← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 60 g Toor dal (split pigeon peas), rinsed
• 1.1 l water, divided
• ¼ tsp Ground turmeric
• 15 g tamarind (a small walnut-sized piece) or 2 tsp paste
• 2 Tomato, chopped
• 1 tsp Jaggery (gur)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp ghee, for roasting
• 2 tsp Chana dal (split Bengal gram)
• 2 tsp Coriander seeds
• ½ tsp black peppercorns
• ½ tsp Cumin seeds
• 2 Dried chillies
• 2 tbsp grated fresh or desiccated coconut
• 2 tsp ghee, for the tadka
• ½ tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 pinch Asafoetida (hing) (optional)
• 1 sprig Curry leaves
• 2 tbsp Coriander (cilantro), chopped

Method

1. Simmer the toor dal in 400 ml of the water with the turmeric for 25–30 min, until completely soft (or pressure-cook for 3 whistles). Mash until smooth.
2. Meanwhile, soak the tamarind in 150 ml hot water for 10 min, squeeze it well and strain, keeping the juice.
3. Heat 1 tsp ghee in a small pan over low heat and roast the chana dal, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cumin and dried chillies for 2–3 min until the dal is golden. Add the coconut for the last 30 seconds. Cool and grind to a fine paste with a little water.
4. In a saucepan, simmer the tamarind juice with the tomatoes, jaggery, salt and 250 ml water for 6–8 min, until the tomatoes are soft and the raw tamarind smell is gone.
5. Add the mashed dal, the ground masala and the remaining 300 ml water. Heat until it just starts to froth and rise, then turn off the heat; don’t let rasam boil hard.
6. For the tadka, heat 2 tsp ghee, crackle the mustard seeds, then add the asafoetida and curry leaves. Pour over the rasam, add the coriander and serve with hot rice or in cups.

Tips

• Most asafoetida contains wheat; leave it out or buy a gluten-free one.
• Rasam tastes best freshly made; reheat gently if needed.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Hebbar's Kitchen Archana's Kitchen Padhuskitchen