I Love Indian Food

Rasam Soup—Indian Comfort Food


I make a pretty good rasam, if I do say so myself, even though I don't use some of the ingredients because they are not readily available. But I think what I come out with would make any Indian nostalgic.
Here's how I make it:
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes (I know this is the lazy way)
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
¼ teaspoon of ground turmeric
½ teaspoon of freshly-ground black peppercorns
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of garlic powder (or use 3 garlic cloves, minced fine)
32 ounces (4 cups) vegetable broth
2 teaspoons of tamarind paste (This is hard to get, but if you live close to an Indian or Asian market you should find it there).

Now let's make some rasam.
First thing, I would suggest putting all the dry spices (except the mustard seed) into a small bowl to make life easier when you add them to the soup.
Put the oil into a pot or saucepan and heat over medium heat.
When hot, sprinkle in the mustard seed. Watch carefully while it heats up. Soon the seeds will pop, but act quickly because they act like uncovered popcorn and fly all over the place.
Now pour in the dry spices and mix to dampen the popping seeds. That's why I suggested putting the spices into a bowl first!
Stir together and heat the spices.
Now pour in the diced tomatoes. Stir to keep from sticking.
Slowly pour in the vegetable broth. Be careful that it doesn't spatter. That's why I wear a full apron, to protect my blouse from yellowish-brown spatters that are impossible to get out!
When the broth heats up, add two heaping teaspoons of tamarind paste. This is thick and gooey, so you may have to scrape it off the spoon with another spoon. When it is in the soup, mix it thoroughly.
You may want to add some salt to your taste.
Let the whole thing simmer for abut five minutes. Now it's done!
You can eat it as is, like a spicy broth, or you can pour it over Basmati rice (even regular rice will do) for more body.
Now remember—this is South Indian food, and it's hot! You might want to tone down the cayenne if you're not a fan of hot spicy food.