Ingredients: cup Arhar dal (Split Toor Dal) - boiled, Tomatoes - roughly chopped, Green Chilli - slit, inch Ginger - roughly chopped, teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi), teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) - roughly pounded, teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhania) - roughly pounded, teaspoon Cumin powder (Jeera), teaspoon Black pepper powder, (Dhania) Leaves - few sprigs, - to taste, Lemon - juice extracted, tablespoon Ghee - or sesame oil, teaspoon Mustard seeds, teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera), sprig Curry leaves, teaspoon Asafoetida (hing), Vegetarian diet
Instructions: To begin making Lemon Recipe - Nimbe Saaru, first pressure cook toor dal along with turmeric and 2 cups of water for 3 whistles or until cooked. Allow the pressure to release naturally.Once the dal is cooked, whisk it well until dal is smooth and keep aside.Into a pressure cooker, add the chopped tomatoes, slit green chilli, ginger, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, salt, 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 1 whistle and turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to release naturally.Add the cooked dal, to the cooked tomato rasam, squeeze the lemon juice and stir in the coriander leaves. Check the salt and spices and adjust to taste.In a tadka pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon ghee . Once the oil is heated up, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and allow it to crackle. Add the asafoetida powder and curry leaves, stir it in and turn off the heat.Pour this tempering over the cooked Lemon Rasam and bring the rasam to a brisk boil. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes until you see the rasam frothing on the top.Adjust the consistency of the Lemon Rasam, by adding extra water if required. Check the salt and spices and lemon taste and adjust accordingly.Once done, turn off the heat, transfer the Lemon Rasam to a serving bowl and serve hot.Serve the Lemon Rasam along with hot steamed rice and a poriyal like Carrot and Beans Poriyal, Potato Roast and Beetroot Curry/Poriyal to make a sumptuous weeknight dinner or lunch.