Kalyana Rasam

Steps

• 1

  Place in a saucepan 3 cups of water. When warm add tamarind paste stir well

• 2

  Add tomato sauce, salt, hing, turmeric and jaggery and 1/2 of the diced tomatoes.

• 3

  Allow the tamarind mixture to boil for 7-10 mins on medium heat till the liquid is reduced slightly(about 1 cms).

• 4

  Now add the rasam powder and mix well. Confine the liquid to simmer for about 6-7 mins or until the liquid again reduces by 1 cms.

• 5

  Strain the water from cooked daal. Keep aside. Take about 5 tblsp of cooked daal and with a ladle and stir it to a smooth paste. Add little daal water so the consistency is more like batter. Now add to the rasam liquid. Top it with remaining daal water or water till you have now about 4-41/4 cups of rasam. Lower the flame to simmer.

• 6

  Add remaining diced tomatoes, cilantro and ghee.

• 7

  When the liquid raises to the top (pongi varathu) off the flame. SHOULD NOT BOIL.

• 8

  Prepare seasoning- heat oil, hing, mustard when splutter add jeera and add to rasam.

• 9

  Don’t add pepper for this rasam- all needed ingredients already in the powder. Optionally if you need little more sourness you can add lemon juice to your taste.

• 10

  Enjoy Kalyana rasam! This rasam has less daal and is watery because plain cooked daal is served along with it separately.

• 11

  Tip: 1. If you don’t have tomato sauce you can take 1 large tomato and grate it. You will get a nice semi solid tomato sauce. 2. If the rasam is too spicy or sour add little jaggery to balance it. 3. If the daal is not cooked well, take the quantity needed and put in a mixie blender and give a quick spin.