Make Rasam

Rasam is a south Indian soup which is eaten with rice. It is a delicious soup and is very light and good for fevers, coughs and cold.

Ingredients

Tomatoes
Tamarind paste (soak 75gram tamarind in hot water for 5 mins and then sieve out the concentration)
Rasam powder
Toor dal
Salt
Turmeric
Coriander
Coriander leaves
Curry leaves
Mustard
Red chilli

Cook toor dal: Take half cup toor dal in a pan and add 1.5 cups of water to it. Put it in a pressure cooker and let the steam come out of the spout. Once the steam comes, add the weight and after 3 whistles, remove it from the flame.
Make Rasam: Take a deep bottomed pan and add 3 cups of water. Add about 2 tablespoons of tamarind paste to it. Add a teaspoon of salt, a pinch of turmeric and 2 teaspoons of rasam powder. Dice 2 tomatoes and add it to the pot.
Mix well and let boil. After about 10 minutes of boiling add the cooked toor dal to the mixture and let it boil for another 5 minutes. The mixture should be watery.
Add more water if needed. Add salt if needed. After boiling, add finely chopped coriander and curry leaves.Add a small teaspoon of ghee or butter to the mixture.
Fry the spices:Take a pan add some oil and add mustard and red chilli to crackle and pour it to the boiled rasam.
Serve piping hot with rice or drink out of a bowl.

Coriander leaves is available in any western grocery store. (aka cilantro)
Tamarind paste is available in any Asian grocery store.
Red roma tomatoes or vine tomatoes is great for rasam.
Any East Indian or Sri Lankan grocery store will sell toor dal, rasam powder and tamarind paste.
If making rasam very rarely, store the rasam powder in the freezer and use whenever needed.
Clarified butter or ghee is available in any Indian grocery store.