Garlic rasam (garlic tomato soup)

Garlic Rasam (Garlic Tomato Soup)

People suggest eating an apple a day to keep healthy and I suggest eating/drinking this garlic rasam for this chilly day, especially if you have a cold like me..(Achooo..) ..But before we dig in, let me ask you a few questions first.

-Were you outside all evening yesterday, seeing the light shows or fire works?
- Were you catching up with pals over a cuppa, enjoying the cool breeze, sitting out by the pool?
-Any chances you over ate at the pot lucks or get-together's?
- Feeling tired like you were awake all night (obviously, what a question)

What can be better than spicy, steaming cup of garlic rasam on a cold, chilly day? Or what a way to start the new year!!!

I make rasam in my eiya sombu(lead vessel) and the whole house has the aroma of rasam if I use that sombu. And I add enough garlic while making this rasam protecting me from any lurking vampires or viruses.

Ingredients for garlic rasam:

Medium sized tomato- 1

Garlic- one whole or atleast 6-7 cloves

Tamarind- lime size ball (1/2 tsp of tamarind paste if you are using paste)

Cooked tuvar dal- 1/2 cup

Rasam powder- 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Black pepper powder- one pinch

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

For tempering:

Ghee- 1 tsp

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Asafoetida- one pinch

Curry leaves- a few

Method:

Soak tamarind in 2 cups of warm water. Let is sit for 10 minutes and extract the juice. Keep aside.

Chop garlic lengthwise and keep aside. Dice the tomato.

Tips on using eiya sombu can be found from my previous post here .

In a saucepan (I use eiya sombu) add salt, rasam powder, turmeric powder, chopped tomato and crush them slightly using a fork or a rough mash by hand.

Add the tamarind juice and make up to 3/4th of the volume of the vessel with water. Cover and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes till some of the water has concentrated.

Mash the cooked dal with a cup of water and add it to the simmering rasam in the pot. Taste and adjust salt. Add pepper powder if required. Simmer till the dal forms a froth on top. Switch off.

Heat ghee in a tadka pan and add asafoetida and cumin seeds. When the seeds sizzle, add curry leaves and the chopped garlic. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes, till garlic turns golden brown. Pour this tadka over rasam. Serve hot with rice and any poriyals, my choice is potato kari or kathirikkai kari . A cup of this steaming hot rasam rice and a nice nap for 4 hours, best medicine ever.

And say bye-bye to cold, flu or sore throat.