Description
Tomato rasam is a South Indian dish similar to a spicy Italian pasta sauce that is eaten plain or over rice.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup masoor dal or red lentils
- 6 cups water
- 1 tablespoon oil (peanut, sunflower or corn is best)
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 5 fresh curry leaves
- 2 teaspoons rasam powder – MTR is good brand (ingredients below)
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar or jaggery (unrefined cane sugar)
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon ghee or butter
- pinch of asafoetida or hing
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
- cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Wash masoor dal or red lentils thoroughly. Put, dal and water in a pot under medium high heat. This dal has a tendency to foam. Keep removing the foam and throw it away in the sink.
- When the water is boiling and you have gotten rid of the foaminess, add the oil, turmeric, curry leaves, tomatoes and mix it all up. Cook until the lentils soft and falling apart – about 40 minutes.
- When the dal is finished cooking add the rasam powder. Put the pot on medium heat and let it boil. Make sure that the powder is homogeneously mixed and that there are no lumps. Let it boil to a golden brown color ~ 15 minutes.
- Add brown sugar or jaggery and some salt to taste. Let it all boil. If you have a mechanical egg beater, you can use it to mix the whole thing as its boiling in the pot. At this point also you can add more water if you want a more soupy consistency. (I like mine to be medium in weight but everyone has their own preference.) After saru has come to a boil for 5 minutes, remove from heat.
- In a small pan take 1 tablespoon of butter and heat it under a medium flame. Add asafoetida and cumin seed. When the cumin seed is golden brown and fragrant, pour over the saru. Add cilantro for garnish.
- Serve over rice or drink plain.
- Notes: rasam powder is made from red chilli, coriander seed, black pepper, fenugreek seed, cumin, mustard seed, asafoetida
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Side