Ingredients

  • 3 cups water (or boiled toor dal, yellow lentils water, I used the boiled yellow lentils water)
  • 5 teaspoons salt
  • 6 tablespoons oil
  • 2 medium green chilies, slit
  • 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled, washed and finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled, washed and finely chopped
  • 5 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
  • 1 cup of fresh curry leaf, washed and torn
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seed
  • 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi)
  • 3 whole red chilies
  • 2 medium tomatoes, washed, peeled and chopped into cubes
  • 1/4 cup water (This is to be added to cook the tomatoes)
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander powder
  • 7 cups water (This is added to prepare the curry for rasam. You can add more or less depending on the consistency)
  • 1/2 cup tamarind pulp
  • 3 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves, washed and finely chopped (to garnish)

Method

  • With the help of a pestle, pound ginger, garlic and whole black peppercorns in a mortar as nicely as you can until the peppercorns are completely crushed and the ginger and garlic are completely softened.
  • Keep aside.
  • Extract tamarind pulp out of tamarind by soaking 4-5 one-inch sized pieces in 1 1/2 cups of hot water.
  • Press these tamarind pieces to squeeze out the juice/pulp out of the tamarind.
  • Transfer the tamarind pulp in a clean bowl.
  • Keep aside.
  • Heat oil in a pot on medium-high flame.
  • When its hot, add mustard seeds, methi seeds and cumin seeds.
  • Allow to splutter and crackle.
  • Once it stops spluttering and crackling, add curry leaves and green chillies.
  • Stir-fry for a minute or two.
  • Then add the whole red chillies and stir-fry for another minute.
  • Add the above prepared ginger-garlic-black peppercorns mixture to the pot.
  • Mix well.
  • Then add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and corriander powder.
  • Mix well and continue to stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
  • Put the chopped tomatoes in a bowl and crush them as tightly as you can between the palms of your hands.
  • Squeeze them as well as you can to extract the juice/pulp out of them.
  • Now add the crushed tomatoes alongwith the juice squeezed out.
  • Mix well, add 1/4 cup of water and cook on high flame so as to allow the tomatoes to soften quickly.
  • Add salt and mix well.
  • Then add the boiled toor dal water (or 3 cups of plain water if you are using that).
  • Stir well and bring to a boil.
  • Lower flame, then add about 7 cups more of water.
  • You can add upto 3-4 cups more also, if required.
  • Mix well and allow it to boil for 15 minutes.
  • Then add tamarind pulp and stir well.
  • Boil for 10-15 more minutes.
  • Garnish with corriander leaves and serve hot as a soup on its own or as a lentil curry to serve over rice with/without plain low-fat yogurt on the side.