South Indies: Mysore Rasam

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

For a South Indian, nothing beats the comfort of some home made piping hot Rasam .. All South Indian states have different ways of making the basic Tomato Rasam .. Being from Karnataka, the Rasam that we make at home is from the Mysore region & we call it Saaru but its better as Mysore Rasam all over the world ..

Mysore Rasam

A true blue South Indian makes Rasam Powder at home, but if you live in the South, you will have the luxury of buying good quality Rasam powder from stores as well. There are small little shops in most South Indian cities, that sell very good Rasam Powder that tastes as good as home made ones, you can also use MTR (NOT any other brand ) Rasam powder to get good results.

My Ajji (maternal grandmother) & my Amma make the Rasam powder so much ease .. so with their help, I will do a post on Homemade Rasam Powder soon :-)

You Will Need:
  • 1/2 cup Toor Dal
  • 2 large ripe tomatoes- chopped
  • 1/2  tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp Rasam powder/Saarina Pudi (use MTR Rasam Powder)
  • 1 tbso tamarind juice
  • 1 tbsp thin coconut milk
  • A small lump of jaggery
  • Curry leaves
  • Salt as per taste
  • A few stalks of fresh coriander
To Temper:
  • 2 tsp desi ghee
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • A pinch of asafoetida
How To:
  • Pressure cook toor dal & tomatoes, with turmeric & a tsp of oil ..
  • Once, it cools add 4 cups of water, curry leaves, jaggery, Rasam powder, salt, tamarind juice & a few stalks of coriander & bring it to a boil.
  • Simmer on low heat for about 10-12 mins until the raw smell of the Rasam powder disappears & the flavours incorporate well.
  • Discard curry leaves & coriander. Temper with mustard seeds,cumin seeds, asafoetida . Garnish with fresh coriander
Serve HOT with steamed rice, A curry, some pickles & yogurt on the side .. Makes such a Happy Meal .. Enjoi !!!

NOTE:
  • A good Rasam should have a bit of heat from the rasam powder, sweetness from jaggery, sourness from tamarind juice .. so make sure you balance these flavours .. you will need a bit of practice to learn how to balance these flavours well
  • Asafoetida has a very strong flavour, so make sure you use only a tiny bit
  • The dal settles down after a while, so before serving, give the rasam a good stir.
  • You can even strain the dal & serve as a thin Soup .. We love drinking it that way

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