When Lemons are in season, don't forget to try this deliciously tangy Lemon Rasam. Made with freshly ground home made Rasam Powder, this can be served as an appetizer (soup) or Main Course with Rice and a side of veg.
Lemon Rasam is a traditional South Indian rasam variety made with fresh lemon juice, tomato and cooked lentils. A no-tamarind rasam recipe made with homemade rasam powder. Best served with steamed rice and poriyal.
South Indians have an extensive range of rasam recipes in their repertoire. Lemon Rasam is particularly helpful during allergy season. Soothes throat and clears the sinuses.
Lemon is rich in Vitamin C and immunity boosting. When lemons are cheaper, I freeze the juice in ice trays and use it to make Lemon rice or Shikanji.
You can serve rasam as soup, appetizer or main course (with rice). The recipe of Elumichai rasam that I share today is Tamil Brahmin style - No Onion No Garlic.
If you have cooked and frozen lentils (toor dal), making lemon rasam takes less than 30 mins.
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How to make Lemon Rasam Recipe
Rinse and soak the toor dal or arhar dal for 10 minutes. Pressure cook the dal with sufficient water. Mash it well and keep aside.
Prep vegetables - Chop tomatoes, slice lime, prep herbs etc.
Heat a pan, add oil, mustard seeds. Once mustard crackles, add cumin and whole dry red chilie, hing (asafoetida).
To this, add chopped tomatoes, curry leaves and turmeric powder.
With the back of your spoon or ladle, gently mash the tomatoes.
Once tomatoes appear mushy and cooked, add 4 cups of water.
Allow it to simmer, then add rasam powder, red chili powder and salt to taste.
Once it reaches a boil, add the cooked, mashed lentils (toor dal). Mix well.
Check seasoning (add extra spices, salt, if required). Let rasam simmer on low heat. Once it froths up, switch off the flame, add lime juice, jaggery, finely chopped coriander.
Serving Suggestion / Side dish for Lemon Rasam
Serve lemon rasam as soup. You can serve it with steamed rice and a dollop of ghee. Below are some of the side dish options to serve with Lemon Rasam.
Poriyal (Stir-fry) - Vazhakkai Podimas, Potato Roast, Potato Podimas and Cabbage Poriyal.
Kootu - Peerkangai Kootu, Pudalangai Kootu or Murungai Keerai Kootu.
More Rasam recipes to try
Pudina Rasam (Mint Rasam)
Vepampoo Rasam (Dried Neem flower rasam)
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Lemon Rasam Recipe | Elumichai Rasam
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Toor Dal, Arhar Dal or Split Pigeon Peas
- 2 Tomatoes medium, finely chopped.
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- ¼ teaspoon Mustard Seeds or Rai
- ¼ teaspoon Jeera or cumin seeds
- 1-2 Whole Red Chillies
- A pinch of hing or asafoetida skip this ingredient for gluten free recipe
- 4 cups Water + extra to cook toor dal
- 1 ½ tablespoon Rasam Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1½ tablespoon lime juice Juice of 2 limes
- Few Curry Leaves as required
- Coriander leaves finely chopped, including stems
- ½ teaspoon Jaggery optional, read notes
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Rinse and soak the toor dal or arhar dal for 10 minutes. Pressure cook the dal with sufficient water. Mash it well and keep aside.
- Heat a pan, add oil, mustard seeds. Once mustard crackles, add cumin and whole dry red chili, hing (asafoetida).
- To this, add chopped tomatoes, curry leaves and turmeric powder.
- With the back of your spoon or ladle, gently mash the tomatoes.
- Once tomatoes appear mushy and cooked, add 4 cups of water.
- Allow it to simmer, then add rasam powder, red chili powder and salt to taste.
- Once it reaches a boil, add the cooked, mashed lentils (toor dal). Mix well.
- Check seasoning (add extra spices, salt, if required). Let rasam simmer on low heat. Once it froths up, switch off the flame, add lime juice, jaggery, finely chopped coriander.
Notes
- Always cook rasam on medium to low heat. It should never boil. Just froth.
- Do not re-heat or boil rasam after adding lemon juice. It may taste bitter.
- Jaggery is added to balance the sourness from lemon juice and tomatoes.
- You can use store bought rasam powder or use Homemade rasam powder. Adjust quantity as per preferences.
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We will be back again with yet another exciting recipe .. Until then, stay healthy and happy!
Vidya Narayan
Lemon rasam looks so inviting. I love to make it with different flavours too. In winters I like having it like soup.
Thank you
Hi Vidya, loved your version of lemon rasam. Would love to give it a try. Quite different from my version. I too love the flavour of Lemon rasam. Its a soulful food and my fav combination is also Vazhakkai Podimas.
Excellent combination is vazhakkai and I am so glad we both agree on the same. Some classic combinations are hard to beat.
