3 cups water (boiled toor dal yellow lentils, boiled yellow lentils) 5 tsps salt 6 tbsps oil 2 green

chilies (slit) fresh ginger (2 inches fresh ginger peeled washed and finely chopped) 1 clove clove garlic (peeled washed and finely chopped) 5 tbsps black peppercorns 1 cup curry leaf (fresh curry leaf washed and torn) 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp cumin seed 1 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)

3 chilies (red) 2 tomatoes (washed peeled and chopped into cubes) 14 cup water (added to cook the tomatoes) 12 tsp chili powder (red) 2 tsps turmeric (powder) 112 tsps coriander (powder) 7 cups water (added to prepare the curry for rasam. you can add more or less depending on the consistency) 12 cup tamarind (pulp) 3 tbsps coriander (fresh, leaves washed and finely chopped to garnish)

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With the help of a pestle, pound ginger, garlic and whole black peppercorns in a mortar as nicely as you can until the peppercorns are completely crushed and the ginger and garlic are completely softened. Keep aside. Extract tamarind pulp out of tamarind by soaking 4-5 one-inch sized pieces in 1 1/2 cups of hot water. Press these tamarind pieces to squeeze out the juice/pulp out of the tamarind. Transfer the tamarind pulp in a clean bowl. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pot on medium-high flame. When its hot, add mustard seeds, methi seeds and cumin seeds. Allow to splutter and crackle. Once it stops spluttering and crackling, add curry leaves and green chillies. Stir-fry for a minute or two. Then add the whole red chillies and stir-fry for another minute. Add the above prepared ginger-garlic-black peppercorns mixture to the pot. Mix well. Then add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and corriander

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powder. Mix well and continue to stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Put the chopped tomatoes in a bowl and crush them as tightly as you can between the palms of your hands. Squeeze them as well as you can to extract the juice/pulp out of them. Now add the crushed tomatoes alongwith the juice squeezed out. Mix well, add 1/4 cup of water and cook on high flame so as to allow the tomatoes to soften quickly. Add salt and mix well. Then add the boiled toor dal water (or 3 cups of plain water if you are using that). Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower flame, then add about 7 cups more of water. You can add upto 3-4 cups more also, if required. Mix well and allow it to boil for 15 minutes. Then add tamarind pulp and stir well. Boil for 10-15 more minutes. Garnish with corriander leaves and serve hot as a soup on its own or as a lentil curry to serve over rice with/without plain low-fat yogurt on the side.