Tomato Rasam | South Indian Tomato Soup

This comforting Tomato rasam is perfect on it own, served before a meal or enjoyed with white steamed rice, dollop of ghee and Potato Curry!. It’s easy, delicious and apt when you don’t want to make something elaborate.

So what is Rasam?
Rasam / Charu/Saru  is a South Indian Soup, typically made with Tomatoes, tamarind, turmeric and seasoning spices. Every household in India has a version of Tomato Rasam and every flavor is delightful!

Rasam is a part of our staple diet and I always have a bottle of Rasam Powder ready in my pantry. But not to worry, it is really easy to make a small portion instantly if you would like!

There are so many varieties of Rasam that you can make like Pineapple Rasam, Mysore Rasam, Garlic Rasam, Cumin Rasam, Kalyana Rasam and many more.

I thoroughly enjoy making Tomato Rasam loaded with fresh pureed tomatoes rather than chopped tomatoes. Just as I mentioned before, there is no right or wrong method in the making.

When the lovely Team at Zwilling UK sent me 5 piece Prime Cookware Set, I was super thrilled.
Stainless Steel Cookware is an essence of Indian Cooking and I was keen in sharing traditional Vegetarian recipes.

I have tested these attractive and practical Prime Cookware for the last one month and let me tell you – they are Worth the Lifetime Investment!! They are sufficiently large enough to cook an extensive menu for your guests.

This 5 piece Zwilling Prime Set consists of
1 Stew pot, 2,8 l, 1 Stock pot, 2,2 l, 1 Stock pot, 3,8 l, 1 Stock pot, 5,9 l, 1 Sauce pan without lid, 1,6 l

• Some of the worthwhile features of the Prime series Cookware are
  All the posts in the Prime Series can be used on all kinds of hob, including induction. How lovely is that!!
• Heat retention properties are just wonderful – owing to the Sigma bond sandwich base. I had made Pulav Rice yesterday for my guests in the 3.8 Stockpot and the rice was still warm even after 4 hours.
• This was just unbelievable. Oh yes, I didn’t have any rice sticking to the bottom of the base. I couldn’t have imagined cooking Pulav rice in stainless steel cookware { if it was not for Prime }
• They have an integrated measuring scale!
• Stock Pots come with glass lids, allowing you to keep an eye on your cooking.

So how do I make it?
Tomato Rasam as such requires few basic Ingredients in the making.
Tomatoes, Tamarind { tastes great if used } – not to worry if you don’t have some at home,pressure cooked Tuvar Dal/ Red Lentils, curry leaves, coriander leaves, lemon juice {if you like the bit of tang}, one table spoon of fresh ghee, seasoning spices like cumin seeds, mustard seeds, methi seeds and Rasam Powder.

Rasam powder has originated in families, just to save time, when you are making Tomato Rasam regularly at home. It really makes sense to have this spicy powder loaded with cumin,pepper, red chilli, coriander seeds stocked in the pantry.

Tomato Rasam | South Indian Tomato Soup

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Author: Sandhya Hariharan

Ingredients

• 3 Large Vine Tomatoes pureed
• 5 g of Tamarind {Approx Small lemon sized ball of Tamarind}
• 1/4 Cup Tuvar Dal **
• 1 Tsp Homemade Rasam Powder ***
• 3/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Pepper Powder
• Salt to Taste
• 2-3 Tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped

Seasoning

• 1 Tbsp Ghee
• 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 Tsp Fenugreek Seeds
• 1/2 Tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1/8 Tsp Asafoetida
• 10 Curry leaves

Instructions

• Add Chopped tomatoes in a blender, puree it and set it aside.
• Soak Tamarind in 1/2 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 1/2 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

If you like a bit more of the tang, add a squeeze of Lemon Juice. If Tuvar Dal is not available, you can give use Red Lentils!

For making your Rasam Powder Instantly, how about checking out Aarthi's Rasam Powder

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Palakkad, SouthIndian

Tried this recipe?Mention @Sandhyaskitchen and Hashtag #sandhyaskitchen!

Disclosure: Sandhya’s Kitchen was sent across a 5 piece Set of Zwilling Prime Cookware Set. All opinions expressed here are of my own.