Recipe for South Indian, Tamilnadu, Kongunad Style Tomato Rasam. Made with home made Rasam powder from scratch, garlic, cumin and pepper. Thakkali Rasam.
Tomato Rasam has to be one of the ultimate comfort food for a South Indian. This is my Aunt’s recipe that makes a fantastic warm broth that goes so well with hot rice. My aunt gauges how good a person can cook by tasting their rasam. Rasam is the most simple thing to make, yet so complicated. Its the technique and the fresh rasam powder that makes the difference. Here is her recipe. There is some prep work involved. We will need to make a home made rasam powder from scratch. My aunt always makes rasam powder from scratch fresh everyday for rasam. Its very simple. Here is how to do Tomato Rasam Coimbatore Style!
Here is the video of the recipe
Add in all the rasam powder ingredients except turmeric and asafoetida to a heavy bottomed pan. No need to peel the garlic. Have the skin on. Dry roast all the ingredients on a low flame until all the spices and pulses are nice and golden. Remove off heat and let it cool.
Add in the dry roasted spices along with the turmeric and asafoetida to a spice grinder / mixie. Grind it to a very fine powder. Set aside.
A virtual hi-five to you! You just made your own rasam powder from scratch. Yay!
Soak a gooseberry size tamarind in 1 cup of water. Let it soak for 15-20 minutes. Sqeeze the tamarind to extract all the juices. Strain the liquid to get rid of the tamarind seeds and the hard flesh. Set the tamarind juice / pulp aside.
Boil some hot water and drop in the tomatoes and let it boil for 3-4 minutes. Remove off heat and drain. Peel the skin and grind the de-skinned tomatoes to a puree. Set aside.
Now lets make rasam!
Heat sesame oil / gingely oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and the curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the tamarind extract and the tomato puree. Add one cup water. Let it all come to a roaring boil.
Add in the rasam powder and salt. Let it boil for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame and add in the ghee and coriander leaves.
Tomato Rasam is ready. Serve hot with rice or have it as a soup.
For Rasam Powder
- 4 fenugreek seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon pepper corn
- 2 teaspoon toor dal
- 1 dried red chilli
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 curry leaves
Other Rasam powder Ingredients (Add while grinding)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon asafoetida
For Tamarind Pulp
- gooseberry size Tamarind
- 1 cup water
For Tomato Puree
- 3 medium size ripe country tomatoes
For tempering
- 1 tablespoon sesame/gingely oil
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon ghee
- 3 - 4 stalks chopped coriander leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Rasam Powder
- Add in all the rasam powder ingredients except turmeric and asafoetida to a heavy bottomed pan. No need to peel the garlic. Have the skin on. Dry roast it on a low flame until all the spices and pulses are nice and golden. Remove off heat and let it cool.
- Add in the dry roasted spices along with the turmeric and asafoetida to a spice grinder / mixie and grind it to a very fine powder. Set aside.
Other Prep Work
- Soak tamarind in 1 cup of water. Let it soak for 15-20 minutes. Sqeeze the tamarind to extract all the juices. Strain the liquid to get rid of the tamarind seeds and the hard flesh. Set the tamarind juice / pulp aside.
- Boil some hot water and drop in the tomatoes and let it boil for 3-4 minutes. Remove off heat and drain. Peel the skin and grind the de-skinned tomatoes to a puree. Set aside.
Tempering Rasam
- Heat sesame oil / gingely oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and the curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the tamarind extract and the tomato puree. Add one cup water. Let it all come to a roaring boil.
- Add in the rasam powder and salt. Let it boil for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame and add in the ghee and coriander leaves.
- Tomato Rasam is ready. Serve hot with rice or have it as a soup.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Rasam
- Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu
For Rasam Powder
- 4 fenugreek seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon pepper corn
- 2 teaspoon toor dal
- 1 dried red chilli
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 curry leaves
Other Rasam powder Ingredients (Add while grinding)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon asafoetida
For Tamarind Pulp
- gooseberry size Tamarind
- 1 cup water
For Tomato Puree
- 3 medium size ripe country tomatoes
For tempering
- 1 tablespoon sesame/gingely oil
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon ghee
- 3 - 4 stalks chopped coriander leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Rasam Powder
- Add in all the rasam powder ingredients except turmeric and asafoetida to a heavy bottomed pan. No need to peel the garlic. Have the skin on. Dry roast it on a low flame until all the spices and pulses are nice and golden. Remove off heat and let it cool.
