Lemon Rasam

Ingredients:
Lemon - 1
water- 4 cups
salt- 1 tsp
turmeric powder - a pinch
asafoetida- 1 pinch
Black pepper- 1 tsp
cumin seed- 1 tsp
garlic - 4 pearls
coriander seeds- 1 tsp
oil- 1/2 tsp
mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
methi seeds- 1/4 tsp
curry leaves- 1 brig
cilantro- a handful
red chilli- 2


Method:
First dry roast the pepper,cumin seeds, coriander seeds till we get a nice aroma.
Then grind them with garlic to a coarse mixture.
Extract juice from lemon .Add salt and water and keep aside.
Heat oil in a kadai.Crackle the mustard seeds and add fenugreek seeds.
Then goes the red chillies and curry leaves.
Immdiately add the pepper garlic mixture and saute a little.
Sprinkle some asafoetida and turmeric powder.
Then add the finely chopped tomatoes and saute them till the tomatoes are half cooked.
Now switch off the stove and add the lemon juice.
Do not heat the rasam after adding lemon juice, because heating gives a bitter taste to rasam.

Picnic Tomato chutney:

To grind:
Tomato - 1 lb
red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
tamarind - 1 small gooseberry size
dry ginger powder - 1/2 tsp
turmeric - 1 pinch
asafoetida - 1 pinch
salt - 1 tsp
coriander powder - 1 tbsp

To Temper:
Garlic - 10 pearls
mustard seed - 1/2 tsp
fenugreek - 1/4 tsp
asafoetida - 1 pinch
curry leaves- 2 brigs
Red chilli(small bulky-Andhra chilli)- 3
sesame oil / cooking oil - 3 tbsp

Method:
Grind all the given items and make puree.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan.
Crackle the mustard , add fenugreek, asafoetida, red chillies.
Then goes the garlic and curry leaves.
After sauting the garlic for a while , carefully add the tomato puree.
Reduce flame after 5 minutes and let the puree becomes a thick gravy in low fire.
Put off flame after oil oozes out of the chutney.
cool it and store in refrigerator for a month.

Serving suggestions:
Great combo for chapathi, dosa, curd rice, dhal rice, Idly, Adai .
It can be made for a picnic lunch pack and lasts for atleast 3 days without cooler.