Hot, spicy, and tangy, Tomato Rasam is a quintessential South Indian dish featuring spices, chiles, and tamarind. Serve it as a soup or with rice.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons tamarind paste, soaked in 1 cup of warm water for 5 minutes
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot or small onion, chopped or sliced
3 cloves of garlic, smashed with the side of a knife
1 small dried chile or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or a half of a fresh jalapeño
8-10 curry leaves
2½ teaspoons coriander
1½ teaspoons cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon asafoetida
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2-3 medium tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
Make the tamarind juice by combining the tamarind paste with 1 cup of warm water and letting it sit for 5 minutes. Then use your hand to squish and squeeze the tamarind to remove as much of the pulp from the pods and seeds. Strain this mixture twice to remove all of the unwanted matter. Let the strained tamarind juice sit undisturbed as you continue with the recipe.
Into a pot over medium-high heat, add the oil, the sliced onion, and garlic cloves. Sauté for a few minutes, letting the onions and garlic get a little caramelized color. Toss in the dried chile, curry leaves, coriander, cumin, paprika, asafetida, and black pepper and stirfry for 10 seconds. Quickly add 3½ cups of water.
Now add in the tamarind juice slowly. You want to leave about a tablespoon of the juice behind because there can be some grit that will have settled to the bottom.
Add the tomatoes, salt, and sugar and bring the rasam to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
After ten minutes, remove from the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Serve with rice.
Notes
-This recipe makes about 4 cups of rasam.
Recipe by Lands & Flavors at https://www.landsandflavors.com/tomato-rasam/