Tomato Rasam

Ingredients:

3-4 tbsp. Red Gram Daal
4 large tomatoes (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp. Garlic paste
1-inch piece of ginger (finely chopped)
21/2 cups water
1tsp Garlic grated
1 or 2 green chilies finely chopped
Coriander leaves finely chopped
Salt to taste chili or pepper powder to taste.
1/2tsp. turmeric powder
1tsp. mustard seeds
1tsp. cumin seeds
1-2 whole dried red chili (halved)
A pinch asafetida
Few curry leaves
2tbsp. oil

Method:

* Pick, wash and pressure cook the daal and keep side.
* Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, dried chili and asafetida.
* When mustard seeds start to splutter add garlic, ginger, tomatoes and green chilies.
* Add salt, chili & turmeric powder and a cup of water.
* Simmer for 5-6 minutes and add the cooked daal and 11/2 cup of water and bring to boil.
* Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

Pudina Rasam

Ingredients:

Pudina Leaves
Cumin Seeds
Green Chilli
Tur Dal - 1/4th cup
Salte to taste
Water as required
Lemon Juice as needed
Pepper - optional
Coriander Leaves - optional

Method:

Separate Pudina leaves from the stock and wash it.
Fry the pudina leaves without oil in a nonstick pan along with few cumin seeds for 2 minutes.
After it cools put it in a mixer along with one green chilli.
Keep aside.
Pressure cook Tur Dal with four times water.
Now mix pudina paste, salt and bring to a boil.
Then squeese some lemon juice as per your taste
You can also add pepper to make it spicy.
Garnish with coriander leaves

Drumstick Rasam

Ingredients

1-2 Drumsticks, tender and fleshy ones
1 Tomato, quatered
1/4 cup Tur dal
a lemon sized ball of Tamarind or 1 tsp tamarind paste
1 tbsp Rasam Powder
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Jeera seeds
1-2 Red Chillies (dried)
a pinch of Hing
a few Curry Leaves (kadipatta)
Oil or Ghee for frying
A few Coriander leaves, chopped fine

Method:

Pressure cook the tur dal till it's soft (3-4 whistles)
Soak the tamarind in 4 cups water and strain the juice
Pour this juice in a vessel and add the tomatoes, turmeric powder, rasam powder and salt. Keep on gas in medium flame.
Boil the drumsticks seperately till cooked.
Remove the insides of the drumsticks and put it in the tamarind water mixture.
Bring the whole mixture to a boil.
Add the tur dal and boil on medium flame for 5-6 mins.
Season with mustard, jeera, hing, red chillies, curry leaves & ghee (you can season in oil also).
Garnish with coriander leaves and lemon juice, serve hot with rice.