Tomato/ Paruppu Rasam

Tomato rasam/paruppu rasam is a staple in all Tamil homes. It is the ultimate comfort food for us people. When one is feeling under the weather, nothing peps one more than a cup of warm rasam poured over fluffy rice and mixed with a spoon of mashed, cooked thoor dhal. For extra oomph, drizzle a spoon of ghee, and every part of your body and mind unwinds. The aroma of ghee and hing evokes pleasant nostalgia and transports me back home. The combination of mashed dhal, ghee, and rasam mixed with rice is the first introduction of our cuisine to toddlers (after the cerelac, cereal stage, of course). The spicy, tangy rasam seals the taste-buds of our little ones. From then on, our palate and our body resolutely associates this humble dish with sweet memories. It becomes the ideal of loving, homey, comfort food.

Rasam rice and curd rice were my staple food as a kid. I loved my grandmother’s rasam and would eagerly drink a cup of it, although it was a tad too spicy for my kiddy tongue. The taste of her rasam continues to linger on my tongue, and it’s my quest to try and recreate the exact taste. I have come close, but can never replicate her signature taste. So, my Rasam recipe is very close to my grandmothers’, which is very close to my great-grandmothers’, which is very close to Meenakshi ammals’. I am aware that every family has its own subtle variations of making Rasam. The family’s trademark or legacy, so to speak, lies in their Rasam recipe! 

Ingredients:

1. 1/2  cup of cooked, mashed Thoor Dhal (cooked lentils) (some families don't add any dhal, or add very little dhal to rasam).
2. A small lime-sized ball of tamarind (approximately 1 inch in diameter)
3. 1 tomato (depending on the size of the tomatoes and the level of tangy-ness you prefer) diced
4. 1 tablespoon of Rasam powder (Ah, that is another post by itself; The powder is a finely ground mixture of dry roasted red chillies, turmeric, coriander seeds, thoor dhal, and channa dhal; variations abound; but these days they are available aplenty in stores - MTR and Shakthi Masala are tried and tested brands)
5. A teaspoon of turmeric
6. A teaspoon or two of salt
7. A teaspoon of ghee (or vegetable oil)
8. A teaspoon of mustard seeds
9. 1/4 teaspoon of Hing
10. A few curry leaves, and coriander leaves (cilantro) for garnish
11. A piece of jaggery (about a 1 inch block)

Preparation:

1. Boil the tamarind ball with enough water to cover it (in the microwave, heat for 2 minutes). Let it cool/seep. When the tamarind is warm enough to be touched, squeeze the pulp to get the extract, and add the extract to a vessel (a medium sauce-pan). Dilute the pulp about 2-3 times with lukewarm water and extract as much “juice” as possible.
2. Add the diced tomatoes to the tamarind extract, and add 2 cups of water.
3. Add salt, turmeric, rasam powder, and turn on the heat.
4. My grandmom’s signature touch - add a piece of jaggery (pebble sized) to the mixture. The sweetness of the jaggery takes the edge off the intense tartness of the tamarind + tomatoes. I usually go overboard and add about two pieces of jaggery. Both Anand and I love the resulting sweety-tanginess. The sweetness is hardly perceptible, but the nuanced tongue can catch a hint of it. Meenakshi-ammal’s recipe doesn’t have this step.
5. Heat the tangy liquid on medium-heat till the raw taste of tamarind is mellowed and the tomatoes are cooked. (Rule of thumb - this step usually takes about 20-25 mins)
6. Mash the cooked thoor dhal and add it to the Rasam. Continue heating/boiling on medium-heat.
7. Wait till the raw taste of dhal is gone, and the rasam froths and bubbles (as my grandmother adorably says - “wait for multicolored bubbles to come around the edges of the rasam”). Note: do not over-boil the rasam at this stage. Turn off the heat.
8. Heat some ghee (highly recommended), or vegetable oil in a small pan. When hot, add mustard seeds, and let it splutter. Then add curry leaves and Hing powder.
9. Add this seasoning to the Rasam and watch its lovely sizzle. In addition, throw in some washed and cut coriander leaves (cilantro).
10. Aren’t you hungry yet? ;)
    
    

    

    Can you spot the bubbles and the froth?

Lessons learned:

When I was a kid, I never liked curry leaves and cilantro getting caught in my teeth as I was relishing the rasam rice. They were distracting and annoying. My cousins and I used to make fun of our grandmother’s heavy-handed use of cilantro, commenting - “Oh, somewhere a tree has died in the making of this rasam.” Evil people that we were, we didn’t realize that it was precisely these leaves that added the quintessential rasam flavor. When I started cooking, I made it a point to not add curry leaves or cilantro, sometimes even Hing, and I ended up with an unsatisfying taste. It took me a year to realize, “Aha!”, these tiny elements are so significant. From then on, I never ever scrimp on cilantro. I am as heavy-handed, if not more, than my grandmother.

Interestingly enough, I have come to love cilantro when I earlier choked on it. None of my Indian dishes are without an ample sprinkling of it. Recently, I heard one of my culinary gurus, Ina Garten, scoff at cilantro and remark, “It tastes like laundry detergent to me”. I felt punched in the gut. What?! How could you, Ina?! But upon further reflection (involving intense sniffing and nibbling of cilantro), I had to agree with her. It does have a detergent-like note to it if nibbled raw. But something happens when it mixes and wilts in boiling, warm rasams, sambars, curries or gravies. It imparts an aromatic, unique flavor to the dishes. So please don’t avoid adding cilantro or curry leaves. They do make a huge difference, and I assure you, your dish will not taste like detergent! And you can always remove the offending leaves from the dishes before eating! 

Adaptations:

Since I am hungry and greedy for flavors, I add a teaspoon of cumin (jeera) powder, and another teaspoon of coriander powder to my rasam (during step 3 of preparation). Sometimes, I also add a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. In addition, I season some cumin seeds along with mustard seeds, and I ALWAYS use ghee to fry the seasoning (step 8 of preparation). The resulting Rasam is a mix of two kinds of rasams - tomato rasam + milagu rasam. Milagu rasam (pepper rasam) is a slightly different version of tomato rasam, which again, deserves another post by itself.

Rasam is usually ladled over cooked rice and eaten with a serving of cooked/stir-fried vegetables, or with papad/vadam/chips. The grown-up version does not involve any more ghee or mashed pappu (dhal), regretfully, but you are allowed to indulge on days when you are ill, or when you deserve some extra love ;).