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Prep time
15 minutes
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Cook time
15 minutes
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Serves
2
Author Notes
Tomato Rasam, a South Indian dish, though soupy, is consumed and served mostly with rice. Of course, there are many, many varieties but generally it contains tomatoes, tamarind, cooked toor dal (yellow split pigeon peas) and spices - spices that seem to burn your throat but open up your clogged nasal and auditory channels. In short, perfect for when you have sore throat, cold and/or congestion. Tomato rasam is my go-to home remedy when I'm feeling under the weather. I have pared down the ingredients to their bare minimum. —Annada Rathi
Ingredients
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2 tablespoons
coriander seeds
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1 tablespoon
cumin seeds
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1/2 tablespoon
black peppercorns
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1 teaspoon
vegetable oil
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1
dry red chile pepper like arbol (optional)
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4-5
curry leaves (optional)
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2
roma tomatoes chopped into chunks 1 inch by 1 inch
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1 teaspoon
grated ginger
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1/2 cup
tamarind extract or 1/4 tsp tamarind paste
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1 teaspoon
salt
Directions
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In a skillet, dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds and black peppercorns at medium heat for 5-8 min or till they start emitting an aroma. Turn the heat off and cool.
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Blend this mixture to a fine powder. Keep it aside.
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Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pot. Add curry leaves and dry red chile pepper. Once the curry leaves stop sputtering and the pepper darkens, add tomatoes.
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Pour 4 cups water and follow with 1 tsp of the spice mixture, salt and grated ginger. Feel free to increase the quantity of spice mixture if you like. I add around 2 tsp in my rasam.
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Let the rasam come to a rolling boil. Turn the heat off and drink hot taking care not scald your tongue/throat. Sip it throughout the day for relief.
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Store the remaining spice mixture in refrigerator for future use. It will last easily for 4-5 weeks.
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