Simple south Indian meal - Tomato Rasam with Broccoli and Soybean vegetable on the side

Tomato rasam with broccoli and frozen edamame beans or peas on the side
Below- Broccoli and bean with turmeric and salt, Rasam, vegetable

Tomato Rasam

Ingredients:

4-6 medium sized tomatoes cut into 8-12 pieces.

1 cup precooked tur dal(skinned and halfed lentils)
1 tbsp tamarind paste or pulp diluted in 3 cups of water

1 or 2 tbsp Rasam powder (you can use MTR or other brand available in the store or make your own)

1/4 tsp Asafetida  

Turmeric powder and salt to taste

To season
1 tbsp ghee(clarified butter), 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 8-10 whole black pepper dal
3-4 sprigs fresh green coriander/cilantro leaves cleaned and chopped


Directions:

1. Cook the diluted tamarind with rasam powder, asafetida, turmeric, and salt until the raw taste is gone.
2. Add the tomatoes and cook well.
3. Add the precooked tur dal and bring to a rolling boil, a layer of frothe will form on top. Turn off the heat.
4. Season/tadka.  Heat the ghee, mustard, cumin seeds and pepper corns in a small pan. Cover, when they splutter add to the cooked rasam.
5. Add the chopped cilantro
6. Stir well and enjoy with steamed rice.

Broccoli and soybean vegetable
Ingredients:

4 cups broccoli cut into florets(frozen works well, too)

1 or 2 cups of frozen edamame beans or green peas.

2 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp mustard, 1 tbsp udid dal, 1 chopped green chilli optional

Directions: 

1. In a wok, heat the oil, add mustard and udid dal, until spluttered and dal is brown.
2. Reduce heat, add the vegetable and beans/peas, turmeric and salt, sprinkle 2-3 tbsp of water cover and cook until the vegetable is crunchy and cooked.  the raw taste gone.   You can substitute broccoli with cauliflower, or chopped beans or potatoes or carrots....
3. It tastes good when sambhar rice, too.

The above meal is my dysfunctional style of cooking traditional recipes learnt from mom.