Tomato Methi Rasam

Ingredients:

1 medium sized Tomato

1/4 bunch of Fenugreek leaves / Menthe soppu

1/4 small sized Onion

2-3 Green Chillies

1-2 Red Chilly pieces

Small piece of Ginger

Small piece of Garlic

4-5 strands of Coriander leaves

5-6 Curry leaves

Grape sized Tamarind

1 tsp Sugar / Small piece of Jaggary

Salt to taste

Big pinch of Asafetida powder / Hingu

Pinch of Turmeric powder

1-1.5 cups cooked Yellow Lentils/Toor dal /Togaribele

1 tsp Mustard seeds

3/4 tsp Cumin seeds

2 tsp Oil

Recipe:

Chop fenugreek leaves, onion, ginger, garlic into small pieces as shown in the picture below. Chop the tomato into long thin pieces as shown in the picture below. Cut the green chillies vertically into two long halves as shown in the picture below.

Put tamarind in a bowl and add little amount of water. Squeeze it and keep it aside.

Put mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chilly pieces and oil in a thick bottomed vessel/pan. Once it starts spluttering, add finely chopped ginger, garlic and fry them for about 1 min. Add curry leaves, green chillies, asafetida powder, chopped onion and turmeric powder. Fry them for about 3-4 mins in medium flame until onion becomes light golden in color. Add chopped fenugreek leaves and fry them for about 2-3 mins in medium flame. Add chopped tomato and fry them for about 1 min.

Add tamarind water, salt, jaggary/sugar and sufficient amount of water and cook them well by covering a lid for about 20-30 mins. Add cooked yellow lentils and bring them to boil. (Cook the yellow lentils in a pressure cooker (3-4 whistles)by adding sufficient amount of water. The cooked yellow lentils can preserved in refrigerator for about 8-10 days.) Add salt, tamarind pulp, water if required. Keep the rasam in medium/low flame for about 4-5 mins. Add chopped coriander leaves, mix them well and cover the lid. Mix well before serving. It goes well with Rice.