Mysore Rasam

Rasam (spiced tomato-lentil soup) is a staple in South India. Every state, and almost every household has its own variation of rasam. This version of Rasam is popular in the state of Karnataka. Having tasted the authentic rasam from friends (and restaurants) in Karnataka, I have to say that this recipe is more of an adaptation of the actual Mysore Rasam, but it's very close to the original, extremely flavorful, and is different from the usual tomato rasam. My mother-in-law prepared this delicious rasam using a grand-aunt's treasured recipe. So, here's the recipe for Mysore Rasam as adapted by a talented Tamil chef!

Ingredients:

1. 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2. 3 teaspoons coriander seeds (dhania seeds)
3. 2.5 teaspoons kadala paruppu / bengal gram dhal
4. 2-3 dry red chillies
5. ¼ teaspoon hing / asafoetida
6. ½ + 1 teaspoon jeera / cumin seeds
7. 1+1 teaspoon ghee (clarified butter)
8. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
9. 1 tomato, chopped
10. 1 inch ball of tamarind (a small lime sized)
11. 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
12. handful of cilantro / coriander leaves
13. ¾ cup cooked toor dhal / yellow lentils / tuvaram paruppu
14. 1 - 2 tablespoons shredded coconut (optional)
15. 1 tablespoon jaggery / brown sugar

Preparation:

1. Cook toor dhal until soft and almost mushy. The mushier the better for rasam.
2. Soak the tamarind in hot water for 15 minutes. Then, extract the juice by squeezing the  soft pulp. Strain the juice. Repeat the process with lukewarm water and squeeze out more juice until the tamarind is dry. Throw the tamarind residue and reserve the extract/juice.
3. In 1 teaspoon of ghee, roast the peppercorns, coriander seeds, bengal gram dhal, chillies, hing, coconut (optional) and 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds. Add the cumin seeds in the end because it roasts much faster than the other ingredients. Roast everything on medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until the bengal gram dhal begins to change color and all the spices release their aroma. 
4. When cool, grind the above to a coarse powder. If the powder is fine, it will clump up and thicken the rasam. 
5. In a medium sauce-pan, add the tomato, tamarind extract, turmeric, and salt. Bring to a boil on medium or medium-high heat. Add some water (about 1/2 - 1 cup) during the boiling phase if you think there isn't enough liquid. Mysore rasam is traditionally slightly sweet. So, add some jaggery or brown sugar during this phase of boiling. Let the mixture boil for 20 minutes or until there is no raw tamarind smell and the tomatoes are cooked. 
6. At this stage, add the ground spices, stir well, and let it boil for 5 minutes on medium heat. 
7. Then, add the cooked dhal and mix well. Reduce the heat to low and let the rasam simmer until it begins to bubble gently around the corners. Remove from heat. Do not over boil rasam.
8. For seasoning, heat some ghee in a small pan. Splutter mustard seeds, add hing, and cumin seeds and roast for a few seconds. Add this seasoning to the rasam. Finally garnish with chopped cilantro/coriander leaves. 

Serve hot with rice! I suspect Mysore/Karnataka rasams to have some cinnamon and/or cloves and some fenugreek seeds in the spice mixture. I might be wrong, but I'm thinking of experimenting with these spices the next time. If you have inside-knowledge of what goes into the spice powder, I would love it if you could share it with me! I would greatly appreciate it.