Tomato Rasam #2

I have already posted a recipe for tomato rasam. Here is another variation to the taste and preparation. Again, the main ingredient is tomato.

2-3 cups,dal Water
1/4 spoon,tamarind paste or 1 cup tamarind water
1 medium tomato,chopped
a few curry leaves
1 spoon,Rasam powder
salt to taste
cilantro for garnishing

For the tempering,
1/2 spoon mustard seeds
1/4 spoon turmeric powder
a pinch of asafoetida
1/2 spoon,cooking oil
3-4 green chillies,slit or chopped finely


The trick to preparing this rasam is using Dal water. Dal water is the extra water that is available when dal is cooked. Boil dal in a pressure cooker or any vessel and use the water. Decant this water and this is what is used in Rasam.
Note.:This Dal water can be prepared earlier in the day or the previous day too. But, using dal water more than 1 day old would make the rasam lose a lot of flavor.

Take a pan and add dal water and salt. Add in tomatoes and curry leaves. Once it starts to boil add the tamarind paste,rasam powder and some more water,if needed.

In the meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet and all the tempering ingredients.

After 4-5 minutes, add the tempered ingredients to the boiling rasam and switch off the stove. Add cilantro and Serve hot with rice and your vegetable side.

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!!!