A hot steamed rice meal is never complete and satisfying for me, without my favourite ‘Rasam’. My penchant for the ‘rasam’ drives me to try out different varieties of the dish. The dish apart from its excellent flavour also has health benefits. The garlic used in the rasam is good for digestion problems. It has properties as an anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and also acts as a blood purifier. This condiment is often paired with onion, tomato or ginger. The pungent, spicy flavour of the garlic mellows and sweetens with cooking!
Ingredients:
- Tamarind juice (thick) extract from lime size tamarind soaked in water.
- 3 Red chillies
- ¼ tsp of fenugreek seeds
- 2 tsp tuvar dal/split pigeon peas
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ½ a cup of crushed/mashed tomato (alternatively whip tomato once in blender or mixer)
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp pepper corns
- ¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
- 25 small garlic flakes
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp of rasam powder(if required only-optional)
- Ghee and oil
- A few curry leaves
- Salt to taste
Method:
- Soak a lime-sized tamarind for half an hour and then extract its thick juice.
- Heat a kadai/pan and add 1sp oil. Fry red chillies, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, tuvar dal/split pigeon peas, peppercorns and asafoetida, to a golden brown colour and then powder it in a mixer/blender.
- Again heat a kadai/pan and add ghee and oil. Add cumin seeds and curry leaves. When they splutter add 25 small garlic flakes. Fry them on a slow fire until the garlic flakes become soft.
- Now add the tamarind extract, turmeric powder, whipped/crushed tomatoes, the powder (which was ground above in step 2), salt and just enough water. Let the rasam simmer for 2 minutes.
- Then put off flame and let the rasam settle for some time.
- Serve hot with steamed white rice or drink the rasam after your meal for a good digestion.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6-8
Note: You may also like to try the Milagu Rasam and Thengaipal Rasam…