Avasara Rasam

I've been down with a bad cold for the past few days and my Mom suggested this really quick and soothing rasam that I called "avasara rasam", meaning, "a really quick rasam to make when you are rushed". It didn't take more then 15 minutes to make this rasam. It has garlic and black pepper powder in it which treat cold well.

Ingredients (about 2 servings):

Tamarind soaked in water - 1/4 inch ball
Tomato - 1/2 medium sized cut into small cubes
(If you are using tamarind paste, about 1/4 teaspoon of it)
Cooking oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Asafoetida - a pinch
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Garlic - 3 cloves crushed
Dried red chillies - 2
Black pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cilantro for garnish - a few strands
Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Extract about 2 cups (using a measuring cup) of the juice of tamarind soaked in water or dilute the tamarind paste with about 2 cups of water and set aside.
2. Heat cooking oil in a small pan, pop some mustard seeds, add the cumin seeds, asafoetida, dried red chillies, turmeric powder, garlic cloves and tomatoes and fry until the tomatoes get cooked.
3. Add the tamarind water from step 1, salt and black pepper powder and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn off the stove once it starts boiling.
4. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot as a soup or with cooked rice.

I didn't have all the energy to stand beside the stove, but this was so easy, tasty and soothing as it could get.

Moar Rasam

Buttermilk, which is called "more" (yes, it is pronounced like the English word "more") in Tamil, in very good to keep your body cool when it gets overheated. This rasam, which is made from moar, is the easiest of all rasams. I use ajwain in this for seasoning, which is a very uncommon spice that is found only in certain parts of Asia. Ajwain is also used as a home medication to treat digestive disorders, nausea, motion sickness and the like.

Ingredients (about 3 - 4 servings):
Plain yogurt - 1.5 to 2 cups (using a measuring cup)
Cooking oil - 2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Ajwain seeds - 1 full teaspoon
Cilantro - a few strands broken by hand
Salt to taste
Procedure:
1. Take plain yogurt in a deep vessel, add about 3 to 4 cups (using a measuring cup) of water to it and churn it thoroughly into moar (buttermilk) so that it is free of lumps.
2. In a small pan, heat about a teaspoon of oil, pop some mustard seeds, add asafoetida to the oil and set aside.
3. In the same pan, heat another spoon of oil, add the ajwain seeds and set them aside.
4. Heat the buttermilk from step 1 on medium heat, until it gets warm (or a little more than warm, roughly about 5 minutes) and turn off the stove. DO NOT BOIL LEST IT WILL CURDLE.
5. Add the seasonings from step 1 and 2 to the buttermilk, some salt, a few strands of cilantro and your moar rasam is all done.
Tip:
To make it more easier, I heat some water in a kettle and use the hot water to make buttermilk so that I don't have to use the stove and don't have to worry about the container in which I'm making this. Just add the seasonings and salt and you are all set :-). It is that simple!!!
Whenever you feel like having some hot rasam on a cold/sick day, try this and see how easy, healthy and appetizing it is. You can drink it as such or mix with with some cooked rice.

Veppampoo (Neem Flower) Rasam

Vembu is Neem in Tamil. Veppampoo is the flower of the neem tree. Every part of the neem tree is considered to be of medicinal value, let alone the flower. There are several anecdotes which say chewing a neem leaf every day cures diabetes. Back home, I've also seen people suffering from diabetes swallow the freshly ground paste of neem leaves. As much as it is full of medicinal value, every part of the neem tree is equally bitter. You can smell the bitterness I would say :-). I think that is the reason why there is a practice of using sundried veppampoo in cooking. This rasam does not taste bitter and has a unique flavor and taste, which even my roommate liked the very first time and now we make this rasam quite often. Also, a dish called veppampoo pachchadi, made from FRESH veppampoo, is always in the menu for Tamil New Year to signify and accept life's bitter side. Below is a picture of dry veppampoo for your reference.

Ingredients (about 3 - 4 servings):

Tamarind soaked in water - about the size of a small lemon
(If using tamarind paste, about 3/4 teaspoon of it)
Asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste

For seasoning:

I use two separate set of seasonings for this rasam, one that I add while the rasam is under its way and the other one at the very end.

1st set:

Cooking oil - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Green chillies - 2 to 3 cut into small pieces

2nd set:

Cooking oil - 2 teaspoons
Veppampoo (sun dried) - 2 to 3 tablespoons
Cilantro - a few strands broken by hand

Procedure:

1. Extract about 3 cups (using a measuring cup) of the juice of tamarind water in a deep vessel or dilute the tamarind paste with 3 cups of water and set aside.
2. In a small pan, heat 1 teaspoon of cooking oil, add mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter. Add the green chillies after the mustard splutters and set aside.
3. In the same pan used in step 2, heat about 2 teaspoons of cooking oil and fry the veppam poo until it turns dark golden brown (but not burnt) in color and set aside.
4. Add asafoetida, salt and the seasoning from step 2 to the tamarind water from step 1 and boil it on medium heat for 10 -15 minutes, until the raw smell of tamarind goes away and turn off the stove.
5. Mix the fried veppampoo from step 3 with the rasam and garnish with cilantro.

