Kerala Rasam

Kerala Rasam is made using freshly ground spice mix and can be eaten with rice or as a drink. It is super easy and quick to make as well and can be whipped up in all of 15 minutes. Here is how to make it.

Kerala style food is one of my favorite South Indian cuisines and I keep learning new dishes from this cuisine very often.

Some days back, I got a chance to shoot a vegetarian Kerala cookbook. The kitchen and studio were mines so we had the author cooking food in my test kitchen.

I shot around 50 dishes in 2 days and the meals after work were extravagant of course.

I will share the details of the shoot and the book sometime later but for now, let’s come back to the Kerala Rasam Recipe.

This rasam is quite different in flavor than it’s other cousins but as soul-warming as any other version of rasam.

What is Kerala Rasam?

Kerala rasam is an instant rasam made without rasam powder. It is a tomato rasam recipe with dry red chillies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, curry leaves, tamarind pulp, and coriander leaves.

I have also added ginger, garlic, green chilli and hing to the recipe and the taste of coconut oil in which it is made shine in the dish. 

Here is how to make Kerala Rasam.

Pro Tips by Neha

Use juicy and ripe tomatoes to make this rasam. The firm ones will not become mushy and will come in mouth.

Dry roast the spices well. It will give a nice flavor to your rasam.

Use only coconut oil to make this rasam recipe in Kerala style. It gives a very peculiar and unique flavor to the rasam.

You can make a big batch and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Just reheat some in microwave and use.

You might also like

Raw Mango Rasam

Kerala Style Sambar

Kerala Kadala Curry

Udupi style Rasam

Kerala Garam Masala

Step by Step Recipe

Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup water and keep aside.

Dry roast whole coriander, black peppercorns and cumin seeds till slightly fragrant.

Grind along with green chili, ginger and garlic to make a coarse powder.

Rasam powder

Heat coconut oil in a pan.

When the oil is hot, add hing, dry red chilies, curry leaves, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds and fry for a few seconds.

Add tomato and fry for 2-3 minutes, until tomatoes are mushy.

Now add the ground masala and 3 cups of water and cook for a minute.

Squeeze and strain the tamarind and add the water in the pan along with jaggery, salt and turmeric powder. Cook until the rasam just comes to a boil. 

4 from 9 votes

Print

Kerala Style Rasam Recipe

Kerala Style Rasam or Thakali ( Tomato ) Rasam is made using freshly ground spice mix and can be eaten with rice or as a drink. 

Course Beverage

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 80 kcal

Author Neha Mathur

Ingredients

• 1 Lemon Sized Tamarind
• 2 tsp Coriander Seeds
• 1 tsp Black peppercorns
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 Green Chilli Chopped
• 1/2 inch Ginger Chopped
• 6-8 cloves Garlic
• 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1/2 tsp Hing
• 3-4 Dry Red Chillies
• 10-12 Curry Leaves
• 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
• 1 cup Tomato Chopped
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp Jaggery
• Salt to taste

Instructions

Soak Tamarind in 1/2 cup water and keep aside.

1. Dry roast whole coriander, black peppercorns and cumin seeds till slightly fragrant.

2. Grind along with green chilli, ginger and garlic to make a coarse powder.

3. Heat coconut oil in a pan.

4. When the oil is hot, add hing, dry red chilies, curry leaves, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds and fry for a few seconds.

5. Add tomato and fry for 2-3 minutes, until tomatoes are mushy.

6. Add the ground masala and 3 cups of water and cook for a minute.

7. Squeeze and strain the tamarind and add the water in the pan along with jaggery, salt and turmeric powder.

8. Cook until the rasam just comes to a boil.

9. Switch off the heat.

10. Add chopped coriander.

11. Serve the rasam hot.

Recipe Notes

Use juicy and ripe tomatoes to make this rasam. The firm ones will not become mushy and will come in mouth.

Dry roast the spices well. It will give a nice flavour to your rasam.

Use only coconut oil to make this rasam recipe in Kerala style. It gives a very peculiar and unique flavour to the rasam.

You can make a big batch and refrigerate for upto 3 days. Just reheat some in microwave and use.

Nutrition Facts

Kerala Style Rasam Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 80 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Fat 4g6%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Sodium 45mg2%

Potassium 250mg7%

Carbohydrates 10g3%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 725IU15%

Vitamin C 106.3mg129%

Calcium 47mg5%

Iron 1.6mg9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.