Tomato Rasam

Ingredients for 4 adults

1. Toor dal 1/4 or 1/2 small cup ( 100 gms) 
2. Tamarind  -lemon size or Tamarind paste 3/4 to 1 teaspoon (less if you have more tomatoes)
3. Sambhar powder* - 1 and  1/2 teaspoon( or more depending on your taste) 
4. Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
5. Curry leaves - a few
6. Coriander leaves - a few
7. Oil - one teaspoons
8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon 
9. Hing a small piece or powder 1/4 teaspoon ( two pinches).
10. Ripe tomatoes 2 to 3 ( cut one tomato with sharp tomato knife into very small pieces to use for garnishing)

Pre-preparation:

1. Dissolve the tamarind in 1 and  1/2  cups of water and keep it aside. ( if you are using raw tamarind, dissolve  using warm water, mash it with your fingers and filter to remove the debris and fibres)
2. Clean the toor dal and put it in the cooker vessel.
3. Add 2 cups of water and add the turmeric powder
4. Pressure cook for 20 minutes ( till the dal becomes soft and mash able)          

Preparation:

1. In a suitable vessel pour the tamarind water.Add sambhar powder, salt and the tomato pieces. Add a pinch of hing or hing powder. Let this boil for 10 minutes till the raw aroma of the sambhar powder disappears.
2. Take out the dal, mash the dal with a hand churner or a thick spoon and pour this dal water into the boiling rasam.
3. Add the curry leaves, Coriander leaves. 
4. Cook in a low flame till the smell of the dal disappears and you see the rasam frothing with bubbles in them.
5. Seasoning ( 'Thallipathu' ):  Pour a  teaspoon of oil or ghee  in a small skillet ( kadai, or an iron ladle specific for this purpose). Put the mustard seeds and a pinch of jeera. Wait till they splutter. Pour it over the rasam..
6. You can now add the small tomato pieces and some more coriander leaves at this stage.

* Preparation of this powder is given separately in this blog.  There is no big difference between sambhar powder and Rasam powder. Sambhar powder can very well be used for making delicious rasams.
Pre-packed sambhar powder called Madras sambhar /  rasam powder is also available in MTR and other brands.