Ingredients:

• Tamarind – 1 marble sized ball (or 3/4 tsp tamarind paste)
• Tomatoes – 2 medium
• Garlic – 2 flakes
• Curry Leaves – a few
• Coriander Leaves (Cilantro) – 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Rasam Powder – 1 tsp
• Dry red chillies – 2
• Salt – to taste
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Oil – 2 tsp

Method:

Soak the tamarind in little water and squeeze out the juice to make a thick pulp. Add about 2 cups of water to this. Crush 2 flakes of garlic and add in. Crush the tomatoes into this mix; break up the red chillies and add in. Add the curry and coriander leaves. Finally add salt and mix well.

Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add in the mustard seeds. Once they begin sputtering, add the tamarind water mix to this. When the mix starts boiling, add in the rasam powder and allow to come to a boil. Delicious hot rasam is ready. Serve hot with rice. Note that you can add cooked toor dal to the mix to make paruppu rasam (Dal Rasam).