Tomato Rasam means the extract of tomato. Usually, it is served with steamed rice. But I love to have to sip warm after my heavy meals. This simple Tomato Rasam recipe is great to do with rice.

Standing behind the blurry window, watching the rain, sipping warm Tomato rasam....oohoo.. It's a poetic moment. Unknowingly, I emptied the cup of rasam. I was there standing still for more than half an hour.
And still, it is pleasantly raining outside. I do not want to miss this, again going to the kitchen to grab more tomato rasam soup. The rain and this tomato rasam recipe cannot be missed from my life.
Do not forget to check out other exciting recipes like Pineapple Rasam and Andhra Style Tomato Dal.
The temperature is becoming colder now!! Yay, it's time to remove all the cuddly blankets and flannels from the storage. It is also the time to kindle the soups like this tomato Rasam recipe.
Tomato Rasam is a South Indian soup with tomatoes, pepper, garlic, and cumin.
Seasons and food go together. Good food makes the weather to be more enjoyable. In addition, the South Indian tomato rasam recipe is the topmost on my list for this type of weather.
I was waiting to make this tomato soup for all this week. Every sip of this warm soup gives me more confidence and courage and soothes me from the inside out.
Making this Andhra-style tomato rasam recipe is also an easy task. If you have store-bought or homemade rasam powder, your work is much easier, and you can skip the roasting and grind the spices.
Another essential factor to remember is that the rasam should not get over-boiled. This is one of the first tasks every South Indian girl learns from her mom.
This tomato rasam recipe is to make tomato rasam without rasam powder.
The key ingredients of the tomato rasam recipe:
Tomatoes
Roma tomatoes are sumptuous for this recipe as this has a naturally rich sour taste, which enhances the soup to the next level.
Toor dal
Toor dal or split pigeon pea. You may get it in your nearby Indian stores or online. But I would not recommend buying Toor dal to make this dish.
Because we need just a tablespoon, but you will be getting around your pound for about $3. A pound of dal is so huge for this tomato rasam recipe.
So, no worries, you can skip this ingredient as it will not impact much on the flavor or taste of this Tomato Rasam.
You can skip it if you do not have it in your pantry. Tomato rasam without dal is equally tasty when compared to the original version.
Coriander seeds
This is a flavoring agent I would strongly recommend using this, and coriander seeds are available in the spice aisle in any grocery store, or you may also get it online.
Herbs
The following essential ingredient for this tomato rasam recipe is Curry leaves and coriander leaves. However, curry leaves are necessary for this recipe. But you may skip it if you do not have access to this beautiful herb.
If you have access to Indian stores or Asian stores, I would recommend getting coriander leaves. Although coriander leaves and cilantro look similar, the coriander leaves’s flavor is more intense than the cilantro's.
Cilantro is a close substitute for coriander leaves.
Few tips for making tomato rasam recipe:
- Roma tomatoes are great for making this recipe.
- Ready-made rasam powder is available in Indian stores.
- You may use the homemade rasam powder or the store-bought rasam powder.
- If you prefer to use the store-bought rasam powder, you may skip the dry roasting and grinding of the spices.
- Instead of dry roasting and grinding the spices in this tomato rasam recipe, you can immediately add readymade rasam powder.
- Do not boil the tomato soup for long, as the tomatoes may lose their bright flavor.
- Refrigerate the leftover in a sealed container. It stays good for a week if stored properly.
- On the other hand, you may also freeze the rasam to store for a longer time.
- Rasam does have more shelf life. It stays good for a day, even at room temperature.
How to make tomato rasam:
Soak tamarind ball in half a cup of warm water. Extract the juice and reserve the tamarind water. Strain it and discard the impurities.
Blanch tomatoes, remove skin and puree them. (For blanching-cook tomatoes in boiling water for 2 min, remove it from the water, and allow it to cool. Now tomato skin can be peeled off easily; grind them to form a thick paste.. )
Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, toor dal, and Bengal gram. Fry till it becomes golden brown. Allow it to cool for some time. Grind them to a coarse powder.
Add the tomato puree, tamarind extract, salt, and spice mixture in a bowl.
Meanwhile, add 1 teaspoon of clarified butter(ghee) and mustard seeds in a pan. Wait till mustard splutters, add asafoetida, curry leaves, and coriander leaves. Add this tempered seasoning to the tomato mixer.
Bring this mixture to boil for 2 minutes. When it starts boiling, remove the rasam from the flame immediately.
This tomato rasam recipe is simple. Serve this tomato rasam hot with rice. Or transfer to a soup bowl if you prefer tomato rasam like a soup.
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Printable recipe card
Tomato Rasam Recipe
Ingredients
Prepping
- 1 lemon size tamarind
- 1 cup hot water for soaking the tamarind
- 2 tomato
Grinding Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon whole black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon toor dal /split pigeon pea
- 1 teaspoon chana dal /split chickpea
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
For the making
- 1 teaspoon ghee / clarified butter
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 8 curry Leaves
- ¼ cup coriander leaves /cilantro
- 3 cups water
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon salt or as required
Instructions
For prepping
- Soak tamarind in hot water for 15 minutes.
- Squeeze and extract the tamarind juice. Discard the impurities.
- Blanch tomatoes and remove skin.
- Puree the tomatoes with the help of blender.
For grinding
- Over medium heat, place a pan. Add black pepper, cumin seeds, toor dal, chana dal, and coriander seeds.
- Dry roast them until it is fragrant and reaches golden brown color.
- Allow it to cool. And grind them coarsely.
For the making
- In the meantime, over medium heat, place a pan, add 1 teaspoon of ghee and black mustard seeds.
- Wait till mustard splutters, then add asafoetida.
- To the same pan, add tamarind extract, ground spice mix, water, turmeric powder, curry leaves, coriander leaves, and salt.
- Bring this rasam mixture to boil. Allow it to boil for 2 minutes.
- Remove it from the stove. Serve hot with rice.
Notes
- Serve with white rice. Or serve as a soup before your food.
- Add cooked and mashed toor dal to make this richer.
Nutrition
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Manjula Bharath
very very comforting and delicious rasam 🙂 I too love to drink they as a soup 🙂 Love the way you explain how you enjoy "ohoo ahaaa " iam doing the same seeing you rasam dear super tempting 🙂
Priya Suresh
Cant survive a day without this fabulous food, my comforting food.
Meldrum Jacqueline
That sounds wonderful and I am picturing you standing beside your window sipping it from a mug.
Anjali
This was such a spicy and delicious recipe!! Was great with some rice for a light lunch!
Justine
This was just perfect - we loved it!
Lima Ekram
This was so good. Something new, tasty and easy to make!
TAYLER ROSS
I made this Tomato Rasam for dinner last night and it was incredible! So comforting and full of flavor!