Udipi Style Rasam

Udipi is a town in state of Karnataka of India.Udupi Cuisine is vegetarian and does not use onion or garlic and has subtle flavors.This rasam is a lentil and tamarind based stew gently spiced and tempered with a touch of sweetness.
Preparation time:40 minutes

Serves:6

Ingredients:
3 medium sized ripe Tomatoes
1/4 cup Toor dal(pressure cooked in 1 cup of water until soft)
1 tablespoon Jaggery
1 1/2 teaspoon Tamarind paste

 4 Green chillies
1 sprig Curry leaves
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 pinch Asafoetida
2 teaspoon rasam powder
Salt to taste
1 cup Coriander leaves
2 teaspoons coconut oil or ghee
1 teaspoon Mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon urad dal

1 tablespoon fine grated coconut
4 Red chilli

pinch of black pepper powder.


Procedure:

1.Blend the toor dal, green chili and tomato to a puree and start heating the puree in a pan.Add 3 cups water, tamarind paste, salt and bring to a boil.

2.Add jaggery, rasam powder and continue cooking.

3.In a different pan heat the oil/ghee add mustard seeds and let splutter, add the red chili and urad dal and curry leaves and let splutter.

4.Turn the heat to low and add asafoetida, fenugreek powder, turmeric powder and coconut and saute for 1 minute.Switch off the flame

5. Add the tempering to the boiling rasam. Let cook for 2 minutes and turn off the flame. Garnish with Cilantro.

Tips:
Adjust spices to your taste.
You can add more jaggery for sweetness and tamarind paste for tanginess.