Tomato Rasam also called a Poondu Rasama is a very staple diet in the South Indian household. Being a South Indian and growing up in that environment this version was my favorite. The tomatoes in this rasam can be kept as pieces or ground into a puree and had as a soup. Serve it with hot rice, topped with ghee and a South Indian vegetable of your choice, like beetroot curry, carrot curry, pavaikkai curry etc. Simply delicious.

Serves: 4 persons
Cooking time: about 30 minutes
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• ¼ cup tuvar dal/yellow split pea
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon thick tamarind pulp or 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 large ripe tomatoes
• 1 ripe tomato diced
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon roasted coriander powder
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
• 3-4 curry leaves
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon ghee
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

Method

Cook the tuvar dal. See Cooking Lentils and Legumes/Bean on how to cook tuvar dal.

Simmer the whole tomatoes in water for 5 minutes. Keep it aside covered for 5 minutes. Remove tomatoes from water and peel the skin. Grate or mash the tomatoes till fine.

In a sauce pan, add 1 ½ cups of water, grated tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, tamarind pulp, cumin powder, coriander powder, pepper powder. Once it comes to a boil, simmer it covered for 15 minutes until you notice the tomatoes are cooked (turned soft).

Add the cooked tuvar dal, 1 cup of water, salt to taste and simmer.

In another small frying pan/wok, heat the ghee. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garlic and curry leaves to the hot ghee. Once they crackle add the seasoning to the above tomato dal rasam.

Simmer the tomato dal rasam for about 5 minutes or until it starts to froth.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with hot rice or as a soup. A dash of ghee in the rasam before serving will enhance the taste.