tomato rasam

winters are still here for some time. and its comforting and warm to have a bowl of soup or dal in winters. one recipe i love to make whether its winters or summer or monsoons or any season, is tomato rasam.

this tomato rasam is mom’s recipe and she has always been making it this way. i simply love tomato rasam this way. i have had tomato rasam in some south indian restaurants… but did not like them.

there are many recipes for making tomato rasam. this is the most easy and simple recipe to make the tomato rasam plus a delicious one. there is no dal/lentils used in this recipe. also there is no tamarind added in the recipe and also you don’t need any rasam powder to make this rasam.

the tomato rasam can be had with rice or with medu vadas or idlis. you can also have it plain as a soup with some warm or toasted bread.

its very good for cold and also for digestion. i made the rasam when i was having heavy cold and fever for a week. and it did help me to soothen the cold in the cold season

for this rasam, we use cumin seeds and black pepper as the main spices. you can increase or decrease the proportion of pepper to adjust with your taste and level of spice.

other ingredients that are added are tender coriander stems (preferably without leaves), ginger and garlic. again the quantity of ginger and garlic can be increased or reduced.

and the rest of the ingredients are of course, red and juicy tomatoes, plus the usual indian herbs and spices.

a step by step recipe for making tomato rasam at home:

rinse the tomatoes in running water for 3-4 times. blanch or steam the tomatoes in a steamer, microwave oven or in a pot. drain and keep aside for them to cool.

take the cumin seed, black pepper, ginger, garlic and coriander stems (you can keep some leaves  if you want).

run through the grinder to get a coarse mixture. don’t make it fine. you can also use a pestle and mortar to make the coarse paste.

now chop the tomatoes and blend them to get a smooth puree. if you want you can get rid of the peel and seeds. i usually don’t.

in a large pan, heat oil. add mustard seeds. when they crackle, add the urad dal. when the urad dal turns light brown, add the curry leaves, asafoetida, red chilies.

fry for a minute and now add the ground coarse spice mixture and fry for a minute again.

now add the turmeric powder and fry for a minute.

finally add the tomato puree. mix well.

then add some water. if you like a little thin rasam you could add some more water. also add salt.

give the tomato rasam a boil.

and then simmer for 10-12 minutes.

finally garnish tomato rasam with coriander leaves.

serve tomato rasam hot with rice and some pappadums.

 tomato rasam recipe details below: