TOMATO CHARU (SPICY SOUTH INDIAN TOMATO SOUP)

Charu – Rasam – Saru is a very common dish in every day meal in South Indian cuisine. Charu or Rasam means extract or juice in Telugu or any other south Indian language. Traditionally made by tamarind extract and seasoned with spices like black pepper corns, dry coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Charu is a tangy and spicy thin tamarind soup which is a very power full home remedy for digetation, clod and perfect comfort food when you are having flue it keeps you warm. This traditional recipe was adapted in to British cuisine as Mulligatawny soup (pepper water) and it is very popular even today in England. A bowl of lightly mashed rice with a few drops of ghee and mix with hot Charu and vadiyalu (vadam,sundried rice flour wafers, deep fried in oil like fryams)or a potato stir fry, yummmm is there any other comfort food other then this …….. If you ask me no… any way

There are so many versions in this Charu recipe like

Chintapandu charu (tamarind Soup),

Vellulli charu(garlic soup)

Pappu charu or pappu rasam (lentil soup)

Miriyala charu (black pepper soup)

Pineapple rasam (spicy pineapple soup)

Ulava charu (horse gram soup)

Nimmakaya charu (lemon soup)

Tomato charu (thin spicy tomato soup)

Tiyya charu (sweet tamarind soup)

Pachi charu(pachi pulusu, Raw tamarind soup)

Majjiga charu (butter milk soup)

In some versions we use pappu kattu(cook 1 tab sp any lentils with 2-3 cups of water till lentils become soft remove from the heat and strain the water and use this water in the place of normal water for making charu. If you like you can add that cooked lentils also but mash well and mix with Charu).And to day here I am with the recipe TOMATO CHARU………….

INGREDIENTS:----

Tomato --- 1 big

Tamarind -- 1inch pieces 4-5 pieces soak in hot water(if you hold all these tamarind pieces tightly in your hand that should become like table tennis ball size.After you soak and extract water from this tamarind that should be 100 ml thin tamarind extract.

Oil -- 1 tab sp

Garlic -- 3 cloves crushed

Mustard - 1/2 tea sp

Asafoetida --- 1 pinch(hing, inguva)(optional)

curry leaves -- 12 leaves

salt to taste

Water --- 2&1/2 -3 cups

Charu podi (rasam powder) -- 1&1/2 tea sp you can use any brand which is easly available in any Indian store like MTR - Rasam powder or Priya Rasam powder or you can make at home check my recipe here.

Coriander leaves --- 1 tab sp chopped.

Soak tamarind in warm water and extract juice with 120 ml water and you can get 100 ml tamarind juice from that.

Pour this tamarind juice in to a heavy bottom pan and start boiling in a medium flame.

Take 1 big tomato and make puree in a blender. when you measure this tomato puree this should be 1 cup means 120- 130 ml.

Now add this tomato puree(if you want you can strain this tomato puree to remove the tomato skin pieces add 50 ml water (1/2 cup) and strain through a juice strainer) to tamarind juice,add 1 cup water(120 ml) and boil in a medium heat the raw smell of the tamarind and tomato will disappears .

This will take 10 min. to boil.After 10 min. add crushed garlic, salt to taste,curry leaves and 1 more cup water, charu podi(rasam powder), bring to a full boil lower the flame and let it cook for 15 min.

After 15 min add chopped coriander leaves and cook for 2 more min and remove from heat.

Now heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds and let them popup(here you can add a pinch add asafoetida if you like) then add this seasoning to Charu immediately cover with a lid and let it rest for at least 10 min before you serve.

Serve hot with rice.
Note: -- if you want to make a fresh rasam powder the

Coriander seeds -- 1/2 tea sp

Cumin seeds -- 1 tea sp

Black pepper corns -- 1 tea sp

Garlic cloves -- 3

few curry leaves (if you are making this instant Rasam powder with garlic and curry leaves then no need to add garlic and curry leaves what i have given in the ingredients list.)

Dry roast all ingredients in a pan and make a coarse powder in a hand pastel or a coffee grinder.This will give a great aroma to charu.

You like hot and spicy soups then strain this Charu through a strainer and enjoy like a soup.