Ingredients :

Lemon sized balls tamarind - 2
Salt to taste

For paste :

Pepper - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
Red gram dal - 2 tbsp
Dried red chillies - 2

Fry in 4 tsp oil and grind to a paste

Seasoning :

Ghee - 2 tsp
A pinch of Asafoetida
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Method :

1.  Boil the tamarind in water, and squeeze to extract the pulp. Add the salt, 4 cups of water, and boil for a few minutes.
2.  Mix the ground paste with 8 cups of water. Add to the boiling water from step 1 and boil further until the quantity is reduced by a third.
3.  Season with asafoetida and curry leaves in ghee and add to the rasam.