Tomato 🍅 Rasam (South Indian Pepper Broth)

Description

Light, tangy, and peppery — a soothing tomato–tamarind broth sparked with cumin, black pepper, and a sizzling spice temper 🌿🔥.
Hook: 20-minute, pantry-friendly soup that wakes up the appetite ⚡

Ingredients

• 🍅 Ripe tomatoes, chopped: 300 g (2 cups / 10.6 oz)
• 🟤 Tamarind paste: 10 g (2 tsp / 0.35 oz) or 30 ml (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz) tamarind water
• 🌕 Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp (0.8 g)
• 🌿 Rasam powder* or spice mix: 2 tsp (6 g / 0.21 oz)
• 🧂 Salt: to taste (≈5 g / ¾ tsp)
• 💧 Water: 900 ml (3¾ cups / 30 fl oz)
• 🌱 Fresh cilantro, chopped: 2 tbsp (6 g / 0.21 oz)
• Optional body (classic):
• 🟡 Toor dal (split pigeon peas), rinsed: 60–80 g (½ cup / 2.1–2.8 oz)
• Tadka (tempering):
• 🛢 Oil or ghee: 1½ tbsp (22 ml / 0.75 fl oz)
• 🌰 Mustard seeds: ½ tsp (2 g)
• 🌱 Cumin seeds: ½ tsp (2 g)
• 🌶 Dried red chili: 1–2
• 🍃 Fresh curry leaves: 8–10
• 🧄 Sliced garlic (optional): 1 clove
• 🟤 Asafoetida (hing): 1 pinch
• *If you don’t have rasam powder, use: ¾ tsp ground black pepper + ¾ tsp ground cumin + ½ tsp ground coriander.

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ (Optional dal) Cook toor dal in 300 ml (1¼ cups) water until soft (pressure cooker 6–8 min or simmer 25 min); mash and set aside.
2. 2️⃣ In a pot combine tomatoes, tamarind, turmeric, rasam powder, salt, and water. Simmer 8–10 min until tomatoes soften and flavors meld.
3. 3️⃣ Stir in mashed dal (if using) and bring just to a gentle foam—do not boil hard.
4. 4️⃣ Tadka: Heat oil/ghee; add mustard (let it crackle), then cumin, dried chili, curry leaves, garlic, hing—sizzle 20–30 s fragrant.
5. 5️⃣ Pour tadka over the rasam, add cilantro, taste salt/sour/pepper, and serve hot (sip as soup or ladle over rice).

Total Time

🕒 Prep: 10 min

🔥 Cook: 10–15 min

⏳ Total: 20–25 min

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