Nalini made it for the April mega marathon and I bookmarked and made it right away. It took this long to post the recipe here. Rasam in our households is made with tomato and tamarind. Toor dal or any kind of dal is not usually added. Our version is rather watery and is usually eaten along with a thicker dal.
But this Tamil Nadu version of rasam uses a little bit of dal for thickening, a freshly ground spice powder for some kick along with sambar powder. Lemon juice is added to make the dish tangy instead of tamarind. It is a very comforting and yummy dish that is perfect to serve with any South Indian meal.
Recipe from Nalini's Kitchen:
Lemon Rasam Ingredients
- 2tbsp Toor dal
- 2 Medium Tomatoes, finely chopped or ground to a paste
- 1/2tsp Sambar powder (adjust as per taste)
- 1/4tsp Turmeric
- To taste Salt
- 8~10 Curry leaves
- 2tbsp Cilantro, finely chopped For the Spice powder:
- 11/2tsp Cumin seeds
- 1/2tsp Peppercorn
- 1~2 Green Chilies For Tempering:
- 1tsp Mustard seeds
- 1/8tsp Fenugreek seeds/ Menthulu
- 1/4tsp Asafoetida/ Hing
- 1 Dry Red chili
- Cook dal until mushy. Add 1/2cup water, mash well and keep aside.
- Grind the ingredients for the spice powder.
- In a bowl, add the chopped/ ground tomatoes, freshly ground spice powder, sambar powder, turmeric powder and salt. Stir in the cooked toor dal and cilantro.
- In a small saucepan, heat 2tsp oil, add the mustard and fenugreek seeds and once the seeds start to splutter, add asafoetida, dry red chili and curry leaves.
- Add the tomato-toor dal mixture and bring to a boil.
- Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice. Sprinkle some cilantro and cover the pot and let sit for a few minutes before serving. Serve hot with steamed rice and curry.
Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 66.
