Prep Time | 15 minutes |
Cook Time | 20 minutes |
Servings |
servings
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- 1 gooseberry/small lime sized tamarind block
- 4 small tomatoes or 2 medium sized tomatoes
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp Hing
- 2 tbsp cooked, mashed toor dal
- 1 tbsp jaggery
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
Ingredients
Ingredients for Tempering and Garnish
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- Soak tamarind in warm water. Extract juice, about 1 cup
- Boil with chopped tomatoes, salt, turmeric
- Heat the coconut oil. Roast the spices one at a time, removing to a plate to cool. The best oil to use here is coconut oil for authentic flavor
- Powder the ingredients, with a tiny bit of hing
- When the tamarind has cooked down some (about 10 minutes), and lost the raw smell, add about 1 tbsp of the spice powder/rasam powder.
- Add the cooked mashed dal diluted with water. The rasam will get frothy in a couple of minutes.
- Add the jaggery
- Take off heat. Temper with mustard seeds and cumin. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Enjoy with hot steaming rice!
I got the recipe for the powder from one of Chef Venkatesh Bhat's "Samayal Samayal" episodes. Jotted it down quickly as I watched, so hope I got it right.
It's important to toast the spices only in coconut oil. That is what makes it udupi cuisine. I also used a tsp of fresh coconut and fried it along with the spices. Totally my variation, optional.
It's also important to add the jaggery at the end to balance out the sourness. I initially didnt buy into the idea, but loved it once I tried making it. Of course, when you make it yourself, you can control how much jaggery you add. I add just a tiny bit.
The powder can be stored for a week or two, and used as a finishing podi for curries such as tindora (ivy gourd), and eggplant.