Rasam recipe – Simple, easy & quick recipe to make delicious rasam at home. This South Indian rasam recipe needs no rasam powder & no dal. Rasam means “juice” in tamil and telugu. It can mean any juice, but in south Indian cuisine Rasam is a thin soup made with tamarind, tomatoes and other spices like mustard, cumin and pepper.
Also known as saaru in kannada and chaaru in telugu, rasam is a most basic and essential dish in an south Indian meal. Rasam is commonly served with plain rice and a veg side dish. But it can also be had as a soup.
I make this when I have no rasam powder in hand or in a hurry. It tastes almost like the one we get with a south Indian meal in any restaurant. Slightly tangy and flavorful from cumin, pepper powder and garlic. This is so simple that even bachelors can make it. This rasam is also suitable to babies & toddlers if spices are adjusted.
Rasam is good to have when one has cold or stomach problems. Stick on to the ingredients mentioned in the recipe and use red ripe tomatoes. It can be refrigerated and consumed within 2 days. It can be accompanied with rice and any simple vegetable stir fry like potato fry, sweet potato fry, yam fry, carrot fry.
There are so many ways a rasam can be made. For more varieties check
Tomato rasam
Tamarind rasam – without tomato
Lemon rasam
You may also like to check this Rasam powder recipe.
South Indian rasam recipe
Rasam recipe without rasam powder | How to make rasam recipe
Rasam recipe - a light Indian soup that is made with basic spices, tomatoes and herbs. South Indian rasam is very soothing to the tummy and helps in digestion. It is served with rice but can also be enjoyed as a soup.
Ingredients (240 ml cup used)
Ingredients for rasam recipe
for tempering or seasoning rasam
- 1 ½ tbsp oil or ghee
- ½ tsp mustard or rai
- ½ tsp cumin or jeera
- 1 dried red chili (broken) (less spicy kind)
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 pinch hing or asafoetida
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic crushed (optional)
To roast and powder
- ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds or methi seeds
- ¼ to ½ tsp pepper corn
- 1½ tsp cumin or jeera
- 1 small dried red chili optional (use less spicy kind)
How to make the recipe
To a pan add cumin, pepper, methi seeds & red chilli. Fry on a low to medium heat until aromatic. Cool & add this to a blender jar. Make a fine powder of the spices.
Tempering to make rasam recipe
Heat oil or ghee in a pot.
Add mustard, cumin & red chili. Soon they begin to crackle.
Then add garlic, curry leaves and hing. Saute well for a minute till the leaves turn crisp.
How to make rasam recipe
Add tomatoes with salt and turmeric. Saute until mushy & soft.
When the tomatoes turn completely soft, then add the ground spice powder and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. The spice powder must begin to smell good.
Next pour water, tamarind, jaggery and salt if needed. Stir well and check the salt. If needed add more.
Simmer for 5 minutes after it comes to a boil. Soon It thickens slightly.
Add coriander leaves. Simmer for a minute. Cover and turn off the stove.
Serve rasam hot with rice or as a soup
Recipe Video
Video of rasam recipe
Recipe Notes
Feel free to use more jaggery & tamarind as needed. I usually make rasam that tastes sour, sweet & spicy.
If you have rasam powder ready then skip roasting and powdering the ingredients mentioned under "To roast and powder. Use rasam powder as desired.
Preparation for rasam recipe
1. Dry roast ¼ tsp methi seeds & one red chilli until methi turns slightly aromatic. Then add 1.5 tsp cumin and ¼ to ½ tsp pepper corn. Roast all of them until methi seeds turn slightly dark in color and aromatic. If making for baby skip red chili and use less pepper. Cool and add to a blender jar.
2. You can also coarsely crush it in a hand pestle. Set aside. You can also skip this roasting part & just powder the spices directly but the aroma is great when roasted.
3. Add oil to a hot pot. Add red chili, cumin and mustard.
4. When they begin to splutter, add 3 to 4 crushed garlic, 1 sprig curry leaves and then hing. Saute well until the leaves turn crisp.
How to make rasam recipe
5. Add 1 to 1.5 cups chopped or mashed tomatoes or pureed. Sprinkle salt and turmeric.
6. Cover and cook or saute until the tomatoes turn mushy.
7. Add spice powder or rasam powder from step 1.
8. Mix and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. The spice powder must smell good.
9. Pour 2.5 to 3 cups water. Add tamarind.
10. Add little jaggery or sugar if needed and bring it to a boil. Add more salt and jaggery as needed.
11. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir and check salt and sour. Rasam that is done on a low flame tastes good.
12. Add chopped coriander leaves with stalks. Cover and switch off.
Serve rasam with rice and some papad, stir fry veggies.
Deepna T says
I have never made rasam from scratch, i have always used powder. I was excited to try this & It turned out very good. I made a puree of the tomato instead of cutting them. Thank you for the recipe. It feels good to eat it when you know what has exactly gone into your dish 🙂
swasthi says
Hi Deepna
You are welcome. So glad to know you liked the rasam. Thank you so much for the comment.