Udupi Saaru
A thin, peppery lentil-tamarind broth flavoured with a home-ground spice powder, ladled generously over rice as the final course of a Karnataka meal.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 90 kcal
Equipment
- •Saucepan
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 90 kcal
- fat
- 3 g
- carbs
- 12 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 3 g
- calories
- 90 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Dry roast coriander seeds, dried red chillies, black pepper, and cumin in a pan. Grind them into a coarse powder.
- 2
Boil tamarind pulp with 500 ml water, chopped tomato, turmeric, and salt for 8-10 minutes.
- 3
Stir in the ground spice powder and mashed toor dal (or dal water). Simmer for 10 minutes until fragrant.
- 4
Add jaggery if using. Taste and adjust the salt.
- 5
Heat ghee (clarified butter) in a small pan. Fry mustard seeds and curry leaves until they splutter and pop.
- 6
Pour this spiced hot oil (tempering) into the saaru (soup). Simmer for 2 more minutes before serving.
Chef's tips
Keep the saaru thin and soupy without boiling it down too much. Freshly ground pepper-cumin-coriander powder gives a much brighter flavour than store-bought rasam powder.
Ingredient substitutions
- toor dal water → a spoon of cooked moong dal for a lighter version
Storage
Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Reheating
Reheat gently without prolonged boiling to preserve aroma.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Boiling the spiced oil in the saaru for too long, which dulls the fresh mustard and curry leaf aroma.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Udupi Saaru?
Sign in to save this recipe to a collection. Bookmarking works without an account — it stays on this device.
Sign in for collectionsSimilar recipes
Dishes with the same spirit, spice level and course.
More from Karnataka
Cooking that shares the same kitchen and pantry.
Recipes using similar ingredients
Use what you already bought for this recipe.
