Tomato Rasam is a spicy, tangy, soupy, vegetarian Indian curry. This is a home-style rasam recipe made with tomato, garlic, and spices. Serve rasam rice for a hearty meal or as a delicious drink.
What is rasam?
For those not familiar with this magical soupy curry, let me give you a brief introduction.
Rasam is a gluten-free, purely vegetarian South Indian style soup cum curry prepared with vegetables or lentils. The consistency of rasam is watery or very thin.
It is served with steamed rice and other main-course dishes such as fish fry, Chettinad chicken masala, or as an appetizer just like a bowl of soup.
A piping hot rasam is an excellent home remedy for cold, cough, or a bad throat, plus it aids indigestion. Along with its deliciousness, it has tons of ayurvedic health benefits.
Reasons To LOVE Rasam
home remedy for cold, cough, and flu
gluten-free and vegan
plant-based curry
aids in digestion
one-pot recipe
About My Rasam Recipe
The whole tomato rasam-making affair, from peeling garlic, grinding rasam masala to finally mopping the curry with hot steamed rice, is a delectable experience, which I always savor.
Whether it is a cold, harsh evening, a rainy day, or a bad throat, there is nothing my steaming bowl of garlic rasam cannot fix.
This rasam recipe was humbly penned down by the house-help with many traditional South Indian recipes as a parting gift while leaving Bangalore, Karnataka.
She had no accurate measure of the ingredients for the rasam recipe. Someday she will add more garlic while, on some occasions, a fistful of chopped fresh coriander leaves.
But each time, her tomato garlic rasam had different flavor profiles equally delectable than the previous one.
USP Of this Rasam Recipe: This is a quick and flavorsome rasam recipe. It is a cross between the authentic tomato (thakalli) rasam and poond (garlic) rasam. You can also call it tomato charu. The key ingredients are – tomato, garlic, and black pepper.
Rasam Powder
There is no finger-licking good rasam possible without rasam powder.
Either you can use the store-bought rasam masala powder or follow my secret homemade rasam powder recipe to make your own batch.
My rasam masala has lentils (dals), whole spices, red chilies, and asafoetida. All these ingredients take tomato rasam to another level of deliciousness.
Step-By-Step Rasam Recipe
Heat ghee or any vegan cooking oil in a heavy bottom kadhai. Add mustard seeds, red chili, curry leaves, and asafoetida. Fry for 10 – 20 seconds or till the seeds start spluttering (image 1).
Add chopped tomato, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, and cook for 3 – 5 minutes or till tomatoes turn mushy ( image 2).
Combine garlic cloves, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, and coriander stalks in a blender. Grind to a coarse powder. Do not use water to make a smooth paste (image 3)
Add fresh garlic paste prepared earlier. Stir to combine and cook for a minute (image 4).
Add 4 cups of water and rasam masala powder. Stir, and gently mash the tomato using the back of the ladle. At this stage, taste and adjust the seasoning as per personal preference (image 5).
Let the rasam simmer over low heat for the next 15 – 20 minutes. Keep stirring at regular intervals. So not cook it for too long.
Garnish with loads of chopped fresh coriander.
Serving Suggestions
In South India, a rasam is served two ways – one, as an appetizing digestive drink before the meal. Or as a spicy vegetarian curry with cooked rice.
At times, rasam is served in a tumbler along with other main-course dishes to sip in-between meals.
I like to enjoy it with white rice, a dollop of ghee on top, some fried poppadums, and masala potato fry on the side.
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Tomato Garlic Rasam Recipe
- Blender
- Heavy Bottom Kadhai
Ingredients
Ingredients To Grind:
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 5 – 6 fresh coriander stalks
- 6 – 8 garlic cloves
Ingredients For Curry:
- 2 tablespoon ghee or gingelly oil or cooking oil
- 2 dry red chilli
- 4 – 5 curry leaves
- ¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (rai)
- 1 Cup chopped tomato
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon Rasam Powder (see recipe here)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
Instructions
- To make the Tomato Garlic Rasam, combine garlic cloves, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, and coriander stalks in a blender. Grind to a coarse powder. Do not use water to make a smooth paste. Set it aside.
- Next, heat ghee or any vegan cooking oil in a heavy bottom kadhai. Add mustard seeds, red chili, curry leaves, and asafoetida. Fry for 10 – 20 seconds or till seeds starts spluttering.
- Add chopped tomato, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, and cook for 3 – 5 minutes or till tomatoes turn mushy.
- Add fresh garlic paste prepared earlier. Stir to combine and cook for a minute.
- Add 4 cups of water and rasam masala powder. Stir, and gently mash the tomato using the back of the ladle. At this stage, taste and adjust the seasoning as per personal preference.
- Let the rasam simmer over low heat for the next 15 – 20 minutes. Keep stirring at regular intervals. So not cook it for too long.
- Garnish with loads of chopped fresh coriander.
- Serve with steamed rice or as an appetizer.
Recipe Notes:
- Use ripe and juicy tomatoes to make rasam.
- Adjust the amount of garlic and spices according to your preference. I usually, use a whole pod of garlic to make rasam.
- If rasam masala powder is not available skip it. It is for the added flavor.
- Do not cook the rasam for too long as it starts losing medicinal properties.
- It is not recommended to store rasam in the fridge and reheat. It is best consumed hot and fresh.
Priya says
This looks so tempting!! My roomie used to make tomato rasam which I loved, but forgot the recipe. Will give yours a try. Thanks for sharing.
Gayathri says
Hi!
Loved the recipe to bits. I was just wondering when do I add the grated ginger mentioned in the recipe.
Thanks 🙂
Hina Gujral says
I am glad you liked the recipe. Add grated ginger while boiling the tomato. Thanks for pointing it out will include in the instructions.
Adriana says
You can never have too many tomato based recipes – or too much garlic.:) I’ll give this a try, can’t say I’ve ever tried rasam, but it looks very good!
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Neela says
Hi , while your recipe is the best way to make this rasam , it would add some zing to squeeze the juice of one small lime into it at the end . Here one can reduce salt and make it a healthier option
Nishant says
I like the consistency of Rasam in this recipe. Mouth-watering recipe!!
Smitha Deepak says
Wow I can’t beleive I finally got my rasam spot on the way I wanted all this while. Thanks so much for such a prescise recipe n now I can flaunt with this recipe in the coming vishu
Hina Gujral says
So happy you like the recipe and find it useful. Stay tuned with us for more such fabulous recipes.