Lemon Pepper Rasam - South India

Ingredients:
Serves: 4
1/4 cup toor dal
1 cup water
a piece of fresh ginger (2 1/2 cm, 1 in), peeled and grated
4 green chills
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
3/4 tsp. black peppercorns
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
salt to taste
2 tomatoes, quartered
juice of 1 lemon
coriander leaves, chopped to garish
For Seasoning:
2 tsp. ghee
1 tsp. brown mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. asafoetida powder
1 red Chile, halved
a few curry leaves

Method:
Wash Toro dal well. Drain. Place dal in a heavy saucepan. Cover with 1 cup water and bring to the boil. When boiling, cover pan with a lid, leaving slightly ajar.
Lower the heat, and simmer dal gently for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until soft. Stir
several times during the last 30 minutes of cooking. (The water should be mostly
gone). Set dal aside without draining.
Using an electric blender or food processor, blend the fresh ginger and green
chills into a paste. Now blend or process the cumin seeds and black peppercorns
into a powder. Set both aside.
Place the un-drained cooked dal in a heavy saucepan. Add 1 1/2 cups extra water,
ground turmeric, salt to taste, and ginger/chilli paste. Slowly bring to the boil.
Seasoning:
Heat 2 tsp. ghee in a heavy frying pan or skillet. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida
powder, halved red chilli, a few curry leaves, and pepper/cumin seed powder.
When the mustard seeds splutter, add this mixture to the rasam. Turn off the
heat and add the lemon juice.
Garnish with cilantro/coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice.