Tomato rasam/Thakkali rasam is also regularly made in South Indian homes. This is slightly different from the paruppu rasam as the tanginess comes mainly from the tomatoes.
Most people do not add tamarind, but mom usually adds a tiny bit of tamarind to make the tanginess rounded.
We also use the dal water or the pigeon peas stock. Other than that the rest of the ingredients are more or less the same.
Yet, tomato rasam/thakkali rasam tastes distinctly tomatoey 😀 . It goes well with some hot rice topped with ghee and some pappad or stir-fries.
Tuar dal or pigeon peas are cooked almost every day in our house for various dishes. So I always have the dal water or stock on hand. If you don’t, then cook a 1-2 tbsps of dal in 1 cup of water, mash, and add in the rasam.
Rasam in general is considered very healthy. We South Indians normally mix it with cooked white rice and consume it. This is the prescribed diet in most houses when people fall sick.
On a cold day, rasam sadam or rasam rice is bliss. If you want to have it as a soup, you can strain and consume it.
Over to the recipe…
Tomato rasam/thakkali rasam
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 cup dal water
- 2 cups water
- a pinch of turmeric powder
- a big pinch of hing/asafoetida
- salt as needed
For grinding
- ½-1 tsp peppercorns
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- a few coriander leaves
For tempering
- ⅛ tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp cumin seeds
- a few curry leaves
- 1-2 tsp ghee or oil
For garnishing
- 1-2 sprigs of coriander leaves
Instructions
- Chop the tomatoes, crush the garlic and add them to a pot with tamarind, salt, hing, and water.
- Squeeze the tomatoes, add the dal water and heat it up.
- In the meanwhile coarsely grind the pepper, and cumin in a mixer and then add the coriander leaves and pulse it.
- When the tomato mix starts boiling, simmer and add the ground mix and half cup water.
- Taste test and add more salt or spices as needed. Turn off when it starts frothing.
- Temper with the items given under tempering and garnish with coriander leaves.
Hema’s P.S
- The dal water balances the tanginess of the tomatoes perfectly. You can skip if you don’t prefer.
- After mashing the tomatoes, you can remove the skin of the tomatoes too before cooking. But I generally let it stay as it is nutritious.
- If the tomatoes are too tangy add a bit of jaggery or sugar to balance the taste.
- You can skip the dal water if you do not have it.
- The addition of water can also be adjusted to personal preference.
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Mmm…… Can feel the tangy taste of tomato rasam even as I read the recipe ❤❤