Lentil Ball Rasam (Paruppu Urandai)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chana dal

• 1/4 cup toor dal

• 2 dried red chillies

• gooseberry-sized tamarind ball

• 1.5 tsp sambar powder

• 1/4 tsp asafoetida

• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

• salt to taste

• 1 tomato

• fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

For tempering

• 2 tsp ghee

• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

• 1.5 tsp pepper + cumin powder

• a pinch of asafoetida

Method

Wash and soak the two lentils for at least a couple of hours. Drain the water.

Grind the soaked lentils coarsely without adding water along with salt, asafoetida and dried red chillies.

Grease idli plates with a little oil.

Make small balls out of the ground lentils and place them on the idli plates. Steam these balls in a steamer for 5 minutes.

In a cooking pot, boil the tamarind extract in water. Add sambar powder, asafoetida, salt and turmeric powder. Add tomato pulp and three cups of water to this.

Boil well for nearly 5 minutes till the raw smell of tamarind goes away.

Now add the lentil balls one by one slowly to the boiling rasam for a minute.

When the balls start floating to the top, switch off the flame.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

For tempering, heat ghee in a pan.

Add mustard seeds, pepper + cumin powder and asafoetida.

Pour over the hot rasam.