Easiest, Quickest Tomato Rasam (Pai Family's Pottu Tomato Saaru Recipe)

My husband's anama (granny) probably out of sheer lack of time came up with this recipe, that the whole family adores. One evening during our chit chat anama's daughters (my husband's aunts), happily laughing told me about this pottu tomato saaru that their mom makes jhat-pat (in a jiffy), requires no time, nothing to make but tastes out of this world. "Pottu" cuz it practically has nothing much in it.

You want to make this while it's cold or raining outside, after a super tiring day, while you're craving comfort food, on no mood to cook days, tired of curries days, when you have no time to cook, on sick days, or any other day. Anama would serve this saaru (rasam) while they were balanthi (in their post-partum) too I was told. Steaming hot rice & this saaru is all you would need, feels like a warm hug.

So here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 small tomato 
• 2 green chillies
• Salt to taste
• Water
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 1/4 teaspoon of mustard seeds
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 twig of curry leaves (optional)

Serves: 2
Prep Time: 1-2 minutes
Cooking time: 4 minutes

Preparation Method:
1. Finely chop tomato. Pressure cook it or cook on open flame until cooked using 1/2 cup of water.
2. Add 1/4 cup of more water.
3. Add salt. Cook for a minute. Put off flame.
4. Tempering: Heat up oil, add smashed garlic cloves, mustard seeds, green chillies. Once garlic starts to brown add in curry leaves. Let them sizzle.
5. Add the tempering to the saaru once garlic has become slightly brown. Your saaru is ready.
6.Enjoy hotttt with steaming hot rice.

P.S: Anama cooked green chillies with tomatoes. I like adding them to the tempering. You choose what works for you.

If you enjoy this as much as we all do, please drop in a message, I would love to hear from you.