Tomato Pepper-Garlic Rasam

Rasam always tops my list of "easy and quick" dishes to make. This particular variety of tomato-garlic-pepper-cumin mix rasam is my favorite. I use the exact same recipe that my mom uses but I always end up feeling that I am not able to replicate the taste of amma's. Maybe that's what they call "kai pakuvam" :)
I always grind a fresh mix for rasam and do not prefer the rasam powder, that makes this an instant rasam recipe. Just a few ingredients and your rasam is ready to slurp off the plate ;)

Ingredients

Serves - 4
Spice Level - Moderate
Prep Time - 10 min
Cook time - 10 min

Oil - 2 Tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Tomato - 1 small, chopped roughly
Tamarind extract - 1 Tbsp (thick)
Water - 2-3 cups
Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp
Urad dal - 1 Tsp
Hing - a generous pinch
Cumin/Jeera seeds - 1 Tsp
Dry Red chilli - 1
Turmeric powder a pinch
Salt - as per need
Cumin-pepper powder mix - 1 Tsp
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup loosely packed

To grind to a puree

Tomato - 2 medium sized
Garlic - 3 cloves
Jeera/Cumin - 2 Tsp
Pepper - 1/2 Tbsp

How do you do it

1. Make a puree of the give items under "To puree". Transfer the puree to the bowl, mix in the tamarind extract, 1 cup of water and curry leaves to it. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a kadai. Add hing and then mustard seeds to pop, add urad dal, cumin seeds and let them brown. Break the dry red chilli and add it in.

3. Add the tomatoes now and the turmeric powder. Wait till the tomato pieces soften a little, then add the puree mix prepared in step one. Mix well

4. Add 1.5 cups of water more, and let it come to slow boil. Let the rasam boil for a few minutes until the raw taste disappears and all the flavors are soaked in. I let it boil for about 5 minutes. Add coriander leaves to the rasam and switch off stove.

5. Set aside a bowl with required salt [2 tsp], and add the pepper-cumin powder to this. Take the pot with rasam off the heat and directly pour in this bowl and mix well.

Serve this hot and soothing rasam with rice, potato curry and appalam which is our favorite combo.