Cranberry Tomato Rasam

Cranberries are on display shelf in the grocery stores now. I love coming up with dishes that are Indian but use locally available vegetables/fruits. This rasam is one such creation.  I don't have too many recipes on this blog that use fresh cranberries though. One favorite of mine is this Cranberry Pineapple Chutney and the other one is Cranberry Rice. An addition to cranberry recipes is this rasam which can be made in 15 minutes. Isn't that great? If you have cooked dal, you can add to it to make a thick rasam or similar to what is called Bele Saaru in karanataka.

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Ingredients:
Cranberries - 1 cup rinsed and picked
Tomatoes - 3 medium or 2 large quartered
Rasam powder - 1 1/2 tsp or to taste
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - a pinch
Jaggery - 4 TBSP (You could use sugar too)
Water - 3 - 3 1/2 cups
Oil - 1 TBSP
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves -  few
Cilantro - chopped about 2 TBSP
Hing - a pinch (optional)

Method:
In a blender take cranberries and tomatoes. Churn them without adding any water. Pour the puree into a pan. Add salt, turmeric, rasam powder, jaggery or sugar and 3 - 3 1/2 cups of water. Let it boil. Check the seasoning and adjust if needed. Add chopped cilantro and turn off the heat. In another small pan, heat oil. When hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add curry leaves, hing if using. Pour this on to the rasam. Mix well. Serve with rice or as soup.

Enjoy!!