Tomato Garlic Rasam

After a week of sweltering heat, the rains are here. We woke up to a rainy Monday morning, not the ideal of weathers to start the week with. I already knew what I was making for lunch, something aromatic and flavorful to beat the blues.

This is a simple rasam and a quick fix to wake up sleeping taste buds. Tomatoes are traditionally boiled when making rasam, but in this recipe I sauté it which gives it a slightly different texture, not too mushy, not too firm. The sautéed garlic adds a ton of flavor too. And the best part, it’s all done in one pot.




You will need:

2 tsp Oil
½ tsp Mustard seeds
½ tsp Cumin seeds
5-6 Curry leaves
¼ tsp Asafetida
½ tsp Turmeric
2 large tomatoes chopped
4 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp Tamarind paste
1 tsp Powdered Jaggery
Salt to taste
3 cups Water
Chopped cilantro for garnish



Heat oil in a deep pan. Add the mustard and cumin seeds. When it splutters add the curry leaves, asafetida and turmeric. Saute for a few seconds and then add the chopped garlic. Cook for a minute or two till garlic is fragrant and is slightly brown, taking care not to burn. Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the water, tamarind paste and jaggery. Season with salt and bring to a boil on high heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and garnish with cilantro.


Just the aroma of the garlic will have you craving to taste this right away…take my word! :)