This comforting tomato rasam brings the taste of South India in every morsel. It is delicious as a drink before a meal or best enjoyed with white sona masoori rice, a dollop of ghee, and a South Indian potato fry!
Whenever we crave something simple but delicious, this tomato rasam is my go-to. It’s easy, full of flavor, and perfect when I don’t feel like making anything elaborate. Think of it as a spicy South Indian tomato lentil soup. It's comforting, tangy, and totally satisfying.
As such tomato rasam is completely customizable. You can make it without dal or tamarind. But the real secret is fresh, ripe tomatoes.
This is our Palakkad-style tomato rasam, just the way we make it at home. I love to puree the tomatoes instead of chopping them for a smooth, vibrant texture that I can’t get enough of.
What is Rasam?
Rasam (also known as Charu or Saaru) is a traditional South Indian soup made with tomatoes, tamarind, rasam powder, and aromatic tempering spices. Almost every household in India has its own version of tomato rasam, and each one is uniquely flavorful and comforting.
There are many popular varieties of rasam, including Pineapple Rasam, Mysore Rasam, Garlic Rasam, Cumin Rasam, Kalyana Rasam, and more. Each variation highlights different spices and ingredients, making rasam a versatile and much-loved dish in South Indian cuisine.
Sandhya’s Top Tips for Palakkad-Style Rasam
- Tomato rasam without tamarind: You can easily make rasam without tamarind by adding a squeeze of lemon or a small piece of kokum for that tangy flavor.
Cook the tomatoes well: Always use ripe, fresh tomatoes — unripe ones can taste bitter. - Keep the dal light: Rasam should be thin and watery on top, with just a soft dal layer at the bottom, not like sambar!
- Skip canned tomatoes: Fresh ones give the best flavour and aroma.
- My Homemade Rasam powder gives authentic Palakkad flavours. If you find the ingredients spicy, reduce the red chilli. You can also use store-bought ones.
How to Make Tomato Rasam?
Step 1: Start with making a tempering. Heat the ghee in a saucepan and add the seasoning ingredients.
Step 2: When the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add the tomato puree, tamarind, rasam powder, turmeric and salt. Bring it to a rolling boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Add the tuvar dal mixture. Bring it to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and turn off the flame.
Tip: Adjust the consistency if needed with more water, rasam powder and salt.
Step 4: Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves.
How to Serve Rasam
- In our Palakkad household, we love serving thakkali rasam with Spinach Molagootal or vegetable molagootal as a second course over steamed rice for special occasions.
- For everyday comforting meals, I enjoy rasam rice and a simple vegetable side like green beans poriyal, beetroot poriyal, or potato curry.
- It's also delicious as Rasam Vada. Simply pour the rasam over the deep-fried lentil fritters (medu vada) for a tasty appetiser.
Storing Leftovers
- In the fridge: Store leftover rasam in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- In the freezer: Tomato rasam freezes exceptionally well for up to 3 months. I like to portion it into 1-cup freezer cubes for easy use later.
- Reheating: Pour into a saucepan, bring to a boil, and serve hot. Garnish with fresh coriander if you like.
Recipe FAQ's
Just add a little water and simmer for a few minutes to loosen it.
Absolutely! Use fresh lemon juice or kokum for a tangy flavor.
Yes, adding dal is optional. Just follow the recipe omitting the dal. You can enjoy a lighter, dal-free version too.
Yes! Store it in airtight containers and thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
More Easy Palakkad Cuisine Recipes
Ingredients
- 3 large Tomatoes pureed
- 5 g Tamarind
- ¼ Cup Tuvar Dal **
- 1 teaspoon Homemade Rasam Powder ***
- ¾ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- ½ teaspoon Pepper Powder
- Salt to Taste
- 2-3 tablespoon coriander leaves, finely chopped
Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Ghee
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon Asafoetida
- 10 Curry leaves
Instructions
- Add Chopped tomatoes in a blender, puree it and set it aside.
- Soak Tamarind in ½ Cup of Hot Water and set it aside. When the mixture is warm, Extract the pulp.
- Pressure Cook Tuval Dal. Mash it / Whisk it well with 1 ½ Cup of Warm Water.
- Heat Ghee in a Pan, add the seasoning ingredients. Once the Mustard Seeds begins to splutter, add the pureed Tomatoes, tomato pulp extract, turmeric powder, rasam powder, pepper powder and salt to taste.
- Allow this mixture to come to a rolling boil and then simmer.
- Add the prepared the Tuvar Dal mix to the pan, stir well.
- Check for seasoning and add more salt, rasam powder if needed.
- If you find Rasam/ Charu too thick, add more water and simmer the rasam until it bubbles.
- Switch of the flame. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
Notes
Nutrition
When the lovely Team at Zwilling UK sent me 5 piece Prime Cookware Set, I was super thrilled.
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Kannan says
Thank you, it is interesting to see everyone saying, add a lemon size ball of tamarind, for any recipe. Where I live, I can buy lemons from 4 cm to almost 8 cm in size. You are doing better by saying 5 g. But I checked the weight of one ball of tamarind 2 cm in diameter. It comes to almost 12 g. I got even more confused when I read the instructions. I read them several times. If I followed them, I would have a bowl of tamarind water left over on my counter at the end. When do I add the tamarind?
Please check and correct the instructions. I made the rasam anyway, guessing about the tamarind. It came out very good. Thank you.
Sandhya Hariharan says
Thank you for highlighting this. When I mentioned a lemon-sized ball of tamarind, I was referring to the small lemons commonly found in India. I completely agree that in the UK, where lemons can range anywhere from 4–8 cm, this can be confusing.
To avoid any ambiguity, I’ve now amended the recipe to rely on the exact weight instead. Thank you for your thoughtful feedback; I’m glad to hear that the tomato rasam turned out well.
Sandhya says
Please pass a glass of that delicious rasam please! I love rasams too, Sandhya. Fabulous presentation and photos as always.
Priya Shiva says
yummy! rasam is my ultimate comfort food and I cannot think of a South Indian meal complete without rasam. The cookware set looks so classy!
Liz says
I saw this on your Instagram this morning and I was so curious! I'd never heard of it before but it sounds awesome!
Demeter says
What gorgeous photos! I'm seriously just blown away by all of your beautiful photography! Your recipe looks lovely. Thanks for sharing this!
danielle wolter says
I am intrigued by this recipe. It totally seems like something I would love, and I have such a fun time experimenting with different ingredients. I'm totally going to have to try this!
Dannii says
I love tomato soup, but I have never tried this version before. Your photos are lovely too.