Hot and spicy Rasam

Rasam is a spicy tomato soup popular in South India. It can be taken with rice. Usually it is taken with rice and dal. It is good for digestion and so people love to drink a glass of rasam after a heavy meal. This one is pretty spicy and involves almost all the spices found in the kitchen. I got this recipe from my mom.

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes - 2
• Green chilly - 1
• Tamarind extract
• Cooked dal water (kept aside during dal curry preparation)
• Chopped curry leaves
• Crushed garlic cloves
• Edible oil - 2 spoon
• Mustard seeds
• Salt
• Rasam Masala (I'm not using the ready-to-go rasam powder from the stores)
• Chilly powder
• Coriander powder
• Cumin powder / Jeera powder
• Pepper powder
• Fenugreek powder/ Methi powder/ Vendhaya podi
• Asafoeitida powder / Hing powder/ Kaaya podi
• Turmeric powder

Spices

Tamarind extract, dal water, tomatoes, garlic cloves, green chilly, curry leaves

Preparation:

• Take a deep frying pan and heat it.
• Add edible oil to it and add mustard seeds and wait till it crackle.
• Now add choopped green chilly, chopped curry leaves, crushed garlic cloves and saute well for 2 mins.
• Crush the tomatoes by hand and add to the pan and saute well for 3mins.
• Add all the spices and saute well.

• Add tamarind extract.
• Add dal water to the masala and stir well. I got this tip from my mother-in-law and it really adds a nice taste to the rasam.
• Add salt and mix well.
• Close it with a lid for 3 mins till it gets cooked and switch off the stove.
• Add coriander leaves to garnish.

This hot and spicy tomato curry will taste best with dal. So enjoy your dal and rasam today!