Rasam

Rasam is a main item in Sadya in Kerala. Its really tasty and has many health benefits. Its also said that it helps in digestion. Maybe that is the reason its given nearing the end of any feast. Oh Yeah, after a feast we will really need it :-)
Even though you can have it with Rice, in our family and my place, i have seen that more people are interested in drinking it.
Here we like to drink it, so i take out the tomato at the end

Ingredients
Tamarind - 25 gms
Water - 3 1/2 cup
Hing powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Garlic crushed - 4 pods
Tomato - 1 medium (150 gms)
Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - few
Dry Red Chilly - 3 nos


Extract the tamarind to the 3.5 cups of water and boil it along with hing,turmeric,coriander and pepper powder.
Crush the garlic pods and add into the tamarind and spices mixture and let it boil for sometime.
Now add the tomato into this and let it get cooked completely.
(I cut the tomato lengthwise because i dont like tomato pieces in Rasam, so lengthwise cut helps me to take them out when its done)
When its cooked and starts smelling good, add the corriander leaves chopped and let it simmer for 5 more minutes and stop.

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Add curry leaves and dry red chillies and pour the tempering to the rasam and mix well.

Happy Eating!!!