- Add in the dry roasted spices along with the turmeric and asafoetida to a spice grinder / mixie and grind it to a very fine powder. Set aside.
Other Prep Work
- Soak tamarind in 1 cup of water. Let it soak for 15-20 minutes. Sqeeze the tamarind to extract all the juices. Strain the liquid to get rid of the tamarind seeds and the hard flesh. Set the tamarind juice / pulp aside.
- Boil some hot water and drop in the tomatoes and let it boil for 3-4 minutes. Remove off heat and drain. Peel the skin and grind the de-skinned tomatoes to a puree. Set aside.
Tempering Rasam
- Heat sesame oil / gingely oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and the curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the tamarind extract and the tomato puree. Add one cup water. Let it all come to a roaring boil.
- Add in the rasam powder and salt. Let it boil for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame and add in the ghee and coriander leaves.
- Tomato Rasam is ready. Serve hot with rice or have it as a soup.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Rasam
- Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/tomato-rasam/
Recipe for making Vegetable Biryani in Pressure Cooker / Rice Cooker. South Indian Tamilnadu style biryani using seeraga samba rice. Step by step method.
This is a very easy to do vegetable biryani recipe that is made using the pressure cooker . I have used Seeraga Samba Rice to make this biryani. If you do not have Seeraga Samba Rice, you can substitute Basmati Rice. The whole recipe can be put together in less than an hour. Here is how to do an easy and quick vegetable biryani.
Soak the Seeraga samba / Basmati rice in water and set aside. Heat oil and ghee in a pan and add in 2-3 cloves. Add in the sliced onions and fry till the onions are soft. No need to brown the onions. When the onions are soft, add in the chopped tomatoes.
Fry till the tomatoes are cooked and oil floats on top. Make a paste out of the ingredients listed under biryani masala. Add it to the pan and cook for a minute. Add in the turmeric powder and salt and saute for a minute more.
Add in the chopped veggies. For every cup of rice, use two cup of vegetables ( I used carrots, beans, potatoes and peas) and fry for 2-3 minutes. . Add in the chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves. Fry for a minute more. Now we need to add water. Add 1.5 cups of water for one cup of rice. Add in the water and let it come to a rolling boil.
Once the water is boiling, add in the rice and let the mixture come to a boil again. Once the mixture boils, cover the pressure pan with a lid and leave it exactly for 2 whistles on medium flame. Switch off the flame and let the pressure from the cooker release naturally.
Vegetable Biryani is ready. Serve hot with kurma or raita.
For Rice
- 1 cup ( 250 ml) Seeraga Samba / Basmati Rice
- 1 1/2 cups ( 375 ml) water
For Biryani Masala Paste
- 1 medium sized onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 3 green chillies (Add more if you want it really spicy)
- 2 ″ piece cinnamon
- 2 cloves
- 1 cardamom
- 1/3 cup water to grind
Other Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Ghee
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
- 3 cloves
- 1 medium sized onion, sliced
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 15 mint leaves
- 3 - 4 stalks coriander leaves
Vegetables for the biryani
- 2 Carrots
- 1 potato
- 1/2 cup peas
- 7 - 8 Beans
- Soak the Seeraga samba / Basmati rice in water and set aside.
- Heat oil and ghee in a pan and add in 2-3 cloves. Add in the sliced onions and fry till the onions are soft. No need to brown the onions.
- When the onions are soft, add in the chopped tomatoes. Fry till the tomatoes are cooked and oil floats on top.
- Make a paste out of the ingredients listed under biryani masala. Add it to the pan and cook for a minute. Add in the turmeric powder and salt and saute for a minute more.
- Add in the chopped veggies and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add in the chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves. Fry for a minute more.
- Add 1.5 cups of water for one cup of rice. Add in the water and let it come to a rolling boil.
- Once the water is boiling, add in the rice and let the mixture come to a boil again. Once the mixture boils, cover the pressure pan with a lid and leave it exactly for 2 whistles on medium flame. Switch off the flame and let the pressure from the cooker release naturally.
- Vegetable Biryani is ready. Serve hot with kurma or raita.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Rice, Main Dish
- Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu
