Mysore Rasam | Rasam Recipes

Making a meal was not an easy task for our mums and grandmothers. For a simple South-Indian meal it starts with making a Sambar or kulambu, Rasam and a vegetable stir-fry (poriyal). Getting the rice ready and making sure the yogurt (curd) is set is a routine task in making lunch. Yes we make our yogurts at home. Among the fast-paced life now we rarely get time to sit-down for a proper lunch. Things are grab-and-go these days and some good old recipes are forgotten. It has been a long time since I had even heard the name of this rasam recipe but I distinctly remember the taste and aroma it has. I set out to make this rasam for a simple weekday lunch.

Ingredients:
Toor dhal - 1/3 cup
Tamarind - size of a small lime
Tomato - 1
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves - for garnish
Salt - to taste
Tempering:
Ghee - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - a few
Spice paste:
Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
Chana dhal - 1 tsp
Dry red chillies - 3
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Pepper corns - 1/2 tsp
Fresh Grated coconut - 2 tsp

Method:
Soak tamarind in warm water and extract juice to make about 2 cups. Wash and soak the dhal for 15 minutes. Pressure cook the dhal with turmeric powder, a pinch of salt and 2 cups of water until done. Drain the water from dhal and reserve. Mash the dhal well. You could use an immersion blender like I did. In a large stockpot/kadai add the tamarind juice, dhal water and chopped tomato. Boil until the tomato is cooked. Add the ground paste and more water as needed to make a thin rasam. Allow it to boil once. Add the mashed dhal and salt (if needed) and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat. In a small pan, heat ghee and add the items for tempering. Pour over the rasam with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice.