South Indian peppery tamarind soup (Rasam)

1. Wash the toor dal and cook with 500 ml of the water for 25 minutes until soft, then whisk until smooth.

2. Crush the black pepper and cumin seeds with the garlic cloves in a mortar into a coarse paste.

3. In a pan add the tamarind paste, chopped tomatoes, turmeric and salt to the remaining water and cook for 8-10 minutes until the tomatoes soften and the raw tamarind taste disappears.

4. Add the pepper-garlic paste and the cooked dal and heat until frothy on top and just starting to boil, then take off the heat (rasam should not boil for long or it loses its aroma).

5. For the tadka heat the ghee, add the mustard seeds and, when they pop, add the dried chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida; after a few seconds pour over the rasam and sprinkle with fresh coriander.

6. Serve hot, sipped from a cup or poured over rice.

Tip: Rasam is the "healing" soup of a South Indian meal: thin, peppery and tangy, also recommended for colds. Tamils say a good rasam makes your forehead break into a sweat.