Tomato Rasam #1

Tomato Rasam is a dish that I make almost twice or thrice a week owing to its wonderful taste and ease of preparation. It can be made easily with just tomatoes and some other basic spices that one would generally stock in the pantry. I make tomato rasam in two different ways and both taste similar. Here is the first recipe .

2 medium tomatoes,chopped
2-3 cups,water
1 spoon,Rasam powder
1/4 spoon tamarind paste or 1 cup tamarind water
1/4 spoon,Pepper powder
2 garlic pods,crushed(optional)
a few curry leaves
salt to taste
Corriander leaves/Cilantro for the garnish
For the tempering,
1/2 spoon,mustard seeds
1/4 spoon,turmeric powder
3-4 green chillies,slit or chopped finely
1/2 spoon, cooking oil( Note that extra oil spoils the taste of the rasam)

Grind the chopped tomatoes to a coarse paste in a blender. In a pan,add this paste followed by water ,salt and curry leaves and turn on the stove.
In the meanwhile, prepare the tempering in a separate skillet. Heat oil, and throw in mustard seeds, turmeric powder and green chillies.
Once the tomato paste comes to a boil, add the tamarind paste/water ,rasam powder, crushed garlic and pepper powder. You may add another cup of water now if you want to adjust the consistency.
After 1-2 minutes, add the tempered ingredients and switch off the stove. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot. Rasam can be had with white steamed rice and a vegetable side. My favorite side for rasam is potato masala.Rasam can be enjoyed as it is too in the form of a soup.

Did you notice that the entire cooking time on the stove was just about 5-6 minutes?Yes, it is that simple. And, getting the rest of the ingredients ready will not take you more than 5 minutes. This means your tomato rasam can be made in just 10 minutes!!!