Indian & South Asian · Lunch · Dinner
Rasam
ரசம் (Rasam)
A thin, tangy South Indian broth of tamarind, ripe tomato, garlic and freshly crushed black pepper, lightly thickened with toor dal and finished with a sizzling mustard seed and curry leaf tempering. It is warming and aromatic, and good sipped from a cup or poured over rice.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 60% · Fat 25% · Protein 15%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 1/4 cup50 gToor dal (split pigeon peas)
- 1 1/2 cups375 gWater for cooking the dal
- 1 walnut-sized piece20 gTamarind pulp (seedless block)
- 1 cup250 gHot water for soaking tamarind
- 2 medium240 gRipe tomatoes, chopped
- 4 cloves12 gGarlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tspWhole black peppercorns
- 1 tspCumin seeds
- 1 tspCoriander seeds
- 1/4 tspGround turmeric
- 1 tsp6 gSalt
- 2 cups500 gExtra water for the broth
- 2 tsp9 gSunflower or other neutral oil
- 1/2 tspBlack mustard seeds
- 2 wholeDried red chillies
- 1 sprig (about 10 leaves)Fresh curry leaves
- 1 pinchAsafoetida (hing)
- 2 tbspFresh coriander leaves, chopped
Steps
- 1
Rinse the toor dal in several changes of water until the water runs mostly clear.
- 2
Put the dal in a pot with 1 1/2 cups water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 25 minutes until completely soft (or pressure cook for 3 whistles).
- 3
While the dal cooks, soak the tamarind in 1 cup hot water for 10 minutes.
- 4
Squeeze the softened tamarind with your fingers, then strain the liquid and discard the fibres.
- 5
Coarsely crush the peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and garlic together using a mortar and pestle.
- 6
Mash the cooked dal with its water until smooth and set aside.
- 7
In a saucepan, combine the tamarind water, chopped tomatoes, turmeric, salt and the crushed spice-garlic mix.
- 8
Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes break down and the raw tamarind smell fades.
- 9
Stir in the mashed dal and the 2 cups of extra water.
- 10
Heat gently until the rasam turns frothy on top, about 3 to 4 minutes, then turn off the heat without letting it boil hard.
- 11
In a small pan, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds; let them pop.
- 12
Add the dried chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida, and sizzle for a few seconds.
- 13
Pour the tempering over the rasam and stir.
- 14
Scatter over the chopped coriander leaves, then taste and adjust the salt before serving hot.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- For a gluten-free rasam, use an asafoetida labelled gluten-free, since many brands are blended with wheat flour, or simply leave it out.
- If you can't find toor dal, use the same amount of split red lentils (masoor dal), which cook faster and mash just as smoothly.
- Swap the tamarind block for about 1 tsp of tamarind concentrate stirred into the hot water, or use the juice of half a lemon added at the end.
- If fresh curry leaves are hard to find, leave them out and add a little extra fresh coriander when serving.
Storage
Cool the rasam and refrigerate it in a covered container within 2 hours, then use it within 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently until steaming hot. The flavour softens over time, so it tastes best fresh.
Make ahead
Cook and mash the dal, strain the tamarind water and crush the spice-garlic mix up to a day ahead, keeping each covered in the fridge. Simmer the rasam and make the tempering just before serving.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: MustardGluten
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (370 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 100 kcal | 27 kcal |
| Protein | 4 g | 1.1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 15.8 g | 4.3 g |
| of which sugars | 3.7 g | 1 g |
| Fiber | 3.6 g | 1 g |
| Fat | 3 g | 0.8 g |
| of which saturated | 0.3 g | 0.1 g |
| Sodium | 602 mg | 163 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
