Quick Tomato Rasam

An ideal South Indian soup for cold, flu and weight loss. It is loaded with healthy ingredients like pepper, garlic , cumin seeds and turmeric. The mulligatawny soup originates from the south which means “milagu” – “pepper” and thanni – water.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes – 3 medium

Water – 2 cups

Garlic – 3 cloves

Tamarind – 2 tsp concentrated pulp

Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds powder (jeera powder)- 1/4 tsp

Rasam powder – 1 1/2 tbsp

Salt – as required

Seasoning:

Oil – 1 tsp

Mustard – 1 tsp

Jeera – 3/4 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Asafoetida – a pinch

Whole red chillie – 1

Garlic chopped fine – 1/2 tsp optional

Rasam powder:

Chana dal – 2 tsps

Pepper – little more than 1/2 tsp

Red chillies – 2

Jeera – 1 tsp

Asafoetida – a pinch

Mustard – 4-5 grains

Note : This version of rasam powder does not have coriander seeds in it, which is usually added.

Saute all the ingredients in kadai without oil and powder it in a blender.

Preparation:

In a kadai, add chopped tomatoes and boil it with water. When the tomatoes turn mushy, mash it roughly with a masher. Add tamarind paste to it, pepper powder and jeera powder and boil it again for 2 minutes. Then add salt and the rasam powder (home made or store bought powders) and boil it just once.

Heat kadai and add oil to it. When it is hot, add the ingredients under seasoning to it. Put off the gas and pour over the seasonings on top of the rasam and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tomato Chutney

A simple tomato chutney to accompany dosas, idlis or utappam.

Ingredients:

Tomato – medium size 1 1/2

Onion – 1 medium size

Tamarind – a small pinch

Peanuts – 2 tsp

Coconut – 3 tsp

Red chillies – 3

Udad dal – 1 tbsp

Seasoning:

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Udad dal – 1/4 tsp

Curry leaf – 1 sprig

Asafoetida – a pinch

Heat oil. Add udad dal. When dal becomes slightly brown, add red chillies, then onion and saute it. Add the tomato and saute till it turns mushy. Turn off the gas and let it cool. Grind this in a mixie coarsely alongwith coconut, tamarind and peanuts. The paste should not become too smooth. Season it with mustard seeds, udad dal, curry leaves and asafoedtida.