Rasam - an easy to make and tasty dish which goes well with rice. It is prepared in different ways and thus gives different taste. You can make with dal and without dal rasams. Flavour it by adding lemon juice / pineapple juice / mint or by reducing and increasing the other spice ingridients like cumin / pepper / Garlic.
Can be prepared with or without tamarind. In case of without tamarind you can use either kokam or tomato pulp.
In ancient days (this practice is still followed in many of the south indian homes) a meal starts with dal, sambar, rasam and end with curd rice.
For children less than 2 years, Rasam with mashed Rice (Chaadham) with little ghee added is an excellent food as sambar or other gravies will not suit their stomach. I remember the yummy rasam chaadham which my mother used to feed me adding ghee is still my favourite. There were days when i survived solely on rasam chadham.
While having cold or flu or sore throat, pepper & jeera rasam along with rice and roasted papad is the best food which gives you relief as well as easy to digest. You can even drink them like a soup.
In every household the method of making of rasam & measure of ingridients are difference hence the rasam taste yummy and different.
Thus rasam plays an important role in south indian menu.
Ingridients :-
- Toor Dal - 1/2 tea cup
- Channa dal - 1 tbsp
- Jeera - 1 tbsp
- Pepper - 1 tbsp
- Red Chillies - 5 -6 nos (or as per your preference)
- Methi Seeds - 1 tsp
- Coriander Seeds - 2 tbsp
Dry roast the ingridients separately. let them cool and grind it together in a mixer to a fine powder. store it in an air tight container.
Keeping this powder ready will make the rasam making process even more easier.