Jesse’s Tomato Rasam

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons whole Black Pepper
• 1 Sprig Curry Leaves
• 1 Tablespoon Cumin Seeds
• 1/4 Cup Coriander Leaves with stems
• 1 Bulb Garlic, unpeeled
• 5 Cups Water
• 2-3 Tomatoes, approx 120 grams
• 2 Teaspoons Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
• 3 Byadgi Dry Red Chillies
• 4 Small Round Dry Red Chillies
• 1 medium Onion, sliced
• 3-4 Garlic cloves, unpeeled and smashed lightly
• 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Rasam Powder
• 1 Piece Tamarind, lemon sized approx 12 grams
• 2 tablespoons fresh Coriander, for topping

Steps

1. Add all the ingredients mentioned under ‘dry mixture’ to the chutney jar of a mixer grinder or to a spice grinder and grind to a chunky dry mix consistency. Don't add any water while grinding
2. Heat 5 cups of water in a pot and add tomatoes. Boil for 10-15 minutes till the tomatoes soften. Remove the tomatoes and reserve the water.
3. Once the tomatoes cool down slightly, mash them with your hands. You can also use a potato masher to do this. Keep them chunky and don’t mash them to a pulp.
4. In a different bowl, soak tamarind in ¼ cup hot water and set aside.
5. In a pot or kadhai, heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once they start spluttering, add all the dried red chillies and curry leaves. Saute for about 30 seconds.
6. Add sliced onions and fry till light golden. Add smashed garlic cloves and saute. Add the ground coriander masala, turmeric, salt and saute for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add the mashed tomatoes, all the reserved tomato water, rasam powder and tamarind water. Add another cup of water if you want the consistency to be thinner. Bring this to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, top with fresh coriander leaves and let this rest for 10-15 minutes.