks really so delicious.i never used methi seeds while preparing rasam powder, know its really good .Will try on for sure,

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    1. Thanks Sathya.. this is the way rasam is usually prepared in Mangalorean households.. Hope you try it and like it the way we do

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  3. Nice and aromatic rasam..love with hot rice

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  4. wow Shobha ..Rasam is sooooooo nice and tasty...beautiful clicks....well displayed...

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  5. Awesome share Shubha! Thanks for sharing this precious recipe of your Mom. I can relate with the powder packing thing here. My mom does the same with some other food stuffs! Once a mom always a mom, and we love them for what they are! :)

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    1. Very True Anu.. .. however old we are.. we will always be there little kids.. thats mother's love:)

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  6. colorful and delicious rasam dear..love to have with hot piping rice

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  7. delicious..one that is always needed in my home..! Shall try this version, we add pepper too

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    1. Thanks J.. We mangaloreans do not added pepper in the rasam..Do try it, will eagerly wait for ur feedback:)

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  8. Delicious. Beautiful clicks as always!

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  9. This looks so delicious and tangy!!!
    I'll be on n off here for a while, sorry for missing some of your delicious recipes!!!

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    1. Thanks Puneet!! Appreciate your kind words:)

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  10. looks super super good Shubha. When I cast my eyes on the rasam powder, I felt as though I could sense the aroma!!

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    1. Aww.. thats so sweet of you Anu :) I am so glad you liked it:)

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  11. Always love rasam!...Looks delicious...loved the bowl used to present:)

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  12. Gosh!! What you said in the first sentence already making hungry. Yes with ghee and this rasam - all the time and must have fav.

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  13. Great clicks and tasty and tempting rasam...

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  14. I came across your blog while looking for some Indian food recipes and liked a lot. How amazing! I will keep an eye out for all your recipes :)

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    1. Thanks for writing!! I am so glad you loved the recipes..Thanks so much once again:)

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  15. Meri Rasoi, this something totally new to me! It sounds absolutely delicious. I have been surfing through your blog! Beautiful recipes!

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    1. Thanks Hadia:) This rasam / soup is a popular dish that belongs to the southern india. South indian meals start with rasam rice:)

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  16. It looks lovely shubha. Very colourful and yummy. I will definitely try it out. Love it :)

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  17. What a fabulous, aromatic, flavorful & a perfect rasam recipe!! Love the crackly curry leaves and red chillies for garnish.

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  18. I am Rasam fan... I can have Rasam any time :) Beautiful click

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  19. Gorgeous looking Rasam dear, loved the presentation, click and the bowl/mug too :)

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  20. How much of the Rasam Powder do we use for making this Rasam? All of the Rasam powder as per recipe or reduced amount? Will be nice to know the exact amount.

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