Lemon rasam – A delicious South Indian thin lentil soup or broth flavored with lemon instead of tamarind. Check out how to make lemon rasam flavored with cilantro and mint with step-wise pictures.
Lemon rasam is one of the popular rasam varieties from Tamil cuisine. In Tamil, we call it as elumichai rasam and elumichai means lemon. We in our household make it more like dal rasam or paruppu rasam, but instead of tamarind, we add lemon juice for the tangy flavor. It is very similar to the Andhra style nimmakaya pappu charu, but of course, the rasam powder and the spices slightly vary.
How to serve lemon rasam-
This lemon rasam is very soothing and comforting. It’s a perfect home remedy for sore through and common cold and flu. You can serve this with steamed rice along with dry curry or serve it as a soup. I love it both ways, and this blog needs no introduction about my love for rasam. :-)
How much dal to use-
We use toor dal or the split pigeon peas for this rasam. And for this measure, you can use from 2 tbsp to 4 tbsp. If you want to include more protein, I would recommend 4 tbsp for sure. I went with 3 tbsp.
When to add lemon juice & how much-
We usually add lemon juice after the cooking is complete and after turning off the heat. Simmering the rasam after adding lemon juice is not recommended, as the lemon’s acidic nature ruins the rasam’s taste. Like I mentioned in paruppu rasam, never boil the rasam. Just simmer till it becomes frothy and turn off the heat.
I went with one medium-sized lemon. It all depends on the tanginess of the lemon. Start with half a lemon juice and, if required, add more.
Can I reheat lemon rasam-
Well, the answer is no or atleast do not heat in the stove-top. The lemon juice might make it bitter. You can microwave the required amount for 45 to 60 seconds but not more than that.
If you use ghee for tempering, you might have to microwave it as ghee solidifies and forms a layer on top. Same with coconut oil. If you are planning to refrigerate it, add lemon juice just before serving and do the tempering before serving as well. I would recommend tempering with ghee, but if you want to keep it vegan, use oil of your choice.
Herbs used-
I included curry leaves, cilantro, and mint leaves in the rasam. If you can’t source curry leaves, you can skip them. Make sure to add the cilantro and mint leaves in the end and cover the rasam with lid for the flavors to infuse.
Other South Indian rasam recipes-
Please do check out my unique rasam recipes like,
South Indian style lemon rasam recipe with detailed step-wise pictures-
Pressure cook the dal-
- Wash the toor dal and pressure cook the dal by adding 1 cup of water and ⅛ tsp of turmeric powder and mash it well. I used my stove-top pressure cooker and cooked for three whistles. If using Instant Pot, cook for 8 to 10 minutes and release the pressure naturally.
Assemble-
- Take the vessel in which you are going to prepare the rasam. Add 3 cups of water and then add the rasam powder, salt, jaggery, tomato, curry leaves, and ½ tbsp of cilantro.
- Mix them well. I mash it well with my hand. Check for salt taste and adjust.
Simmer the rasam-
- Now let the rasam simmer in medium heat.
- Once it starts to boil, add the mashed toor dal and mix well.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer when it becomes frothy on top, turn off the heat.
Add lemon juice, cilantro, and mint-
- Now add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and gently mix.
- Add the remaining cilantro and mint leaves and cover the rasam pot with a lid. Let the flavors infuse for five minutes.
Temper the rasam-
- In a separate tadka pan, heat the ghee or oil, and when it is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and thing.
- When the mustard seeds splutter, turn off the heat and add it to the rasam.
- Serve hot with rasam or as a soup with papad.
Recipe Notes-
- I have used my homemade rasam powder for this recipe. You can prepare fresh rasam powder like in my cumin pepper rasam and use that instead.
- You can add a tsp of freshly grated ginger as well for this rasam.
- Adjust the salt and spice according to your preference.
- Add the herbs as per your taste.
- Please check the post regarding reheating the rasam and how to store it. Do not heat it again and again.
- For lemon rasam, some might not add tomato, but I usually add. If your tomato is tangy, adjust the lemon juice accordingly.
- Start with half a lemon juice and, if required, add more.
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Rasam | Elumichai Rasam
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
- saucepan
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml; 1 tbsp=15ml; 1tsp=5ml
- 3 tbsp toor dal split pigeon peas
- 4 cups water divided 3 cups for rasam and 1 cup for cooking toor dal
- ⅛ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1 tbsp rasam powder heaped
- 5 to 6 curry leaves
- ½ tsp jaggery optional
- 2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 lemon juice of one medium-sized lemon
- 2.5 tbsp cilantro finely chopped, divided
- 10 mint leaves roughly chopped
To Temper-
- 2 tsp ghee or oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds heaped
- ¼ tsp asafoetida skip for a gluten-free version
Instructions
Pressure cook the dal-
- Wash the toor dal and pressure cook the dal by adding 1 cup of water and ⅛ tsp of turmeric powder and mash it well. I used my stove-top pressure cooker and cooked for three whistles. If using Instant Pot, cook for 8 to 10 minutes and release the pressure naturally.
Assemble-
- Take the vessel in which you are going to prepare the rasam. Add 3 cups of water and then add the rasam powder, salt, jaggery, tomato, curry leaves, and ½ tbsp of cilantro.
- Mix them well. I mash it well with my hand. Check for salt taste and adjust.
Simmer the rasam-
- Now let the rasam simmer in medium heat.
- Once it starts to boil, add the mashed toor dal and mix well.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer when it becomes frothy on top, turn off the heat.
Add lemon juice, cilantro, and mint-
- Now add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and gently mix.
- Add the remaining cilantro and mint leaves and cover the rasam pot with a lid. Let the flavors infuse for five minutes.
Temper the rasam-
- In a separate tadka pan, heat the ghee or oil, and when it is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and hing.
- When the mustard seeds splutter, turn off the heat and add it to the rasam.
- Serve hot with rasam or as a soup with papad.
Notes
- I have used my homemade rasam powder for this recipe. You can prepare fresh rasam powder like in my cumin pepper rasam and use that instead.
- You can add a tsp of freshly grated ginger as well for this rasam.
- Adjust the salt and spice according to your preference.
- Add the herbs as per your taste.
- Please check the post regarding reheating the rasam and how to store it. Do not heat it again and again.
- For lemon rasam, some might not add tomato, but I usually add. If your tomato is tangy, adjust the lemon juice accordingly.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Update Notes: Updated the recipe with new pics, and recipe cards in 2020.
Love this version of rasam. Looks so YUM!
Rasam is my comfort dish too. Today I prepared lemon rasam and seeing urs now..looks yum…
Wow drooolicious Rasam…. Apt for this freezing weather….
Nice one Sri :) Rasam is always comforting winter food :) I dont usually add jaggery to my rasam – will try it next time.
Thanks GB. I pretty much add a piece of jaggery to all my sambhar and rasam recipes.
Yum :)