Garlic Rasam

A steaming hot cup of garlic rasam is my kind of comfort food on a cold rainy day. The goodness of garlic in the rasam helps with indigestion and the jeera/cumin and pepper is a very good antidote for common cold. This rasam goes well with rice and potato fry!

Ingredients:

• gooseberry sized tamarind
• 1 tomato
• 1/4 cup mashed cooked toor dal
• 7-8 garlic pods
• 1 tbsp rasam/sambar powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper corns
• 1 tsp jeera
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp oil/ghee

Method:

Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract tamarind juice (about 3 cups)

In a pan add the extracted tamarind juice, tomato (chopped/puree) sambar powder, turmeric powder, curry leaves, 5-6 garlic pods, half of the asafoetida and bring it to a boil.

Mean while  powder/coarsely crush 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, black pepper corns and the remaining garlic with a mortar and pestle.

When the tamarind juice comes to a boil and the raw smell is gone, add the powdered cumin/pepper and garlic, mashed cooked toor dal to the rasam and let it boil for a couple of minutes. Add salt to taste at this stage.

Now temper the rasam by heating ghee/oil in a pan. When hot, add mustard seeds, remaining asafoetida, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds. Add it to the rasam along with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.