Poondu Rasam (Garlic Soup)

This is not how I usually make rasam. I got the recipe from my friend. It came out very well. Tomato is blended with cooked dal and it makes the rasam very tasty and flavorful. Garlic is hiding on the bottom of the glass. It would simply not float :)

Serves 5

Ingredients:
Thur Dal - 1/4 cup
Tamarind - Small lime size
Tomato - 1 chopped
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Rasam Powder - 3 tsp
Coriander leaves - to garnish

Seasonings:
Ghee/oil - 2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Garlic - 6 pods sliced
Red chillies - 2
Ground pepper - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Pressure cook thur dal in about 1 cup of water for 4-5 whistles.
Soak tamarind in 1 cup of warm water and extract the juice.
Blend cooked dal and tomato with a hand blender or mixer to a smooth mixture.
To this mixture, add 2 cups of tamarind juice, hing, salt and rasam powder and boil for 15 minutes.
Now add 2 1/2 cups of water and boil for another 5 minutes.
In another pan, add ghee or oil. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add cumin, curry leaves, garlic, red chillies and ground pepper and fry till garlic turns golden brown.
Pour the seasoning over rasam.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Mix piping hot rasam with rice and ghee and enjoy with some curry or have it as soup.

Lemon Good Rasam

Dear friends,

I have been traveling this month and haven't gotten a chance to read all your comments on my previous post until now. Thank you so much for the same. As I will be busy for a few more weeks, I may not be able to sign in to my blog. I will disable the comment option temporarily. I will enable it once I get some time to sit back and read each and every comment. If you have any questions regarding this recipe, you may send me an email by clicking the "contact me" link on header menu.
In regular rasam, we cook dal separately and add it to boiling tomato-rasam powder mixture. In good rasam, we add uncooked dal along with tomato and rasam powder to water and boil together.

Ingredients:
Tomato - 1
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Rasam Powder - 1.5 tsp
Lemon - 1 medium (add more if needed)
Masoor Dal - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves - a few
Salt
Green chilli - 1 (optional)

Seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera- 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Ghee - 1 tsp

Method:
In a vessel, add 2 cups of water, chopped tomato, salt, hing, rasam powder, whole green chilli, masoor dal and boil it for 12 minutes or until tomato turns soft.
Add 1.5 cups of water again and bring it to a boil.
Turn off the heat.
Tamper with mustard seeds, curry leaves and jeera in ghee.
Granish with coriander leaves and squeeze lemon juice.
Mix well and serve with hot rice and curry!

Vepambu Rasam(Neem flower Rasam)

Piping hot Rasam mixed with Rice makes a very comforting and satisfying meal during Winter and Rainy Season. When I am sick, this is the only thing on earth I would want to have.

Neem flower rasam can be made quickly with very few ingredients you usually have on hand.

Ingredients:
Tamarind-Small lime size
Rasam Powder-1/2 tsp
Salt
Hing-1/4 tsp

Seasoning:
Ghee-1 tsp
Dry neem flower-1 tsp
Jeera-1/2 tsp
Red chillies-2
Garlic pods(optional)-2
Curry leaves-a few

Method:
Mix Tamarind with 2 cups of water in a vessel. No need to extract the juice from tamarind. Add salt, hing, rasam powder and boil until the raw smell  is gone(12-15 minutes).
Add 1 more cup of water and boil for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Do the seasoning and add it to the Rasam.

Note: Fry neem flower till it turns dark brown.
If you don't have neem flower, substitute it with 1 tsp of  pepper-cumin powder(1/2 tsp each) to make Pepper-Cumin Rasam.

Measurements are approximate. You can master the skill of making Sambar/Rasam only with experience.

Mysore Rasam

You will be carried away by this aromatic spicy rasam!

Ingredients:
Tamarind-lime size
Tomato-1 chopped
Hing-1/4 tsp
Rasam powder-1/4 tsp
Cooked thur dal-1 tbsp
Salt

To roast till golden brown in a drop of oil/ghee and grind to a coarse powder:
Thur dal-1 tsp
pepper-1/4 tsp
Red chillies-3
Coriander seeds-1/2 tsp
Channa dal-1/2 tsp
Coconut-1 tbsp
Jeera-1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves-for garnish

Seasoning in 1 tsp ghee:
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-a few
Jeera-1/2 tsp

Method:
Soak tamarind in warm water. Extract 2.5 cups of tamarind water.
To tamarind water, add tomato, salt, hing and rasam powder and boil it for 10 minutes.
Add the ground powder and continue boiling for 8-10 minutes.
Add cooked thur dal and 1.5 cups of water. Let it boil for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat. Do the seasoning and garnish with coriander leaves.
Mix with rice and ghee and serve with any curry/pappad.