Lemon Rasam

No. of servings:  6
Preparation Time:  10 mins	Cook Time:  20 mins

This tangy and spicy rasam is most welcome on a cold or rainy day.  Especially great against colds and sniffles!  Serve it with rice or vadas or as a soup by itself.

Ingredients:

• Tur daal - 1 cup 
• Mustard seeds - 0.5 tsp
• Asafoetida (hing) - 2 pinches
• Cumin - 1 tsp
• Black pepper powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric - 0.25 tsp
• Green chili paste - 0.5 tsp
• Green tomatoes - 2 large
• Coriander leaves - 2 fistfuls
• Lemon juice - 1-2 tbsp

Method:

• Pressure cook the tur daal with water and turmeric ('Pressure' mode for 3 mins in Instant Pot)
• In another vessel, heat a little oil and add mustard seeds and asafoetida ('Saute' mode in IP) 
• Add (coarsely ground) cumin and black pepper powder
• Add green chili paste and saute till the raw smell goes away
• Mash the cooked daal and add to it
• Bring to a gentle boil
• Add 4 cups of water, salt and chopped coriander leaves
• Bring to a gentle boil
• Turn off heat and add the lemon juice
• Enjoy directly as a soup (or) with rice (or) with Vada and make 'Rasa Vada'!

Tips and Tricks:

• Adding turmeric to tur daal cooks it to a softer consistency 
• Coarse grinding cumin and black pepper keeps the flavors stronger
• Tomatillos can be used in place of green tomatoes
• Rolling boil diminishes the flavors of black pepper, hence do only gentle boil
• Always add lemon juice after turning off the heat to keep the sourness of the lemons
• Heat the water in the hot kettle to expedite boiling on the stove

Pictures: 

Final Outcome: