Instant Tomato Rasam from a Jar (10-Minute South-Indian Broth)

Name: Instant Tomato Rasam from a Jar (10-Minute South-Indian Broth)
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: South Indian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp D-O-N Tomato Powder; 4 cups water; 1 tbsp tamarind pulp (or 1 tsp tamarind paste); 1 tsp jaggery, grated; ¾ tsp salt (to taste); For the rasam masala: 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp black peppercorns, 1 dried red chilli, 2 garlic cloves; For tempering: 1 tbsp ghee, ½ tsp mustard seeds, 10 curry leaves, 1 pinch hing; Fresh coriander leaves, to serve

A bright, peppery tomato rasam ready in ten minutes — D-O-N Tomato Powder does the work of six ripe tomatoes without the chopping.

Prep 2m · Cook 8m · Total 10m Serves 4Published 18 March 2026

Instant Tomato Rasam from a Jar (10-Minute South-Indian Broth) — made with D-O-N Tomato Powder

Rasam is South-Indian home food at its most honest — a bright, peppery, tomato-forward broth you sip in the middle of lunch or drink from a small tumbler when a fever won't quit. Traditional rasam takes 40 minutes; the shortcut version most of us make on weekdays still needs half a dozen tomatoes chopped and boiled.

This ten-minute version keeps the personality but removes the labour. D-O-N Tomato Powder is made from vine-ripe Indian tomatoes, dehydrated at their reddest, so a spoonful is roughly the same as one whole tomato. Whisk it into water, bloom the spices in ghee, and you have a bowl of proper, chef-approved rasam in the time it takes to boil the rice on the side.

It is also our favourite recipe for a scratchy throat — pepper, cumin, tomato and hot broth are a very old trio for a reason.

Method

01
Bloom the tomato powder
Whisk 2 tbsp D-O-N Tomato Powder into 4 cups of cold water until smooth — no lumps. Add tamarind, jaggery and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer.
02
Make the rasam masala
Pound cumin, peppercorns, red chilli and garlic together in a mortar until coarse. This tiny fresh masala is what separates good rasam from bland tomato soup.
03
Marry the flavours
Stir the crushed masala into the simmering broth. Cook on low for 4 minutes — the rasam should foam up slightly and smell aggressively good. Do not boil hard once the masala is in.
04
Temper on top
Heat ghee in a small pan. Add mustard seeds; when they pop, add curry leaves and hing. Pour the sizzling tempering over the rasam, scatter with coriander, and serve piping hot in tumblers or over steamed rice.

Tips from our kitchen

For a heartier meal, add ½ cup cooked toor dal after step 3 to turn this into a rasam-dal.
Sip a warm mug of this rasam as a starter — the tomato + pepper combination is naturally warming.
Refrigerated rasam keeps for 2 days; reheat gently without boiling to preserve the aroma.

Frequently asked questions

Is D-O-N Tomato Powder just tomatoes?+

Yes — 100% dehydrated Indian tomatoes, milled fine. Nothing else added.

How much powder replaces one fresh tomato?+

Roughly 1 tablespoon of D-O-N Tomato Powder ≈ 1 medium fresh tomato. Adjust to your preferred tang.

Can I use this in pasta sauces?+

Yes — a spoonful gives a fresh Indian pasta arrabbiata or shakshuka the depth of slow-cooked tomatoes in minutes.