Tomato Rasam

Rasam is great to have around when you are making south Indian food. A simple dish of water, tomatoes and spices, it is often combined with other dishes to lend some depth and complexity to the palate.

You can buy commercial grade Rasam at Indian stores, it comes in packets and stores fairly well and is fairly tasty.

But it is also really easy to make your own. This recipe came from my cousin Malu (of Malu's Chicken Curry).

I like to add tomatoes to my Rasam, and I prefer Vietnamese Tamarind over the Indian variety (Indian tamarind is very dark and has a bit of a burned flavor). I love Vietnamese Tamarind because it is lighter and has a beautiful red color. Adding the tomatoes and Vietnamese Tamarind to this Rasam reminds me of a Tomato Tamarind soup which I had while traveling in Vietnam, albeit this version is pure vegetarian!

When I was working in Chennai, this was a lifesaver! Just Rasam and rice and that was a full meal for me!


Ingredients
One lime sized ball of Vietnamese Tamarind paste
1-3 tomatoes, diced
Coriander powder
Asafoetida

Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Black Pepper powder
Salt

Freshly cut coriander leaves, chopped (both stems and leaves are ok)



Place tamarind ball in a small soup cup and fill with water. Let it sit for a few minutes.

In the meantime, heat a pan on medium to high heat. Add cut tomatoes and cook for a few minutes, until the tomatoes begin to "sweat" and release their juices.

With you fingers gently break up the tamarind ball. There should be a tamarind seed somewhere in the ball, find and remove it. Continue to squeeze the tamarind ball with the tips of your fingers until you have extracted most of the juice from it. The water should turn red.

Strain the tamarind juice and add it to the pot.


Add the coriander powder, Asafoetida and lemon juice and give it a good stir and remove from heat.


Add the salt and pepper and give it a good stir.

At this point, you can adjust the seasoning with more coriander powder and Asafoetida powder as you see fit. You can also add more water if you want to. Rasam is to have a soup-like consistency, so adjust accordingly.

Garnish with freshly cut and chopped coriander leaves.

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