How to Make Rasam, a Tasty Tamarind Soup

Rasam is one of the very famous South Indian soup. The main ingredients for making Rasam are Tamarind, Black pepper, Cumin seeds and few cloves of garlic. Rasam is prepared by first extracting the tamarind juice by soaking in water, then other ingredients are lightly crushed and added to the juice. The mix is then tempered over medium flame.

There are different varieties of Rasam. You can make Rasam by adding tomatoes, lime juice, steamed lentils and so on, but the base is the tamarind juice mixed with the other three ingredients mentioned.

In this instructable we will see how to make Tomato Rasam. The quantities of ingredients mentioned here are for making about one liter of Rasam

Step 1: Make Tamarind Juice

• Take about a lime sized piece of Tamarind and put it in warm water for a few minutes
• Crush the soaked tamarind piece with fingers and extract the juice
• Filter the juice into another vessel and throw away the remains

Step 2: Add Tomatoes

• Cut two tomatoes in halves
• Crush and mix the tomatoes with already extracted tamarind juice
• Remove the tomato skin from the mix and discard

Step 3: Other Ingredients

• Take about a teaspoon of black pepper, four or five garlic cloves and a teaspoon of Cumin seeds
• Place all the three ingredients in a pestle and mortar equipment or in a mixer grinder

Step 4: Crush and Add to Tamarind Juice

• Crush all three ingredients together lightly. Do not make a fine paste. The mix should be crushed as shown in the picture.
• Remove the mix from the mortar and add it to the tamarind juice.
• Add salt to taste and mix well

Step 5: Tempering

• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan
• When the oil is heated add a teaspoon of mustard seeds mixed with split black-gram lentils
• Break two dried red chilies in to pieces.
• Once the mustard seeds start to crack add the red chili pieces
• Add a handful of curry leaves to oil. Take care as the oil may splatter when you add the curry leaves

Step 6: Add Tamarind Juice

• Add the Tamarind juice mixed with other ingredients to the pan
• Keep the flame medium to low. The mix in the pan will slowly start to froth
• Once the top of the mix is covered with froth, shut of the stove.
• Do not allow the mix to boil, that is very important. If you allow it to boil, then taste may change
• Remove the pan from stove and keep aside

Step 7: Garnish and Serve

• Transfer the contents from the pan to a serving dish
• Garnish the Rasam with chopped coriander leaves

Our Tomato Rasam is ready. It can be eaten with rice or used separately as soup.

Whenever we suffer from illness like fever, cold, stomach upset etcetera we take Rasam with rice as it is very light and also gives a comfortable feeling