Tip:
If your stomach is upset for some reason, you can simply fry a couple of tablespoons of sundried veppampoo in about a teaspoon of cooking oil, mix it with cooked rice along with little salt and have it for a couple of days. You will notice the difference for yourself :-).

Like I said before, this rasam has a very unique flavor to it and goes well with rice. I won't say that everyone will equally like it the very first time they try this rasam, but it is definitely worth a shot :-).

Milagu (Black Pepper) Rasam

Milagu rasam is a standard at our house when any of us fall sick. And, I can only say that it is soothing and at the same time tastes great even when you don't have an appetite. It was the very first item that I learned when I started cooking (in my 3rd year of undergraduate studies) and the only and only rasam that I knew to make until I came to the US.

Ingredients (about 2 - 3 servings):

Tamarind soaked in water - about the size of a 1/2 inch ball
(If using tamarind paste, 1/2 teaspoon of it)
Tomato - 1 medium sized cut into big chunks or finely chopped or just squished by hand
Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt to taste

To dry grind into a coarse powder:

Dried red chillies - 2
Whole black pepper - 2 teaspoons
Cumin seeds - 1 to 1.5 teaspoons
Coriander seeds - 1 teaspoon
Toor dhal - 1 tablespoon

For seasoning:

Cooking oil - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves (optional) - a few
Cilantro - a few strands broken by hand

Procedure:

1. Make a coarse powder of red chillies, whole black pepper, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and toor dhal and set aside.
2. In a deep vessel, extract about 2 cups (using a measuring cup) of the juice of fresh tamarind or dilute the tamarind paste with 2 cups of water, add asafoetida and salt to the mixture and bring it to a boil. When it starts boiling, add the tomato pieces and boil more until the tomatoes cook and the raw smell of tamarind goes away. This takes about 10 - 15 minutes on medium heat.
3. To the mixture from step 2, add the spice powder from step 1, 1 more cup of water and continue heating the contents until you see a frothy layer on the top and turn off the stove when you do.
4. In a pan, heat some cooking oil, add mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter. Immediately after they splutter, transfer the contents to the rasam from step 3.
5. Garnish with curry leaves and cilantro.

It is really comforting if you drink hot milagu rasam when you have a sore throat or cold. You can also have it with rice and ghee (clarified butter), as always :-).

Jeera Rasam

Another rasam variety made with jeera (cumin seeds). Nothing can beat my grandmother's jeera rasam. Even my Mom's doesn't taste as good. Every time I visit my grandparents, jeera rasam will definitely be on the menu, sort of my grandmom's specialty. I miss her and her rasam!!!! :-( Anyhow, here is the recipe.

Ingredients (about 2 - 3 servings):

Tamarind soaked in water - about the size of a 1/2 inch ball
(If using tamarind paste, about 3/4 teaspoon of it)
Sambar powder - 2 full teaspoons
Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt to taste

To grind to a coarse paste (not very coarse but not fine either):

Toor dhal - 2 tablespoons
Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon

For seasoning:

Cooking oil - 2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves (a must) - a few

Procedure:

1. Soak toor dhal and cumin seeds in little warm water (enough to cover them) for about 15 minutes, grind to a coarse paste and set aside.
2. In a deep vessel, extract about 2 cups (using a measuring cup) of the juice of soaked tamarind or dilute the tamarind paste with 2 cups of water.
3. Add sambar powder, asafoetida and salt to the contents from step 2 and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for about 15 minutes on medium heat or until the raw smell of sambar powder and tamarind goes off.
4. Now add the paste from step 1 to step 3, 1.5 cups of water, mix everything well and heat the contents until you see a froth like layer forming on the top. That is the indication that you should turn off the stove. Boiling anything with jeera in it will add a slight bitterness to the dish, or so says my Mom.
5. In a pan, heat some cooking oil, add mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter. Transfer the contents of the pan to the rasam in step 4 immediately after the mustard splutters.
6. Garnish with curry leaves. Flavorful jeera rasam is ready!!!!

Jeera rasam and paruppu usili go hand in hand. Whenever there is jeera rasam in the menu in our family, we can be sure that paruppu usili is also in the menu :-).

