Creating a handy rasam paste at home can be incredibly useful for several reasons:

1. Convenience: With the paste ready, you can quickly make rasam by just adding water, boiling it, and adding any additional ingredients you like. This saves time, especially on busy days.

2. Consistency: A pre-made paste ensures that the flavor of your rasam remains consistent every time you make it. You don’t have to worry about missing out on any key ingredients.

3. Customization: When you make the paste at home, you can adjust the ingredients and spice levels to your preference. This is particularly beneficial for those with dietary restrictions or specific taste preferences.

4. Health Benefits: Rasam is known for its digestive benefits and is often made with ingredients like tamarind, tomatoes, garlic, and various spices that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Having the paste handy means you can easily incorporate these benefits into your diet.

5. Shelf Life: Homemade rasam paste, if stored properly in an airtight container in the refrigerator, can last for weeks, making it a practical addition to your kitchen.

6. Cost-Effective: Making your own paste can be more economical than buying ready-made versions, and you can ensure there are no preservatives or artificial additives.

To prepare a basic rasam paste, you might blend ingredients like tomatoes, tamarind, garlic, pepper, cumin, and curry leaves. Store it in small jars and use as needed. This way, you can enjoy a cup of rasam anytime with minimal effort. Here is a recipe of my home made rasam paste .

Ingredients:

to prepare rasam instantly :

(Increase quantities based on this.)

5 medium ripe tomatoes

1 lime size Tamrind chopped, remove fibre.

(Tamrind paste also works best for this recipe..about 3 tbsp)

A pinch of turmeric powder

Pinch of asafoetida powder

1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder to give good colour. ( skip if not available)

(tamrind is optional, we can use tangy tomatoes may be one or two extra and still make a flavorful tomato tasam paste .)

B

To roast:

with 1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1-2 tsp Dhaniya / coriander seeds

1 tsp black pepper

4-5 red chillies

1 tsp toor dal

some curry leaves.

1 small piece of solid asafoetida if available or else use asafoetida powder while making the paste .

Other Ingredients:

1.5 tosp salt, little more is ok as only salt and oil are preservatives.

6 tbsp sesame oil ( preferred)

1 medium tomato chopped into smaller pieces, keep aside. which will cook along with the rasam

C

To temper :

with 3 tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

Broken red chilly

Curry leaves

D

For Garnishing:

Finely chopped coriander leaves

Method :

In a pan add 1 tsp oil, first roast the solid asafoetida, allow to become crisp, remove, then roast other ingredients mentioned,

Let it cool down. In the same pan add 1 tsp oil, now fry the Tamrind till crisp, keep aside to cool.

Similarly lightly sautee the chopped tomatoes about 5 medium juicy tomatoes, don't mash it as we will be grinding them later, by sauteing first in oil, it will take away the raw smell, Allow to cool, first grind dry ingredients that we roasted along with Tamrind, to a little coarse powder. Separately, Grind the sautéed tomatoes and keep aside.

To prepare the Rasam paste :

In a pan add the sesame oil, heat it add the tempering ingredients, let mustard seeds splutter, brown the cumin seed, add red chilly, Curry leaves, and add the one chopped tomato we set aside to cook along, next add the ground tomatoes mixture without adding any water, add turmeric powder, Kashmiri chili powder for colour, salt, cook for a while, then add the roasted ground powder, cover and cook to avoid splashes, and you will notice the mixture becoming little watery as the tomatoes start softening. As mixture starts thickening and drying up,, add 3 tbsp oil, mix well, add chopped coriander leaves,

The whole mixture will bubble and thicken till is released on sides, will resemble some thick glossy halwa, when the mixture attains a paste like consistency, remove •

Let this mixture cool down completely before you

How to use :

In a vessel add some water, add the required quantity of paste, stir well to remove the lumps if any, let this mixture boil well, check for salt and make adjustments.or just add boiling water to required aty of the rasam paste, mix well, garnish with coriander leaves, serve !

Some curry leaves are already added in the paste so no need to add them.

No need to temper as it is included in the paste.

This is good for emergencies, for travelers who have no ingredients in stock, 2 tbsp of this paste mixed with hot water in microwave will give a great rasam. bachelors, students and busy moms will find this handy paste useful in kitchen.

you can also keep on stove, add some dal water to make it more healthy and have it like regular rasam

this can be used as a tiffin box recipe by mixing the paste with hot rice, and ghee, mixed up and packed in lunch box as rasam rice, withsome veggies.