Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 20 min
Serves: 2 cup

Ingredients: (measuring cup used = 240ml)

1. 1/4 cup toor dal (or moong dal)
2. 1 - 2 green chilli
3. 1 tsp chopped ginger
4. 2 tomatoes chopped
5. 1/4 tsp turmeric
6. Gooseberry sized tamarind
7. 1 tsp jaggery (optional)
8. 1 tsp salt
9. 1/2 tsp oil
10. 1 tbsp coriader leaves

Ingredients for tempering:

1. 1 tsp mustard seeds
2. 1 tsp cumin seeds
3. 1 red chilli
4. 4 - 5 crushed garlic (or a pinch of asafoetida
5. 7 - 8 curry leaves
6. 1 tbsp ghee or cooking oil

Instructions for making bele saaru or dal rasam:

1. Soak toor dal for 30 mins. You can use moong dal as well.
2. Chop green chilli, ginger and tomato.
3. Take soaked dal in a pressure cooker. Add in chhopped green chilli and ginger.
4. Also add in chopped tomato and tamarind juice.
5. Next add in salt and turmeric powder.
6. Also add in 1/2 tsp oil.
7. Cook until soft by adding required water.
8. Once cooked, Mash the dal and tomato using the back of a spatula.
9. In a pan heat ghee or oil. Add in mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
10. Wait until mustard seeds splutter. Then add in red chilli, curry leaves and crushed garlic. Fry everything for a while.
11. Pour the cooked dal and tomato. Add in required water.
12. Add in salt as per your taste.
13. Add in jaggery as per your taste. Please note, adding jaggery is optional.
14. Bring it to rolling boil, add in coriander leaves and switch off the stove. Serve it with hot steaming rice.

Dear reader, We have a Kannada version of this recipe. Click here to read this recipe in Kannada.