The lemon rasam looks so delicious and tempting! I'm sure a cup of this rasam would perk anyone up on a dreary day. No wonder lemon rasam is a huge favourite at our place, though I make it in a slightly different way from you.
Will check out your recipe Priya soon. Any amount of Rasam variety is never enough for us South Indians. Thank you so much.
My mouth was watering just going through your post and ogling at the pictures! Nothing like homemade rasam mix in any rasam! Loved the last tip of yours dear: adding lemon just before serving! I could sip on this all day as a soup or appetizer too 🙂 Awesome share for the them dear!
Thank you so much Vanitha for all the praise. I love it more as an appetizer too actually. Simple flavors and comforting.
I like to try out small quantities of different rasam varieties and treat myself on weekdays as there are no takes of tangy food in my house except me. This tangy spicy lemon rasam is a treat for sure. I pair it with my waran bhaat. Love all the recipe notes you have mentioned here.
I hope you enjoy this with Waran Bhat and tup and enjoy some "me" time Poonam. Thank you.
Lemon Rasam is one of my fav. Your recipe is quite different from the one I make at home. Will try yours soon.
Looking forward to checking out your version of the recipe and trying it too Niranjana. Thank you.
Awesome rasam recipe, we are a family of rasam lovers especially to sip it like a soup. While hubby may not be too thrilled about the tanginess of this lemon rasam, I love the combination of lentils and lemon. Lemon slices floating in the rasam makes it even more tempting.
Thank you Mayuri. I hope you enjoy this.
Loving this citrusy Rasam..it is perfect for the days when you feel under the weather or are down with cold and cough. Little weet with jaggery and tangy with lemons this one is perfect bowl of happiness and for me!!
Jaggery is a must in all tamarind based recipes in South, atleast that is what my Mom used to do and I follow her. Glad you liked the recipe Swati.
Rasam is always superbly delicious. I am drooling over here by seeing your pictures, yum yum. This looks so beautiful and lip smacking. Lovely share!
Thank you Jolly.
It looks so tempting. Love your tips which is equally important like recipe. Bookmarking your recipe. I have already a packet of rasam powder in my fridge. ??
Thank you Ankita.
I love lemon in everything from tea to cake or cookies. And your lemon rasam looks absolutely delicious. A bowl of hot lemon rasam must be a comfort drink in winter. I will try it sometime for sure. Floating lemon slices over rasam looks beautiful.
Thank you Sujataji, glad you loved it. It is one of our favourites too.
After my favorite pineapple rasam recipe from your blog, this lemon rasam recipe is added in my recipe notes. I just can't wait to try this one and enjoy with the steam rice or just enjoy it as a drink with my meals. Thanks to You Vidya for the amazing and detail recipes on your blog. You really help me to learn some lip smacking South Indian dishes.
Thank you so much and glad you liked the recipe. Hope you enjoy cooking this at home.
I totally agree with you Vidya, for us South Indians rasam is such an essential dish that we can't imagine a meal without it! Loved this new version rasam with lemon, bookmarking it to try sometime soon.
Thank you Geetha, glad you liked it.
These deceptively simple dishes are so overlooked. For me this rasam is a comfort food of the best kind (especially because I love tangy food) and I drink it piping hot in winters. Of course, I do eat it with rice as well 🙂
Aruna, Rasam is always made extra at home just to enjoy some in a mug as well as with rice.
I love rasams at any given time. Umma would make one standard recipe that is such a favorite that I have never looked further than hers for another recipe... hehe... But this one is definitely calling my name. So simple to make, yet so full on flavor and just apt for the current climate when flu is on rampage. I wouldn't even want any rice with it. Just in a small cup, nice and warm, I would enjoy it in sips..
Rafee, I hope you enjoy this piping hot rasam in one of your beautiful mugs at home and remember me fondly!
Cold weather and this kind of piping hot rasam that too lemony one Ahhhaaaaa !! I thoroughly enjoy as it is without having with any other dish ;P Also love this super click Vidya 🙂 in a pretty way ...
thank you Sasmita
Vidya, very often I struggle with imaging rasam because of the reflection, so first of all super duper images here and loved it. Lemon rasam comfort is indescribable. Even though it cannot be heated it is still absolutely perfect cold .. makes a delicious soup. so mine is going to be double portions for sure.
Thank you Seema for the kind words. Photographing clear liquids, drinks and beverages are a challenge for me, still! Let's meet over some double portions of Rasam Seema, some day! Would be fab.
Rasam is such comfort food and we never get bored of it. I too make it in same way but sometimes add tamarind too. Lemon Rasam looks absolutely scrumptious and very very tempting. Would love to have it with hot rice and potato fry as side.
With potato Fry, it would taste delicious and it's my preferred choice too besides Vazhakkai. Thanks so much.