Tomato Rasam

Spicy and tangy, this South Indian Tomato Rasam, also known as Thakkali rasam, is the most basic and essential dish in South Indian meals. It is rich in flavor and is a must-have item during the winter season. It can be either served as a soup, Medu vada, or paired with rice for the main course.

My favorite way to eat it is to add the rasam to a bowl of slightly mashed barnyard millet. And when you have the first spoonful, it tastes so heavenly that, you would not even ask for a side dish.

About This Tomato Rasam

This is an easy, tangy, and tasty tomato rasam made without tamarind and dal (lentil).

In this tomato rasam, the tanginess and freshness from the tomatoes perfectly complement the aroma and spiciness of the rasam powder and other ingredients.

This tomato rasam is my friend Priya’s recipe. She is from the South and I have tried her Rasam a couple of times at her home and it’s to die for.

She shared her recipe with me a few months ago and from that day, I make this rasam with millet at least once a week. My son raves about it.

There are many recipes for making this recipe but this is our favorite and the easiest and simple recipe to make.

This Dish is,

• Delicious
• Easy To Make
• Perfect for Winters
• Can also be had as a soup. It is not only tasty but also soothing when suffering from a cold or fever.
• A great side dish
• A great accompaniment with Rice, millets, idli, or medu vada

Cooking method

You can make this recipe in a pot, in a traditional pressure cooker, and an electric pressure cooker (instant pot).

My favorite way to cook this is in Instant Pot.

• It makes the process easy
• You don’t need to babysit
• And you can cook rice or millet in the same pot with rasam using pot in pot method.

Ingredients required to make this recipe –

• Tomato – Tomato, the star ingredient adds a nice tangy-sweet taste to this Rasam. I have used Roma tomatoes. The sourness of this dish is depends on the variety of tomato you use.
• Rasam Powder – Every Rasam gets its real taste from its Rasam Powder which makes it unique. I use the store-bought MTR brand rasam powder. It is THE best rasam powder out of all available in the market.
• Tempering – In the end, this dish is tempered with ghee, garlic, urad dal, cumin seeds, coarsely crushed black pepper, hing, and curry leaves which enhances its taste even more. You can use oil instead of ghee.
• Other Ingredients – Other than these, we will need extra garlic, fresh coriander, and salt.

Every household makes it differently. While Some add Toor Dal some just make it with Tomatoes. I like to make without Toor Dal. If you want to add thickness and some body, add washed toor dal with tomatoes.

Plus my family like a bit thick rasam, so I add less water comparably and keep the rasam a bit thicker.

How to make this recipe? Step by step process

In an instant pot, take chopped tomatoes, garlic, turmeric powder, salt, and water. (image 1 to 4)

Place the long trivet. (image 5)

In a bowl, take washed millet, salt, and water. Cover it with a plate. (image 6 to 8)

Place the barnyard millet pot on the top of the trivet. (skip this step if you just want to cook rasam).

Cover the instant pot with its locking lid, set the vent valve on sealing position. (image 9)

Press the manual/pressure cook button and set the timer on high pressure for 12 minutes. (image 10)

Once the cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quickly release the remaining pressure. (image 11)

Open the lid, and carefully take out the millet bowl, and trivet. (image 12 and 13)

Now blend the tomato mixture using a hand blender well. (image 14)

Turn the instant pot saute mode on.

Add rasam powder, red chili powder, and cilantro. Mix well. (image 15 and 16)

While this is simmering on saute mode, lets prepare tempering in other pan.

Tempering

Coarsely crush the black pepper and garlic. (image 17 to 19)

In a pan, heat ghee/oil. Add cumin seeds and urad dal. Let it splutter and cook for about a minute. (image 20)

Now add crushed garlic, coarsely crushed black pepper, hing, and curry leaves.

Saute it for a minute. Turn off the stove.

Add this tempering to the tomato rasam. Let everything cook for 10 minutes.

Switch off the Instant pot, stir the rasam and serve with barnyard millet (or rice).

Enjoy!

Notes and quick FAQs

How to make it without Rasam powder?

There are many Rasams like the Kerala version which is made without the use of Rasam Powder.

You can just dry roast the spices such as fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, dry red chilies and grind them along with garlic, ginger, and green chilies instead of the powder.

Storage Instructions

Although fresh rasam tastes the best, you can easily refrigerate the leftovers for 3-4 days.

You can also freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Just thaw, heat, and use.

How to Serve?

• My favorite way to have it with Barnyard millet.
• It can be had on its own as a soup. It is a great recipe for winters, especially suffering from cold, fever, stomach problems, or generally feeling sick.
• You can serve it along with white steamed rice and a dollop of ghee or Curd Rice.
• You can also serve it with Idli or Medu vada. This is the most comforting and satisfying meal you can make on a busy day, as it is quick to make and delicious to eat.

More South Indian Recipes

Oats Idli

Quinoa dosa

Adai dosa

Warm regards,

Dhwani.