Easy Tomato Rasam

South Indian Tomato Rasam With Pink Lentils in a stainless steel vessel with a bowl of rice next to it

Learn to make the simplest South Indian Tomato Rasam using pink lentils. Vegan Rasam is a tangy tamarind based broth that's spicy & warming to the palette.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Asian, Indian, South Indian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 138.43kcal

Author Priya Lakshminarayan

Equipment

Ingredients

To cook the Dal

½ cup tur dal
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon vegan ghee
2 cups water

To Make Tamarind Water

40 gms tamarind
2 cups water

To prepare the Rasam

4 cups water
1 tablespoon tamarind
½ tablespoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon asafoetida
2 tablespoon rasam powder
salt
2 tomatoes chopped
3 fresh curry leaves
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

For tempering

1 tablespoon vegan ghee
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon asafoetida
3-4 fresh curry leaves
2 slit green chillies

Instructions

To cook the dal

Rinse and add tur dal to a vessel.
Add turmeric powder, vegan ghee, and water.
Pressure cook till its fully cooked. If cooking in a pressure cooker, give it 2 whistles. If cooking in the Instant Pot, cook it in Pressure mode for 4 minutes. Chef Tip - Cook rice to serve with the lentils at the same time using the Pot-in-pot method.
Once cooked, mash it fully using a spoon. Keep it aside for now.

To Make Tamarind Water

Soak the tamarind ball in 2 cups of hot water for 15 minutes.
Squeeze the ball to get the tamarind water.

To prepare the Rasam

In a pot, add the remaining 2 cups of water, tamarind water, turmeric powder, asafoetida, and rasam powder.
Then add roughly chopped tomatoes, curry leaves, and salt. Chef Tip - Adding curry leaves at this point will impart an aromatic flavor to the rasam.
Bring this mixture to a boil. This could take 15-20 minutes on medium flame. The tomatoes will be cooked by then and the raw smell of the spices should be gone.
Then add the mashed lentils.
Mix it in and cook till the rasam begins frothing. Turn off the flame at the sign of first boil. IMPORTANT - Do not boil the rasam beyond this point.
Garnish with chopped cilantro. Reserve some for tempering.

To prepare the tempering

Heat vegan ghee in a tadka pan and once it's hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, cilantro, curry leaves, and slit green chillies.
Pour this tempering over the rasam. Mix and immediately close the vessel with a lid. Keep it closed till its time to serve. Serve hot tomato rasam with steamed rice and Potato fry.

Notes

If you are vegan, skip the ghee and make it in cooking oil.

If you prefer gluten-free food, then skip adding asafoetida.

Nutrition