Mysore rasam with homemade rasam powder step-by-step recipe with video and photos.
As a proud Mysorian, I absolutely love Mysore palace, Mysore Pak, Mysore masala dosa, and of course, Mysore rasam!
About this recipe
Mysore rasam is a tangy lentil soup made with toor dal (pigeon pea), tomatoes and freshly ground spice mix called rasam powder.
Rasam is referred to as 'saaru' in Karnataka. While a typical rasam is watery and served mostly like a soup, Mysore rasam is prepared thick and is served with rice. This wholesome dish is made with pigeon pea or toor dal and loads of fresh tomatoes. The freshly ground spice mix makes it super flavourful. Hot steamed rice, piping hot saaru, a dollop of ghee is a perfect combination.
Piping hot Mysore rasam and steamed rice with a dollop of ghee can make my world a better place any day. We absolutely love it. And without a doubt, this is my DD’s soul food. She loves it so much that when she sees me chopping tomatoes for any dish, she jumps with joy thinking I am going to make her favourite ‘saaru’.
Ingredients
Toor dal: Rasam is made with a good proportion of toor dal/pigeon pea.
Tomatoes: Fresh and juicy tomatoes are an important ingredient to make rasam.
Rasam powder: Rasam powder is a freshly ground spice mix.
Tamarind: Tamarind, along with tomatoes, adds tang to this dish. Soak a small piece of tamarind in water for 20 minutes and extract the water. You may replace it with 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp.
Jaggery: Jaggery does not make this dish sweet, rather balances the tangy taste of the rasam.
Ghee: I always use ghee in making any lentil dish, like dal, sambar, rasam. I highly recommend using ghee and not replacing it with oil.
Spices: Main spices I use to make the tempering are mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilli, hing, and curry leaves.
To make saaru, I first make the rasam powder - dry roasting spices and grinding it into a fine powder in a coffee grinder. I then boil pigeon pea lentil or toor dal and add the freshly ground powder, jaggery, and tamarind extract. I finish it by tempering with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and hing in a big dollop of ghee.
Enjoy this hot rasam with steamed rice for a heartwarming meal.
Bonus
This dish is:
- authentic and traditional
- perfect for cold winter nights
- served both as dal and soup
- delicious and comforting
Step by step instructions
1. Freshly ground rasam powder
2. Pressure cook the dal until completely done and lightly mash it
3. Add chopped tomatoes, rasam powder, jaggery, tamarind water, and salt to cooked dal
4. Simmer until the tomatoes and spices are completely done
5. Make tempering in a small pan and pour it into the saaru
6. Finish off with coriander leaves
Recipe card
Mysore Rasam
Ingredients
- 1 cup pigeon pea (toor dal)
- 3-4 tomatoes chopped
- A small piece tamarind
- 1 teaspoon jaggery powder
- 3 tablespoon rasam powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 7-8 curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 dry red chilli
- A generous pinch asafoetida (hing)
Instructions
- Soak the tamarind in some water for 15-20 minutes. Extract the tamarind water and discard the pulp
- Pressure cook toor dal with 2 cups water. Alternatively, if you don’t have access to a pressure cooker, soak the dal in water for 15-20 minutes. Wash it thoroughly and boil in a saucepan with sufficient water till soft
- Lightly mash the completely cooked dal
- Add tomatoes, tamarind water, jaggery, salt, and rasam powder. Add 1-2 cups water and adjust consistency
- Bring to a boil. Let it simmer until the tomatoes are completely cooked
- To make the tempering, heat a small fry pan/tempering pan and add ghee. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter
- Reduce heat, add curry leaves, dry red chilli, cumin seeds and hing. Saute for a few seconds
- Add this tempering to the rasam. Add coriander leaves and mix well
- Serve hot with steamed rice
Leave a Reply