Rasam is a south Indian Soup, prepared with tomato, dal and various aromatic spices. To me, they are the comforting food next to idly. They are mildly tangy, watery in consistency and a medley of fresh aroma and flavors. South Indian meals are incomplete without rasam. Many family in south India makes rasam everyday. They are the soul food to many homes. Coming to the recipe, everyone makes rasam in a different way and this is my version of tomato rasam recipe, without tamarind, here I added toor dal in additional to tomatoes, to get a nice taste and also for protein. The one thing I like most in rasam is the lovely flavor and fresh aroma which comes from coriander leaves, asafoetida and garlic. Making of rasam is easy and can be made fast, they are good for digestion as it has lot of spices in it.  Also it is a good food for people with fever and cough. Tomato rasam can be served with potato fry or vegetable fry.  I had it with butterbeans poriyal.


    Ingredients

          4 Tomatoes
          3 Tbsp of Toor Dal
          Salt to taste
          Water as needed

    To Make a Rasam Powder

         
          1 Tsp of Whole Black Pepper
          2 Tsp of Whole Cumin
          2 Tsp of Coriander Powder
          3 Garlic Cloves, Big  
          
    To Temper

           2 Tsp of Oil
           1 Big Dried Red Chilly
           1 Tsp of Mustard Seeds
           1 Tsp of Urad Dal
           1/8 Tsp of Fenugreek Seeds
           Pinch of Asafoetida
           Few Curry Leaves
           1/4 Tsp of Turmeric Powder

     To Garnish

            Handful of Coriander leaves, Finely Chopped

    Method

• Soak the dal in water for 15-20 minutes, drain the water and wash it. Pressure cook the dal by adding enough water and cook for 3 -5 whistles. Mash it and keep this aside.
• Place all the ingredients listed under ” To make rasam powder list” in a mortar and pestle or mixie, grind it to a fine powder.
• In a bowl, squeeze the tomatoes with your hand or else grind it to a puree in mixie, now to the tomato puree, add rasam powder, salt and enough water about 1-1.5 cups of water. Check the salt by tasting it with a spoon.
• Heat a pan with oil, add red chilly(break it), fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, urad dal, hing and curry leaves, after mustard seeds pops up, simmer it, add turmeric powder and tomato mixture , followed by mashed dal with water. Mix well.
• Allow it to boil for 3 mins, when you find froths starts forming on the top, immediately turn off the flame. Do not overcook the rasam.
• Finally add the coriander leaves and mix well.
• Serve with hot rice and potato fry. I had it with butterbeans poriyal.

    Tips

• Adjust the number of red chilly according to your taste. If you use long red chilly(Neeta Milagai), you can use 2. Big red chilly(kundu milagai) is spicier than longer one, so I used one.
• Some tomatoes are more tangy and others are less tangy, so use it accordingly.
• If you find your rasam is less tangy, add 2 tsp of lemon juice at the end. After you turn off the heat.
• Here I used big garlic cloves, if you have smaller ones, then add 5 or 6 cloves while making powder.
• If you don’t want dal in your rasam, just skip it.

        
    Health Benefits of Rasam

• Rich in vitamin A which comes from tomato.
• Dal added to this rasam which gives protein.
• Hing added to it, is for easy digestion.
• Combination of pepper and turmeric, increases anti-carcinogenic properties.
• Coriander Seeds : Protects against salmonella bacteria, aids in digestion, lowers blood glucose and cholesterol.
• Red Chillies :  They not only add heat to the meal, high in vit A, boost immunity, weight loss, prevents cancer.
• Turmeric : Prevents cancer, natural pain killer, antimicrobial properties, treatment for depression, prevents Alzheimer’s disease and arthritis, help in weight loss  
• Black Pepper : prevents cancer, weight loss, powerful antioxidants, dental health, antidepressant.
• Cumin : aids in digestion and respiration, good for lactating mothers, boost the immunity, prevents cancers.
• Fenugreek : good for diabetes, aids in digestion, good for skin disorders and lactating mothers, cancer prevention, rich in fibers
• Toor Dal : Excellent source of carbohydrates, fibers and protein.
• Mustard Seeds :  high in anti-inflammatory, antioxidants and anti fungal properties,  rich in selenium, reduces migraine problems.

          Hmmm…I Love curd(Yogurt)…I cannot live without it even for a single day….Here I used vermicilli (Semiya) which is a type of pasta thinner than spaghetti. You can make lot of dishes with vermicilli like vermicilli biryani, vermicilli payasam. This is very simple dish made with vermicilli, curd and spices. This recipe is similar to curd rice .Try this semiya bagala bath(Yogurt Vermicilli) with mango pickles.


    Ingredients

    To Cook Semiya

         1/2 Cup of Semiya
         1 and 1/4 Cup of Water
         Salt
         1/2 Tsp of Oil

    To Saute
        
         3 Tbsp of Red Onion, Finely Chopped
         2 Green Chillies, Finely Chopped
         1/2 Inch Ginger, Grated
         3/4 Cup of Curd
         2 Tsp of Butter

    To Temper

         1 Tsp of Oil
         1 Tsp of Mustard Seeds
         Pinch of Asafoetida
         Few Curry Leaves
       
    To Garnish

        Few grated carrot
        2 Grapes

    Method

• Heat water in a pan, add salt and a tsp of oil, bring it to a boil, add semiya to a boiling water,  Stir well. Cover and cook for 5 mins until the semiya absorbs all the water.
• After it is cooked, keep this aside.
• Allow it to cool, add curd, mix well.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves, when they pop up, add onion, saute for few mins, add ginger and green chillies, saute this for few mins. Now add the temperings to the semiya.
• Finally add butter and give a quick stir.
• Transfer it to a bowl and refrigerate it for 15 mins. Serve chill.
• Finally garnish with grapes and grated carrot.

    Tips

• If you use unroasted vermicilli, then you need to dry roast it in a pan and then cook it.
• You can use raisins and cashews, for extra flavor to the dish.
• Adjust the number of green chilly according to your taste.
• If you are planning to prepare curd semiya for lunch box, then add 1/2 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of curd.
• Don’t ever add curd to the hot semiya, in that case, live cultures get lost in the curd.