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Tamarind Rasam
Tamarind rasam is a sour, spicy and warming rasam variant from the South Indian cuisine. It is made with tangy dried tamarind, tomatoes, spices and herbs. It is also called as Puli Rasam or Chintapandu Charu.
Prep Time
30
minutes
mins
Cook Time
15
minutes
mins
Total Time
45
minutes
mins
Course:
Main Course
Cuisine:
South Indian
Diet:
Vegan, Vegetarian
Difficulty Level:
Moderate
Servings:
3
Calories:
125
kcal
Author:
Dassana Amit
Ingredients
Main ingredients
2
tablespoons
tamarind
- tightly packed or 1 lemon sized tamarind, soaked in 1 cup water for 30 to 40 minutes
1
tomato
- medium sized
2 to 2.25
cups
water
1 to 2
tablespoons
chopped coriander leaves
(cilantro) - for garnish
2
tablespoons
oil
- any neutral flavored oil or sesame oil made from raw sesame seeds
salt
as required
Ingredients for the rasam spice mix
½
teaspoon
black peppercorns
1 or 1.5
teaspoon
cumin seeds
4 to 5
garlic cloves
- small to medium-sized
3 to 4
dry red chilies
- broken and seeds removed
¼
cup
coriander leaves
with their stems - optional
For tempering
¾
teaspoon
mustard seeds
½
teaspoon
cumin seeds
- optional
¼
teaspoon
asafoetida powder
(hing)
10 to 12
curry leaves
US Customary
-
Metric
Instructions
Preparation
Soak the tamarind in 1 cup water for 30 to 40 minutes. Or if you are short of time then soak in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes.
Squeeze the pulp from the soaked tamarind with your hands in the water. Keep aside.
Crush the tomatoes with your hands and add this to the tamarind pulp.
You can also chop the tomatoes, if you prefer.
Make a semi coarse mixture in a small blender or coffee grinder or in a mortar-pestle with the ingredients mentioned under rasam spice mix.
Making tamarind rasam
Heat oil in a pan. First fry the mustard seeds till they crackle.
Add cumin and fry till they are browned.
Add curry leaves and asafoetida. Fry for some seconds. You can opt to add 1 to 2 small garlic cloves here in the tempering.
Add the tamarind pulp - crushed tomatoes mixture.
Add the ground semi coarse rasam powder.
Stir and then add about 2 cups water or as required. Season with salt as per taste.
Bring to one boil and then simmer puli rasam for about 5 minutes.
Lastly add chopped coriander leaves and give a stir.
Serve tamarind rasam hot with any South Indian main course vegetarian meal. It can also be enjoyed as a soup.
Notes
The recipe can be scaled.
The addition of tomatoes is optional. But it gives a good flavor.
You can reduce the spices for a less pungent taste. But I don't recommend increasing them.
Nutrition
Calories:
125
kcal
|
Carbohydrates:
8
g
|
Protein:
2
g
|
Fat:
10
g
|
Saturated Fat:
1
g
|
Polyunsaturated Fat:
1
g
|
Monounsaturated Fat:
8
g
|
Sodium:
404
mg
|
Potassium:
213
mg
|
Fiber:
2
g
|
Sugar:
4
g
|
Vitamin A:
731
IU
|
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine):
1
mg
|
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin):
1
mg
|
Vitamin B3 (Niacin):
39
mg
|
Vitamin B6:
1
mg
|
Vitamin C:
75
mg
|
Vitamin E:
4
mg
|
Vitamin K:
10
µg
|
Calcium:
60
mg
|
Vitamin B9 (Folate):
401
µg
|
Iron:
2
mg
|
Magnesium:
25
mg
|
Phosphorus:
42
mg
|
Zinc:
1
mg