Gottu Rasam

The title may sound funny to some (or many) of you (in fact, my boyfriend calls it "goat rasam" ;-)) but this is supposed to be a ready-to-make rasam, as most of the time, people in India seem to have all the ingredients handy for this. Hot rasam and rice on a cold, rainy day (or night) is certainly comforting.

Ingredients (about 2 - 3 servings):

Tamarind soaked in water - about the size of a 1/2 inch ball
(If using tamarind paste, about 1/2 teaspoon of it)
Tomato - 1 medium sized cut into big chunks or just crush it by hand
(You can also chop the tomato if you would like it in every mouthful)
Toor dhal - 2 tablespoons
Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
Sambar powder (or rasam powder) - 1.5 teaspoons
Black pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon (you can add a bit more if you would like the pepper flavor to dominate)
Cumin powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Jaggery (optional, but I strongly recommend it :-)) - 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon
(You can use sugar if you don't have jaggery)
Salt to taste

For seasoning:

Cooking oil ( or ghee) - 2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Cilantro - 3 teaspoons finely chopped
Curry leaves - a few

Procedure:

1. In a deep vessel, extract about 2 cups (using a measuring cup) of the juice of soaked tamarind or dilute the tamarind paste with 2 cups of water.
2. Add raw toor dhal, asafoetida, sambar powder, little salt and tomatoes to step 1 and boil the mixture until the raw smell of tamarind and sambar powder go away and the tomatoes get cooked. This roughly takes about 15 - 20 minutes on medium heat.
3. After step 2, add pepper powder, cumin powder and jaggery and about 1 cup of water to the mixture, heat for about 5 more minutes and turn off the stove. My Mom says that boiling the rasam after adding pepper and jeera will introduce slight bitterness in it. We don't want that, do we??? So, we turn it off before it starts boiling.
4. In a pan, heat some cooking oil or ghee (clarified butter), add mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter. After the mustard splutters, add jeera, mix everything well and pour the contents into the rasam from step 3.
5. Garnish with chopped cilantro and fresh curry leaves.

For a slight variation in flavor, you can throw a couple of crushed garlic cloves in step 2 or even add the garlic in step 4, after the mustard has spluttered.

This tastes somewhat similar to the rasams that they serve at Brahmin weddings back home. The jaggery introduces a very light sweetness in the rasam, which tastes great. Cooked, nicely mashed rice mixed with ghee (clarified butter) and this rasam taste yum!!!! :-)

Lemon Rasam

Rasam comes under the category of comfort food according to me. It is something that is light and can be made in a jiffy. Most Indians (or at least South Indians) think that rasam is something that people eat when someone is down with cold/fever and that it doesn't have any nutritional value, since most varieties of rasam are made with tamarind extract. But, rasam can me made with dhal, which is rich in protein. Lemon rasam does not have any tamarind and it does contain dhal. So, there you go.

Ingredients (about 2 - 3 servings):

Fresh lime/lemon - 1 big one
Toor dhal - 1/4 cup (using a measuring cup)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
Tomato - 1 small one cut into cubes or you just squeeze it with hand
(You can even chop the tomato if you would like it in every mouthful :-))

To grind with water:

Green chillies - 2 to 3 small ones (depending on how spicy you would like it)
Salt - about a teaspoon

For seasoning:

Cooking oil - 2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cilantro - 2 teaspoons finely chopped

Procedure:

1. Pressure cook toor dhal with turmeric powder, mash the cooked dhal and set aside. I take dhal and water in the ratio 1:3 and cook for 3 whistles.
2. Grind green chillies with salt and set aside.
3. In a vessel, add the ground green chillies, about 2 cups of water, asafoetida and tomatoes and bring it to a boil. Boil on medium heat until the raw chilli smell goes away and the tomatoes have cooked. This takes about 15 minutes.
4. To the mixture from step 3, add the mashed dhal from step 1, about 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil. Boil for 5 more minutes and turn off the stove.
5. In a small pan, heat some cooking oil, add mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter. After the mustard splutters, transfer the contents of the pan to the mixture from step 4.
6. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Squeeze the juice of a fresh lime/lemon and lemon rasam is done! You can add more salt at the end if needed and also more lime/lemon juice if you want it to be tangy.

Note:
1. My Mom says grinding green chillies with salt will grind them properly and that is true, because I once tried to grind them alone and they wouldn't grind well.
2. Please avoid reheating in the microwave as the rasam tends to get bitter because of the lemon juice in it. I usually keep it out about 30 - 45 minutes before eating. Mixing it with hot rice also works. Heat transfer baby!!!!

You can also add about 1/2 teaspoon of sambar powder in step 3 along with the other ingredients. If you do so, please be sure to reduce the green chillies to 1 as sambar powder itself is spicy. That gives it a slightly different flavor :-). This rasam goes very well with rice and ghee (clarified butter). It can also be had like soup.