Rasam

A Tam-Brahm meal isnt really complete without the comforting rasam. Quick to make if you have the hang of the blend of tastes, its wonderful for kids too. It will take a few trials to get the blend of flavours just right. I could do it, so can anyone!

Ingredients
 Tur dal 1/4 cup washed well
Asafoetida a pinch
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Tamarind extract of a small gooseberry sized piece
Sambar powder 1 tsp
Rasam powder 1 tsp
Tomato 1 big chopped to small pieces
Ghee, mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chillies for seasoning.
Chopped coriander to garnish
Salt to taste.
Jaggery to taste

Method

1. In a pan, mix the tamarind water, sambar powder, rasam powder, tomatoes, salt and boil till tomatoes get cooked.
2. Cook the tur dal with asafoetida and turmeric powder in a pressure cooker. Mash the dal well.
3. Once the tamarind mix is cooked, add the dal water. Adjust salt and water levels and simmer for few mins till rasam starts frothing. Switch off heat.
4. Add jaggery and chopped cilantro. On top of this season with seasonings. I add roasted-crushed jeera pepper to the seasonings.

Note:

• Add crushed garlic to the seasonings to make garlic-rasam.
• An extra helping of pepper in the seasonings can give it the pepper-rasam twist.

Lemon rasam

My sonny loves lemon rasam and he was kinda disappointed that my blog hasn't yet carried his favourite. So here it is.

Ingredients
Tur dal 1 tbsp washed well.
Tomato 1 big chopped to small pieces
Green chillies 2 slit
Oil 1 tsp
Rasam powder and/or sambar powder 1/2 tsp each.
Lemon juice to taste.
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida a pinch
Chopped coriander leaves
Ghee, mustard seeds, red chilli, curry leaves for seasoning.
Jeera-pepper roasted powder (optional)
Jaggery 1/2 tsp (optional)

Method

1. Heat oil in a small pressure cooker. Add the green chillies, tomatoes, asafoetida, turmeric powder and saute for 2 mins.
2. Add the washed dal, a cup of water, salt, sambar and rasam powder and cook with the lid closed for about 2-3 whistles.
3. Once the pressure is released, open the cooker and mash the cooked dal well. Add more water and salt if required and simmer for few mins till rasam starts frothing.
4. Add the lemon juice, chopped coriander leaves and jaggery (if you like it).
5. Season with seasonings. I normally add the jeera-pepper powder with the seasonings.

Serve hot with rice. Its very easy to cook and delicious.

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.
  

Mint rasam

Rasam with mint!!! I just tried this new rasam, courtesy my sister. I was pretty apprehensive while adding the final ground paste, and worried that the whole dish would have to be discarded. But somewhere I had faith in my sister, and if she says a dish is good, it has to be!!!

This is how I made it.

Ingredients
Tamarind extract - 1 cup
Tomato - 1 large
Sambar powder - 1/2 tsp
Rasam powder - 1/2 tsp
Dal water - 1 cup
Mint - 1/3 of a bunch.
Coriander leaves - a closed fistful.
Green chillies 2
Ginger 1/4 inch
Turmeric powder
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt to taste.
Pepper - jeera roasted and crushed
Curry leaves
Mustard seeds
Ghee for tempering

Method

1. Boil the tamarind water, turmeric powder, asafoetida, chopped tomato, sambar and rasam powder with salt till cooked.
2. While it is boiling, grind the mint, coriander, green chillies and ginger to a fine paste.
3. Once the tamarind mix is cooked well, add the ground paste, dal water and simmer till the rasam froths. Adjust salt and water.
4. Heat ghee. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, pepper-jeera powder. Temper onto the rasam.

Note: Since we add green chillies, add a little less of rasam powder and sambar powder than you usually would.