Tomato rasam

Method

1. 1 Simmer toor beans in water for 25 minutes until tender, then mash them and extract the cloudy liquid.
2. 2 Soak the tamarind in warm water for 10 minutes, squeeze out the juice, and discard the pulp.
3. 3 Simmer tamarind water with crushed tomatoes, rasam powder, ground pepper, and salt for 8 minutes to remove the strong sour smell.
4. 4 Add the soybean milk and simmer until small bubbles appear on the surface of the soup, then turn off the heat, making sure not to let it boil vigorously.
5. 5 Toast mustard seeds with ghee until they pop, add curry leaves and hing, then pour into the soup pot.
6. 6 Sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot with rice.

With an appliance

• Pressure cooker 25 min

  Replace step 1: cook the toor beans under high pressure for 6 minutes, then let them rest for 8 minutes; reduce the cooking time to about 11 minutes. This makes the beans softer, easier to mash, and eliminates the need for constant monitoring. Keep the tamarind water simmered with the lid open in step 3 to allow the sourness to mellow.