Nellikkai rasam (Gooseberry rasam)

Intriguing?? Me too was intrigued when me came across this rasam at awesomecuisine.com
I went through the ingredients and recipe and finally decided to try it my way. Here is how I did it. And yes, my boys liked it, inspite of it having the very slight caustic bitter of gooseberry.

Ingredients
Tur dal 1 tbsp (washed well)
Green chillies 2 chopped
Tomato 1 big chopped
Oil 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Sambar powder 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida a pinch
Gooseberry - 2 boiled, deseeded and chopped to small pieces.
Lemon juice 2 tsp (or to taste)
Ginger 1/2 inch chopped fine
Coriander leaves chopped
Roasted cumin-pepper powder, curry leaves, mustard seeds, broken red chilli for seasoning
Ghee for seasoning
Crushed jaggery to taste.
Salt to taste.

Method

1. Heat oil in a small pressure cooker(my favourite tiny hawkins, what would I do without you?).
2. Add the green chillies. Once they turn whitish, add the tomatoes, sambar powder, ginger, gooseberries, turmeric powder, asafoetida and stir for 2-3 mins.
3. Add the tur dal, 1 cup of water and cook well for 15 - 20 mins.
4. Once cooked, mash well with a potato masher or whisk well. Transfer to a handi or kadai, add more water if required, salt to taste. Heat at min. Let it start frothing.
5. When it just starts frothing, add the lemon juice and jaggery. Adjust the lemon juice-jaggery-salt so that the bitter taste of gooseberries is masked, and just its caustic flavour remains.
6. Add chopped coriander leaves. 
7. Heat ghee and add the seasonings. Add on top of the coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice.

Note

• Go easy on the quantity of gooseberry. 
• The above measures serve 2-3 people.