Rasam

Rasam (South Indian Tamarind-Pepper Broth)

A thin, sour and peppery South Indian broth made with tamarind, tomato and a freshly ground spice mix, finished with a sizzling tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried chilli. Traditionally drunk from a tumbler or spooned over steamed rice.

Prep

15 min

Cook

25 min

Total

40 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •15 g (1 tablespoon) tamarind pulp (seedless), or 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
• •150 ml (⅔ cup) warm water, for soaking tamarind
• •2 whole medium ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• •1.2 litres (5 cups) water, divided
• •1 tsp turmeric powder
• •1.5 tsp (1½ tsp) black peppercorns
• •1.5 tsp (1½ tsp) cumin seeds
• •1 tsp coriander seeds
• •1 tsp toor dal (split pigeon peas), optional, adds body; soak 1 tbsp cooked dal for a richer rasam
• •2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed, optional
• •2 sprigs fresh curry leaves, about 16–20 leaves, divided
• •2 whole green chillies, slit, or to taste
• •1.5 tsp (1½ tsp) salt, or to taste
• •1 tbsp (1 tablespoon) gingelly oil (Indian sesame oil), or neutral oil
• •1 tsp mustard seeds
• •1 tsp (1 teaspoon) urad dal (split black gram), optional, for tempering
• •2 whole dried red chillies, broken in half
• •1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
• •2 tbsp (2 tablespoons) coriander leaves, chopped, to finish

Steps

1. 1 Soak the tamarind in 150 ml (⅔ cup) warm water for 10 minutes, then squeeze and strain to extract a thick pulp. Discard the fibre and seeds.
2. 2 Dry-roast 1 tsp of the cumin seeds, the coriander seeds and the black peppercorns in a small pan over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant and the peppercorns darken slightly. Cool, then grind to a coarse powder in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
3. 3 In a saucepan, combine the tamarind water, chopped tomatoes, turmeric, 600 ml (2½ cups) water, half the curry leaves, the slit green chillies, crushed garlic and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 8–10 minutes until the tomatoes are completely soft and the raw tamarind smell is gone.
4. 4 Mash the tomatoes against the side of the pan with the back of a spoon so they dissolve into the broth. Stir in the ground spice powder.
5. 5 Add the remaining 600 ml (2½ cups) water and bring back to a gentle simmer. Do not boil hard for long or the rasam will lose its fresh aroma - simmer 3–4 minutes only. Taste and adjust salt; it should be thin, sour and peppery.
6. 6 For the tempering, heat the oil in a small pan over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop and crackle (about 30 seconds), add the remaining cumin seeds, urad dal, dried red chillies, remaining curry leaves and asafoetida. Fry 20–30 seconds until the dal is golden and the chillies darken - do not burn.
7. 7 Immediately pour the tempering, oil and all, into the rasam. It should sizzle on contact. Stir once.
8. 8 Remove from heat, cover and let stand 5 minutes so the flavours settle. Stir in the chopped coriander leaves.
9. 9 Serve hot in a bowl or tumbler, or spooned over steamed rice. Rasam is meant to be thin enough to drink; if it has thickened, loosen with a splash of hot water.