Rasam with Toor Dal — South Indian Pepper and Tamarind Broth (No Oil)

Other Fast Without Oil Published June 13, 2026

Rasam is the thin, peppery, tamarind-sour broth that closes a South Indian meal and revives anyone who is tired, cold, or fasting. This version is built on a base of cooked toor dal, which thickens it just enough and turns a digestive tonic into something that actually feeds you. Black pepper and cumin are dry-roasted and crushed fresh, garlic and curry leaves go in whole, and tomato and tamarind do the rest. Sipped from a cup or poured over rice, it is bracing, aromatic, and warming to the bone.

This is written for strict no-oil days, simmered start to finish in water — the dry-roasted spice does all the work that oil normally would. On oil days you may finish with a classic tempering of mustard seed and curry leaf in a teaspoon of hot oil for extra fragrance. There is no fish version.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast Without Oil (oil tempering optional — see notes)
SERVINGS: 4
TIME: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

- 1/3 cup (65g) toor dal (split pigeon peas), rinsed
- 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste (or a lime-sized ball soaked and strained)
- 3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 dried red chilies
- 1/4 cup (10g) fresh cilantro, chopped
- Salt, to taste

METHOD

1. Cook the toor dal in 2 cups water with the turmeric until very soft and falling apart, about 25 minutes (or 8 minutes in a pressure cooker). Whisk it smooth and set aside.

2. Dry-roast the peppercorns, cumin seeds, and dried red chilies in a hot pan for 1 minute until fragrant. Crush coarsely in a mortar.

3. In a pot, simmer the tomatoes, tamarind, crushed garlic, and the crushed spice with 2 cups water and salt for 8-10 minutes, until the tomatoes break down and the raw tamarind edge softens.

4. Pour in the cooked dal and another cup of water to reach a thin, drinkable consistency. Add the curry leaves. Heat until it just begins to froth at the edges — do NOT let it boil hard, or rasam turns bitter.

5. Pull off the heat, stir in the cilantro, and cover for 5 minutes. Serve hot in cups or over rice.

NOTES

- On oil days, temper 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds and a few curry leaves in 1 teaspoon hot oil and pour over at the end — the traditional flourish.
- Rasam should be thin and sippable, not a thick dal. Keep adding water until it pours freely.
- A pinch of asafoetida (hing) added with the spices deepens the flavor; check it is gluten-free if needed.
- Double the dal for a heartier, more filling bowl on a hungry fasting day.