Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 30 min
Serves: 4

Ingredients: (measuring cup used = 240ml)

1. 1/4 cup toor dal
2. 2 finely chopped tomatoes
3. 1 small gooseberry sized tamarind
4. 1 - 2 tsp jaggery (as per your taste but don't miss it)
5. 2 tsp salt (as per your taste)
6. 1 green chili
7. 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
8. 2 tsp heaped udupi rasam or saaru powder
9. A big pinch of turmeric powder

Ingredients for tempering:

1. 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2. 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3. A big pinch of asafoetida
4. 5 - 6 curry leaves
5. 2 tsp ghee / cooking oil

Instructions for making Udupi rasam or tomato saaru:

1. Take toor dal in a pressure cooker and rinse. Add in a cup of water, a pinch of turmeric powder and few drops of oil.
2. Close the lid and make two whistles. Once the pressure subsidies, open the lid and you can see dal is half cooked.
3. To the same cooker add in chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp salt and slit green chili.
4. Add in a 1/2 cup of water, close the lid and make 2 more whistles.
5. Once the pressure subsidies you can see both toor dal and tomatoes are well cooked.
6. Add in 2 cups of water, add a tsp of salt (or as per your taste) and switch on the stove.
7. Add in 1 to 2 tsp of powdered jaggery.
8. Extract tamarind juice from a small gooseberry sized tamarind and add.
9. Add in 2 tbsp of finely chopped coriander leaves.
10. Add in 2 tsp (heaped) udupi rasam powder or saarina pudi. I have given a link to the rasam powder in the ingredients list.
11. Bring it to rolling boil and switch off the stove. If required adjust salt, sour, sweet and spiciness at this stage.
12. In a small skillet prepare tempering using 2 tsp of ghee, 1/2 tsp mustard, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds and curry leaves.
13. Add this tempering to the rasam or saaru. Divine and satvik udupi rasam or saaru is ready to serve. Serve it with hot rice.

Dear reader, We have a Kannada version of this recipe. Click here to read this recipe in Kannada.