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South Indian · Indian

Lemon rasam

Vegetarian

A mild, sunny South Indian rasam with no tamarind: thin toor dal broth with ginger, green chilli and tomato, soured with fresh lemon juice off the heat.

Lemon rasam is a South Indian soup, ready in about 40 minutes and made with toor dal (split pigeon peas) and lemon juice. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
10 min
Cook
30 min
Total
40 min
Serves
4
Level
Beginner
Calories
88

Ingredients

4 servings

For the tempering

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Cook the toor dal (opens in a new tab) with 300 ml of the water and the turmeric (opens in a new tab) until completely soft (about 3 whistles in a pressure cooker (opens in a new tab), or 30 minutes simmering). Mash to a smooth liquid.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    In a saucepan (opens in a new tab), simmer the tomato (opens in a new tab), ginger and green chillies in the remaining water with the salt until the tomato is soft.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the mashed dal and pepper (opens in a new tab) and heat until frothy, then turn off the heat before it boils.

    • 3 min
    • medium-low heat

  4. Step 4

    Temper the ghee (opens in a new tab) with mustard seeds (opens in a new tab), cumin (opens in a new tab), curry leaves (opens in a new tab) and asafoetida (opens in a new tab) and pour it over. Once the rasam has cooled slightly, stir in the lemon juice (opens in a new tab) and coriander.

    • 2 min
    • medium heat

    Lemon juice added to boiling rasam turns bitter.

About this dish

Origin
South India, India · Commonly attributedMade in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana under different names.More food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Soups
Cooking method
Boiled, Simmered
Taste
citrusy, tangy, mild, fresh
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat
With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · Budget-friendly · Child-friendly
Cook more with
Toor dal (split pigeon peas) · Lemon juice · Turmeric · Tomato · Fresh ginger · Green chilli
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Pressure cooking · Tadka (tempering)

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee
  • May contain: Wheatfrom asafoetida
  • May contain: Glutenfrom asafoetida
  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

88 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 319 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 17%
  • Carbohydrate 56%
  • Fat 27%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy88 kcal27 kcal
Protein3.9 g1.2 g
Carbohydrate12.9 g4 g
Net carbohydrate9.9 g3.1 g
Sugars1.3 g0.4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3 g0.9 g
Fat2.8 g0.9 g
Saturated fat1.5 g0.5 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol6 mg2 mg
Sodium739 mg232 mg
Salt equivalent1.8 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
336 mg
Calcium
55 mg
Iron
1.3 mg
Magnesium
42 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
35 µg
Vitamin C
16 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
77 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves, asafoetida.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Use freshly squeezed lemon juice; bottled juice tastes flat and bitter here.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the lemon juice while the rasam is boiling — it turns bitter.

Serve with

  • Lovely with rice, potato fry and appalam (papad).

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days refrigerated.

Reheating

  • Warm gently; add a squeeze of fresh lemon if the flavour has faded.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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