Rasam is a hot-warming soup from South India, which is more liquid slurry than a sambar. Sambar has mashed pulses, but rasam has very little or sometimes no cooked dal in it. At the same time, rasam has only additions of vegetables. The word Rasam in Tamil and Telugu means ‘Juice’; and is as delicious as sambar. Also, rasam is known as 'saaru' in Kannada and 'chaaru' in Telugu. It is a spiced soup made up of tamarind and herbs. This humble hot soup is said to be possessed with many medicinal values as it is simmered with spices. It helps to aid in digestion for an upset stomach and is suitable for health during cold. Grab your kitchen aprons now! Here’s a delicious recipe that allows you to treat the rasams with minimal ingredients in our kitchen.
Ingredients for rasam:
- 1 tsp Toor dal
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- ½ tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 dried red chilli
- Few curry leaves
Other ingredients:
- 1 tomato (chopped)
- Few curry leaves (chopped)
- 2-4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp jaggery
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup tamarind extract
- 5 cups water
- 1 cup Toor dal (cooked)
- Coriander leaves (chopped)
Ingredients for tempering:
- 2 tsp ghee
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- Pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- 2 dried red chilli
- Few curry leaves
Instructions to make rasam powder:
- Dry roast the coriander seeds, toor dal, cumin, black pepper, dry chillies, and a few curries leave in a pan.
- Roast them all on the low flame until the spices turn aromatic.
- Cooldowns entirely and blend to a fine powder. Keep the powder aside.
Instructions for Kalyana rasam :
- Take a large, heavy-bottom pan, add one tablespoon ghee. Once it is hot, add chopped tomatoes, garlic, curry leaves, turmeric, jaggery, and simmer it for 3-4 minutes.
- Now add tamarind extract, salt, and 4 cups of water.
- Cover the pan and boil it for 15-20 minutes.
- Time to add cooked toor dal and two more cups of water, mix well, and adjust the consistency.
- Boil for 2 minutes until it turns frothy.
- Further, add prepared Kalyana rasam powder and give a good mix.
- Boil it for another 2-3 minutes, now add ½ tsp salt and cook until the flavours are absorbed.
- In a separate small pan, prepare a tempering. Add ghee once it is heated, add mustard seeds, hing, dried red chilli, and curry leaves.
- Pour the tempering over rasam and garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves. Mix well
Your Kalyana Rasam is ready; serve it hot with rice, vada, or idli.
