Poondu/Garlic Rasam
Spicy and sour South Indian soup with garlic, tomato and fresh spices
Ingredients
- 6-8 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp ghee
- ½ tbsp tamarind paste / gooseberry-size tamarind
- 1 small tomato cut into quarters
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
To roast and grind
- ½ tsp oil
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp cumin seeds / jeera
- ½ tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp toor dal / thuvaram paruppu
- 1 red chilly
- 2 garlic cloves
To temper
- 1 tsp ghee
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds / jeera
- Pinch of asafoetida / hing
- 1-2 dry red chillies
- Few curry leaves
Instructions
- In a small pan, heat oil and add black pepper, jeera, coriander seeds, toor dal, garlic and fry for 3-4 minutes. Cool and grind to a paste adding little water.
- Crush the garlic lightly with a mortar and pestle. Heat a pan and add 1 tsp ghee. Fry the garlic until the edges turn golden.
- Soak tamarind in 1 cup water and extract the juice. Add this to a vessel along with tomato, turmeric powder and salt.
- Boil the tamarind mixture until the raw smell goes. Add the fried garlic, ground paste and ½ cup water. Let it simmer until the rasam becomes frothy. Remove from heat.
- In a small pan, heat ghee and add mustard seeds. When it crackles, add jeera, red chillies, asafoetida, curry leaves and pour over the rasam.
Notes
- The rasam is on the spicier side, so adjust the spices according to your spice preference.
- Do not boil the rasam once it becomes frothy at the top, otherwise it will not taste good.
- Add water as required after adding ground paste if the rasam seems thick.