For Seasoning:

Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/2 spoon
Dry red chilies 3-6
Curry leaves 3-5 twigs
Sesame oil few spoons

To Be Roasted Each Separately and Powdered Together:(rasam powder)

Thovar dal(thuvaram paruppu) 1 fistful
Coriander seeds 5-6 spoons
Dry red chilies 6-110
Asafoetida 1 spoon
Fenugreek seeds 2 spoons
Curry leaves 1 fistful
Black pepper 5 spoons
Cumin seeds 5 spoons.

Powder them and store in a air tight container.

For Rasam:

Tamarind cricket ball size soaked in 2 cups of warm water
Small garlic(country garlic)8-10 cloves – semi-crushed along with skin
Salt
Turmeric powder
Sesame oil 1 spoon.

Generally Iyengars wont use garlic, but I prefer to use. If you wanna to make it strictly ‘Authentic’…better dont use garlic.

Method:

Extract tamarind milk, may be beat well the soaked tamarind along with water and filter them.

To this tamarind juice, add salt, turmeric and rasam powder(freshly prepared 2 spoons)

Transfer this set up to your ‘Silver Utensil’. Heat them over low-medium heat.

Meanwhile in a separate ‘Iron Wok’ heat oil, add the seasoning, one by one. That is, mustard, cumin, asafoetida, dry chilies, curry leaves and fry them real good. Let it pop and splutter well. If you intend to add garlic, add garlic too now and fry them till fragrant.

Add this sesoning to the boiling tamarind rasam. Just give them one single boil and remove from stove.

Serve with steam cooked rice. It tastes better if served over ‘clean banana leaf’ than in a ceramic plate.