A non-spicy rasam

I have to thank my mother in law for introducing rasam to my daughter. Until rasam came into her life, my darling refused to eat rice and dal. The mix was too dry for her taste. Here's a toast to rasam.

Ingredients:
1 bruised garlic pod
A few curry leaves
A few corriander leaves
1 teaspoon of ghee
A cup of dal water (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder
A small piece of tamarind
1/2 a medium-sized tomato
Some asofoetida (hing)
Salt to taste

Method:
Soak the tamarind in a cup of hot water and squeeze out the juice after the water cools down. Put a teaspoon of ghee in a saucepan and add chunks of half a tomato and place a lid. A few minutes later the tomato will turn soft and squishy. Crush it with a spoon to eek out the juice and add the curry leaves, garlic, corriander leaves, dal water, cumin powder, hing and salt. Let the mixture come to a boil and use it as a moisturiser for the dal and rice. Occasionally, I also use it as a dip to camouflage the dryness of idlis.