Zesty Rasam

You will enjoy the process of making rasam as much as you enjoy savoring it. This aromatic dish is usually enjoyed with freshly made steaming hot rice and a dollop of homemade ghee/clarified butter.

Ingredients:

• Rasam powder: 1 tbsp
• Toor/Arhar lentil/dal : 1/4th cup
• Tamarind : Lime size ball (soak the tamarind in warm water and squeeze the pulp from the husks. If using store bought tamarind use 1/4th the amount as it is a concentrate)
• Jaggery: 1tbsp
• Salt: to taste
• Tomato: 1 small diced in 4 (optional)
• Ghee: 1tsp
• Mustard: 1/3rd tsp
• Asafoetida: a little more than a pinch
• Coriander: to garnish
• Curry leaves: 3-4 leaves

Procedure:

• Pressure cook the dal along with the tomato with double the amount of water.

• Bring to a boil along with tamarind pulp, jaggery, turmeric, rasam powder and salt. You can add more water if desired. Let it boil well till it is frothy on top giving all the ingredients a chance to give out their best flavors. Add chopped coriander leaves.

• For seasoning: heat 1tsp ghee, add mustard, let it splatter now add asafoetida(hing)and curry leaves pour immediately over the boiling rasam. Cover and shut the heat off. Enjoy it with hot steaming rice and ghee.