No elaborate dining in a southindian home especially of Brahmin's go without Rasam. It is a 3 course meal practised even now in some homes. If you enter such a home, the flavour of rasam will be lingering in the air and make the home more inviting!
Rasam prepared at every home has its own flavour & taste, hence differs from home to home.
Normally many use rasam powder (rasa podi) for making rasam. Some buy the ready ones from the Market and some prefers home-made ones, with their own ingredients.
Sharing with you a simple rasam that is passed on from generations back. The recipe that needs no rasam masala powder. This is always a favourite one in our family and children just love to have additional helpings of rice, just for this Rasam.
Ingredients :-
- Tomato - 1 No. (big)
- Tamarind water - 3 cups
- Dal water - 1/2 cup
- Water - 1 cup
- Asafoetida - a pinch
- Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
- Red chilli powder - a pinch (or as per your taste)
- Salt to taste
- Jaggery shredded - 1.5 tsp
- Curry leaves - 8 nos.
- Coriander leaves - 2tsp
- Ghee, mustard seeds for tempering
- Boil or soak tamarind in hot water and extract water.
- Cook dal with little more water than usual and extract the water only . Cooked dal can be used for regualr sambar or dal making.
- Dice the tomato
- In a vessel add diced tomato, tamarind water, dal water, normal water, asafoetida, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, bring to boil.
- when the raw smell of tamarind & asafoetida goes, add the dal water and cook it in slow flame.
- When foam forms on top (do not let boil after this stage as the rasam may lose its taste), remove from the stove.
- Add Shredded jaggery, mix it.
- Give a tempering of mustard seeds in ghee
- Add curry leaves and coriander leaves to it.
- Close it with a lid and let it rest for a while. (Before serving you can lightly heat it up)
- Simple yet yummy rasam is ready!
- On hot cooked rice, add a tsp of melted ghee, mix, pour some rasam over it, mix well and have with veggies of your choice or paruppu thogayal (dal chuntey). If nothing is available, the southindian udid papad fried in oil will make a good accompaniment. It will taste divine!
