By Akshara
September 15, 2025
South Indian Rasam is a light, tangy, and spiced soup prepared with tamarind, tomatoes, and freshly ground spices. It is often enjoyed with steamed rice or sipped on its own as a warm and soothing drink.
Bread slices, gram flour, and basic spices come together for this favourite snack. You can add mashed potato, grated paneer, or even a little leftover sabzi as filling. Served with ketchup or green chutney, these turn into an instant hit with kids.
½ cup toor dal (pigeon peas) 1 lemon-sized ball of tamarind (soaked in warm water) 2 medium tomatoes (chopped) 2 green chillies (slit) 1 tsp rasam powder ½ tsp turmeric powder ½ tsp black pepper powder 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 dried red chillies 8â10 curry leaves 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves (chopped) 1 tbsp ghee or oil Salt to taste
Pressure cook the dal until soft, mash well, and keep aside.
Extract tamarind water and boil it with chopped tomatoes, green chillies, turmeric, and rasam powder.
Add the cooked dal and pepper powder, adjust salt, and bring to a gentle boil.
In a small pan, heat ghee, splutter mustard seeds, cumin, curry leaves, and red chillies. Pour this tempering over the rasam.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice or drink it warm in a cup.