Horse gram (Kulith/Kolotho/Kollu) Rasam

Horse gram rasam has become my go-to drink over the past week even surpassing the favorite ginger tea. Yes, it is almost magical on a sore throat and also helps in digestion. Most of us would be aware of the benefits of rasam and horse gram, so combining these two packs a double punch. Even when it comes to taste!!

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 25-30 mins

Ingredients -

• a handful of horse gram
• 1 large tomato
• 1 lemon sized ball of tamarind
• pinch of turmeric
• salt to taste

For the rasam powder -

• 1 tsp peppercorn
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 dry red chilli
• 1 tsp toor dal
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida

For the tempering -

• 3-4 garlic flakes
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• dry red chilli
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 2 pinch asafoetida
• 2 tsp oil

Preparation - Dry roast all the ingredients for rasam powder. Allow to cool down and then grind into a smooth powder.
Soak the tamarind in 3 cups warm water for 20 mins. Squeeze out all the juice and discard the pulp.
Chop the tomato into small pieces.

Cooking - Soak the horse gram for 1-2 hours. Then cook it for 3-4 whistles in a pressure cooker along with 1 1/2 cups water, turmeric and salt. Keep aside till steam escapes.

Use a hand blender to mash up the cooked dal.

Boil the tamarind water with little turmeric and salt in a saucepan. Allow to boil for 5-6 minutes till the raw taste goes away.

Add the cooked dal along with the tomatoes at this point. Let it boil for 4-5 mins more.

Add the rasam powder dissolved in 1/2 cup water. Simmer for 2 minutes.

Heat oil in a tempering pan. Add broken red chilli, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Allow to splutter. Add chopped garlic, curry leaves and asafoetida. Fry for 30 seconds.

Pour the tempering over the hot rasam. Simmer for 3 minutes. Switch off flame.

Serve hot as a soup or have it along with plain rice.

Moringa Rasam

I got lucky last week when I chanced upon a vendor selling 'sajana' saag or moringa olifera leaves outside our apartment. So thrilled was I that I cooked three dishes from the same lot on the day. A simple stir fry, one with veggies and dal and finally a rasam. Now, I had read about drumstick leaves rasam on a blog (Sorry...but I cannot remember which one) a long time back but did not get the opportunity to try it out. Turned out to be quite simple, fragrant ( can it be otherwise ?? ) and delicious.

Read on for the simple recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup moringa olifera leaves (sajana saag)
• 1/2 of a small onion
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1 marble sized tamarind ball
• 1 tsp rasam powder
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp oil

For the tempering -

• 2 pinch asafoetida
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• a pinch of fenugreek seeds
• 1-2 dry red chilis
• 1 tsp oil

Preparation - Soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water for 30 mins. Squeeze out all the juice and throw away the pulp.

Chop the onion and garlic into small pieces

Cooking - Heat oil in a wok. Add the onion and garlic. Fry till fragrant.

Add the moringa leaves and stir fry for 3-4 mins.

Dissolve the rasam powder in the tamarind water and add to the wok. Add another cup of water too and adjust the salt. Let it simmer for 8-10 mins.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add the tempering ingredients and allow them to start spluttering. Pour immediately over the contents of the wok. Simmer for another 2-3 mins.

Serve hot or warm.

Tomato Rasam

Adding another one to my growing repertoire of rasams. Tomato rasam is my current favorite and well received by everyone in the family.

Anyone well versed with the benefits of this fruit cum vegetable would be aware that cooked ripe tomatoes are the best source of Lycopene, an antioxidant which helps ward off a variety of cancers. In addition to being low in calories and high on water content, it is great for your skin and waistline. (Lycopene is also the one that also gives tomatoes their luscious red color.)

Read on for the recipe :

Preparation Time - 12-15 mins

Ingredients - 3 medium tomatoes (ripe juicy ones), 1 lemon sized ball of tamarind, 2 tsp rasam powder, salt to taste, pinch of turmeric, coriander for garnishing.

To be ground in a coarse paste - 5-6 shallots or 1/2  of a small onion, 1 inch long ginger, 3-4 garlic cloves, 3 tsp chopped corainder roots, 1 sprig curry leaves.

For tempering - 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 sprig curry leaves, 1-2 broken red chillis, 2 generous pinches of asafoetida, 2 tsp oil.

Preparation - Take all the ingredients to be ground in a mortar and pestle. Crush everything together so that they give off a lovely aroma.

Tear/chop the tomatoes and put in a mixing bowl. Add the ground paste and rasam powder. Mix with hands and crush the tomato pieces slightly.

Soak the tamarind in a bowl of warm water. Crush it with hands and separate all the pulp. Repeat with another 1/2 cup water. Throw away the remaining solids.

Cooking - Take the tamarind extract along with 4 cups water in a large saucepan. Add salt and turmeric. Boil for 5-6 minutes till theraw taste goes away.

Add the tomato mixture and boil fr another 5-6 minutes. Adjust salt if required.

Heat the oil in a tempering pan. Add the broken red chillis, cumin and mustard seeds to the hot oil. Once spluttering starts, add asafoetida and curry leaves. Fry for 30 seconds.

Pour the tempering over the contents of the saucepan. Boil for 1 minute and then remove from flame.

Serve hot with rice, ghee and papad.

Note - This can also be served as a soup to the kids. Just strain the liquid and discard the solids. Add 1 tsp sugar and a dash of tomato ketchup to each bowl and mix it. ( I prefer adding less rasam powder if I am planning to use it as a soup.)

