Rasam | Authentic South Indian style Rasam | Tamilian Brahmin
Rasam is a traditional South Indian soup-like dish, especially popular in Tamilian Brahmin households. Made with tamarind extract, tomatoes, and a freshly ground spice mix called rasam powder, this flavorful broth is light, tangy, and aromatic. Often tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and asafoetida, it is served hot with rice or enjoyed as a digestive soup. Simple yet deeply comforting, Rasam reflects the essence of authentic South Indian vegetarian cooking.
Ingredients
🧂 Rasam Powder (Dry Roast & Grind)
- 1 tbsp Desi Ghee
- 8–9 Dry Red Chillies
- 1 tsp Methi Dana (Fenugreek Seeds)
- 1 tbsp Chana Dal (Split Gram)
- 1 tbsp Jeera (Cumin Seeds)
- 1 tbsp Kali Mirch (Black Pepper)
- 3 tbsp Dhaniya (Coriander Seeds)
- Few sprigs Kari Patta (Curry Leaves)
🍲 Rasam Base
- 100 gms Tamarind (Seedless)
- 8 cups Plain Water or Toor Dal Water
- 1 tsp Haldi (Turmeric)
- 1 cup Fresh Tomato Puree
- 1 tbsp Gur (Jaggery)
- Salt to taste
🌶️ Tempering
- 2 tsp Desi Ghee
- 1 tsp Heeng (Asafoetida)
- Few sprigs Curry Leaves
- Handful Dhania Patta (Coriander Leaves)
Instructions
For Rasam Powder
- Heat ghee in a pan, add dry red chillies and on low heat toss them for a minute. Add Methi seeds, chana dal, jeera, kali Mirch, Dhaniya and tons them all on low heat. Cook them for about 2mins. Add curry leaves and mix them. Remove to a plate to slightly cool it off.Add these in a mixer grinder and grin them into a powder. No water needs to be added. Rasam Powder is ready.
For Rasam
- Soak tamarind in 1lt of warm water, mash it with your fingers and keep aside for half hour. Now strain the tamarind and squeeze out the juice from the pulp. Discard the pulp and retain the tamarind water. In a deep pan add tamarind water along with 8cups of Toor dal water.
Notes
- The Tamilian Brahmin style of making rasam uses water obtained from boiling Toor dal (split pigeon peas). In case you do not want to use Toor dal water just replace it with equal amount of water.
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