Garlic Rasam
One of the easiest South Indian dishes you can make — a thin, tangy tamarind broth fragrant with garlic and tempered spices. Spoon it over rice or sip it like a soup.
Chutney & Sambar
Easy comfort in a bowl
This is one of the easiest Indian dishes you can make — spoon it over white rice, or just drink it like a soup. There are many variations on the same base: this one leans on garlic, but add black pepper for pepper rasam, or tomato for tomato rasam. Naturally vegetarian and deeply comforting, especially when you're under the weather.
Ingredients
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste (or 2 tbsp raw tamarind)
- 1/2 tsp sambar powder
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
- 2 strands coriander leaves (cilantro), chopped
- 5 curry leaves
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)
- 1/2 tsp ghee
- 1.5 cups hot water
- 1 dried red chilli
- salt, to taste
Method
- Prepare the tamarind water: if using raw tamarind, soak it in the hot water, then crush and squeeze it well so the juice dissolves out, and strain to keep just the tamarind water. If using tamarind paste, dissolve it in a little water first, then add the rest of the water.
- Crush the garlic cloves.
- Heat the tamarind water in a deep pan over medium flame. Add the crushed garlic, sambar powder, and salt, and bring to a boil. Let it boil for about 10 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- Meanwhile, make the tempering: heat the ghee in a small pan over medium flame. Once hot, add the mustard seeds. When they burst, add the jeera, curry leaves, the dried red chilli (split in half), and asafoetida. Once the jeera changes color, turn off the heat.
- Pour the tempering into the boiled tamarind-garlic mixture. Stir in the fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.
Tips
Don't let the rasam boil too hard or too long after the garlic goes in — a gentle boil keeps it fragrant rather than bitter. For a stronger version, lightly crush a few black peppercorns into the tempering.