Jeera- Pepper Rasam (Jeerakarra - Milagu Rasam)

This week I am having rasam everyday as the fluctuating weather in Bengaluru and the weekend indulgences have wrecked havoc on my digestive system. I could not think of a better cure than a dose of pepper and cumin, both of  are medically proven to benefit digestion. So, here is another rasam recipe. This time I have used a homemade rasam powder. Read on:

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients - 1 lemon sized ball of tamarind, pinch of turmeric, salt to taste.
For the rasam powder - 1 tsp peppercorn, 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 dry red chilli, 1 tsp toor dal, 1/4 tsp asafoetida.
For the tempering - 2 tsp oil, 2 tsp chopped onions, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, dry red chilli, 2 sprigs curry leaves, 2 pinch asafoetida.

Preparation - Dry roast all the ingredients for rasam powder. Allow to cool down and then grind into a smooth powder.
Soak the tamarind in 3 cups warm water for 20 mins. Squeeze out all the juice and dicard the pulp.

Cooking - Boil the tamarind water with turmeric and salt in a saucepan. Allow to boil for 5-6 minutes till the raw taste goes away.
Add the rasam powder dissolved in 1/2 cup water. Simmer for 2 minutes.
Heat oil in a tempering pan. Add broken red chilli, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once the spluttering starts, add onions and fry till translucent. Now add curry leaves and asafotida. Fry for 30 seconds.
Pour the tempering over the contents of the saucepan. Simmer for 3 minutes. Switch off flame.

Serve hot.

Note - This rasam is great for curing indigestion, lack of appetite and even a bad cold. One can drink it directly as a hot/warm drink.

Shallots Rasam (Onion Rasam / Vengaya Rasam)

I had a wonderful weekend and the high point was a Sunday dinner @ Rajdhani (UB City Mall, Bengaluru). With a wonderful rooftop ambiance and really hospitable waiters in addition to the delectable Rajasthani-Marwadi fare, one is guaranteed an unforgettable experience. Be it the iconic Dal-Bati-Churma or the Surati Undhiyo, you will be left licking your fingers. Roti, Methi thepla, paratha, makki ki roti, aloo tikki, dhokla, sukki alu sabi, green moong subzi, panner, meethi dal, spicy dal, kadhi, coconut chutney, garlic chutney, bhavnagri mirchi, achar, papad, jalebi, halwa, basundi. Phew, I hope I have it all listed. Do visit the place if you can.

While the taste was incredibly good, all that makhan/butter made me feel quite lethargic the next morning. Even though I had just one slice of bread for breakfast, I did not have any appetite for lunch. That's when I saw these lovely shallots sitting in my fridge. And I knew that I just had to have them, preferably in the form of a rasam. The preparation turned out to be yummy and I had it with hot white rice and roasted urad dal papad. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time : 15-20 mins

Ingredient - 14-15 finely chopped shallots, 1 large tomato, 1 lemon sized ball of tamarind, 1/3 inch finely chopped ginger, 3-4 finely chopped garlic cloves, 1-2 tsp chopped coriander roots, 1 tbsp rasam powder (use homemade or store brought), pinch of asafoetida, salt, 2 tsp oil.

For tempering - 1 tsp oil, 1 dry red chilli, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 2-3 pinch asafoetida, 2 sprigs curry leaves.

Preparation - Take the garlic, ginger and coriander shoots. Crush together using a mortar and pestle.

Soak the tamarind in 1 cup warm water. Dissolve the rasam powder in 1/2 cup water.

Cooking - Heat 2 tsp oil in a sauce pan. Fry the shallots till light translucent. Add the crushed ginger-garlic-coriander shoots with asafoetida. Fry for 1 minute or till raw smell goes away.

Add the chopped tomato. Cook till it softens but does not dissolve completely.

Add the tamarind water (but leave out the tamarind bits) with salt and another 2 cups water. Boil for 3-4 mins.

Add rasam powder dissolved in water. Boil for 2-3 mins.

Heat oil for tempering. Add broken chilli, mustard, cumin and asafoetida. When spluttering starts, add curry leaves. Pour this mixture over the boiling rasam.

Adjust salt and water. Boil for another 5 mins. 

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Note - One can use normal red onions in place of the shallots. But both have their own distinctive flavors and cannot replace each other in the real sense.

Khol Rabi Rasam

Rasam happens to be among those 'once in a blue moon' recipes that find a place in our menu. While it has its own unique taste, i find myself cooking more of  'kanji' /'khatta' varieties as they include at least one or more vegetables. Even when i made this rasam, I could not stop myself from adding some 'Kholrabi' to it.
The flavor turned out to be quite different from the usual tomato rasam/lemon rasam i had tried earlier.

While I like to have rasam just by itself and hence add very little of the rasam powder, please add more than double the quantity I have mentioned if having it with rice. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients - 1 medium sized khol rabi, a fistful of toor dal, 1 medium sized tomato, 1 tsp tamarind paste, 1 sprig curry leaves, 2 garlic flakes, 1 tsp rasam powder, 2 dry red chillis, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 2 pinch asafoetida, 2 pinch pepper powder, pinch of turmeric, salt to taste, 2 tsp oil, coriander for garnishing (optional).

Preparation - Dissolve the rasam powder and tamarind in 1/2 cup water. Keep aside.

Cut the tomato into large chunks and de-seed them.

Cooking - Wash and transfer the toor dal to a pressure cooker. Cut the khol rabi into big chunks and add to the pressure cooker. Add 1 1/2 cups of water along with salt to taste and turmeric. 

Cook for 2 whistles. Allow steam to escape before opening lid. Remove the Khol rabi pieces and mash the dal.

Heat oil in a wok. Add broken red chilli, mustard seeds, crushed garlic and curry leaves. Add the asafotida.

Add the tomato with a little salt. Cook till it softens. Add 1 cup boiling water.

Add the rasam powder and tamarind mixture. Bring to boil and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Add the mashed dal and khol rabi pieces along with pepper powder. Allow to simmer for 6-7 minutes.

Serve hot with rice.