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1. Rinse the toor dal thoroughly under cold water until the water runs clear. Place in a medium saucepan with half the water and the ground turmeric. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 40–50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the dal is completely soft and breaking apart — the grains should offer no resistance when pressed between your fingers and the mixture will look thick and porridge-like. If the water absorbs before the dal is soft, add a splash more and continue cooking. Once done, whisk the cooked dal vigorously until smooth and set aside.
0.8 cup Toor dal (split pigeon peas),
0.5 tsp Ground turmeric,
2 cup Water
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2. While the dal cooks, roughly chop the tomatoes and place them in a saucepan with the remaining water and the tamarind paste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down completely. Use the back of a spoon to crush them into the liquid.
3 piece Tomatoes,
1.5 tbsp Tamarind paste,
2 cup Water
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3. Coarsely crush the black peppercorns and half the cumin seeds using a mortar and pestle — this releases their oils for maximum flavour. Smash the garlic cloves and grate or finely mince the fresh ginger.
6 clove Garlic cloves,
1 piece Fresh ginger,
1.5 tsp Black peppercorns,
0.8 tsp Cumin seeds
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4. Add the whisked dal to the tomato-tamarind broth and stir well to combine. Add the ground coriander, red chili powder, and salt. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rasam reaches a thin, soupy consistency. Add more water if needed — rasam should be light and broth-like, not thick.
1 tsp Ground coriander,
0.5 tsp Red chili powder,
1 tsp Salt
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5. In a small tadka pan or skillet, heat the ghee over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the mustard seeds and remaining cumin seeds and let them crackle for 15–20 seconds. Add the dried red chilies and let them darken slightly for 10 seconds.
3 piece Dried red chilies,
0.8 tsp Cumin seeds,
1 tsp Mustard seeds,
2 tbsp Ghee
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6. Add the smashed garlic and grated ginger to the pan and fry for 30–45 seconds until fragrant and lightly golden. Add the curry leaves — they will crackle and spit — and fry for another 15 seconds until crisp. Finally, add the asafoetida and the crushed pepper-cumin mixture, stir once, and immediately pour the entire tadka over the simmering rasam.
6 clove Garlic cloves,
1 piece Fresh ginger,
20 piece Fresh curry leaves,
0.2 tsp Asafoetida (hing)
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7. Stir the tadka into the rasam, taste and adjust salt and tamarind as needed. Simmer together for 2 minutes so the flavours meld. Ladle the rasam into bowls or serve over steamed rice, garnished generously with freshly chopped coriander.
3 tbsp Fresh coriander (cilantro)
By james
