← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 2 tsp black peppercorns
• 2 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp Toor dal (split pigeon peas)
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1½ tbsp tamarind paste (or a lime-sized ball, soaked)
• 1 Tomato, chopped
• 750 ml Water
• ¼ tsp Ground turmeric
• 1 tsp salt, to taste
• 1 tbsp ghee or oil
• ½ tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 dried red chilli, broken
• 1 sprig Curry leaves
• 1 pinch Asafoetida (hing) (optional)
• 2 tbsp Coriander (cilantro), chopped

Method

1. Dry-roast the peppercorns, cumin and toor dal in a small pan over medium-low heat for 2–3 min, until the dal turns golden and the spices smell toasty. Cool, then pound or grind coarsely with the garlic.
2. In a saucepan, mix the tamarind with 500 ml of the water. Add the tomato, turmeric and salt and simmer for 8–10 min, crushing the tomato, until the raw tamarind smell has gone.
3. Stir in the ground pepper mix and the remaining 250 ml water. Heat gently until the rasam rises and turns frothy on top, then take it off the heat straight away; hard boiling dulls the pepper.
4. Heat the ghee in a small pan, add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Add the chilli, curry leaves and asafoetida for a few seconds, then pour the sizzling tempering into the rasam.
5. Add the coriander, cover and let it stand for 5 min to infuse. Serve in cups as a soup, or over hot rice.

Tips

• Most asafoetida powder contains wheat; skip it or use a gluten-free brand for a gluten-free rasam.
• Use oil instead of ghee to make it vegan.

Sources

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

Hebbar's Kitchen Jeyashri's Kitchen