Latha's Rasam

After two disastrous years in a hostel where a breakfast of bread soaked in cold rasam *shudder* was considered avant-garde cuisine, I went COMPLETELY off rasam, concrete (aka Upma) and bread. To this day I can’t look any of these three without a shiver of repulse.

And then, one afternoon, Latha (our maid back home) cheated me into tasting her ‘special’ rasam. And I was hooked. This is probably the only rasam I will ever have. Not that the others taste bad, but just that parts of my taste buds are still hiding under the table in my old hostel refectory… hoping against hope that Mother Superior won’t catch them ;)

Anyway, for this rasam, you will need:
Tomatoes – 4, chopped
A small gooseberry-sized piece of tamarind
Turmeric powder - 1/4th teaspoon
Water - 4 cups
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Shallots - 4,finely chopped
Red chilly - 1 dry
Chopped coriander leaves – 2 tablespoons
Salt to taste

To Grind:
Peppercorn - 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon
Red chillies - 4 dry
A few curry leaves
A few sprigs of coriander leaves
Garlic pods - 4
Asafoetida - ½ teaspoon


Method Of Preparation:
- Boil chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, tamarind and water for 7-8 minutes on a medium flame, or until tomatoes are cooked
- Cool and blend it in a mixer/mixie/blender
- Strain the juice and discard the pulp
- Dry grind all the ingredients (under ‘to grind’) without frying them.
- Heat a pan and add 1 ½ teaspoon oil
- Add mustard seeds
- When they begin to pop add the dry chilly and scallions
- Sauté for a few minutes till the shallots turn golden brown
- Add the ground masala and sauté on low-medium flame for 3 minutes
- Add the tomato juice and salt
- Boil till it start to froth
- Remove from flame and garnish with chopped coriander leaves